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Heath Bell

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Heath Bell
Bell pitching for the Padres.
Miami Marlins – No. 21
Pitcher
Born: (1977-09-29) September 29, 1977 (age 47)
Oceanside, California
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
debut
August 24, 2004, for the New York Mets
Career statistics
(through 2011)
Win-Loss28–24
Earned run average3.06
Strikeouts494
Saves134
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Heath Justin Bell (born September 29, 1977) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball. After taking over the San Diego Padres closer role from Trevor Hoffman in 2009, Bell was named a three-time All-Star and has been awarded with the Rolaids Relief Man Award twice and has also won the DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award and The Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award. From 2010–2011, he successfully converted 41 straight save opportunities, tied for the sixth longest streak in MLB history.

Early years

Bell was born in Oceanside, California. He attended Columbus Tustin Middle School and Tustin High School in Tustin, California, which is about 50 miles (80 km) from Oceanside. He lettered in football, basketball, and baseball.[1]

Bell attended Santiago Canyon College where he was named a freshman All-American in 1997.[2][3] In 1997 Bell made two appearances in the National Baseball Congress world series while playing for the El Dorado Broncos. He did not give up any runs and was named the league's Graduate of the Year in 2011.[4] He was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 69th round of the 1997 amateur draft.[1]

Pro career

New York Mets

Bell did not begin his professional career until 1998, when he signed with the New York Mets as an undrafted free agent.[1] He made his major league debut on August 24, 2004 pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts against the San Diego Padres.[1] The righty spent the next two seasons shuttling between the Mets and their Triple-A affiliate Norfolk. Bell said coaches in the Mets' minor leagues told him his best opportunity to succeed was to leave the organization as other people did not believe in him.[3]

San Diego Padres

On November 15, 2006, Bell was traded to San Diego, along with pitcher Royce Ring, for outfielder Ben Johnson and relief pitcher Jon Adkins.[5] He was part of the Padres bullpen, where he replaced Scott Linebrink as the 8th inning setup man before Trevor Hoffman closed games.[6] In 2009, Hoffman signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and Bell was promoted to closer. Bell sprints from the bullpen[7] and into a save situation accompanied by the song “Blow Me Away” by Breaking Benjamin.[8] Bell's save situations are referred to by fans as "Bell's Hell", a play on Hoffman's famous "Hells Bells".[9]

In 2009, Bell was named MLB Delivery Man of the Month in April after converting all eight of his save opportunities in 8+2⁄3 scoreless innings of work while striking out nine batters.[10] He was named to the National League (NL) All-Star Team on July 5. He, along with teammate Adrian Gonzalez, represented the Padres at the 2009 MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis on July 14. Bell came on in the 8th inning and gave up a triple to Curtis Granderson followed by a sacrifice fly to Adam Jones to make the score 4–3 in the American League's favor; Bell was the losing pitcher in the game. Bell ended the 2009 season leading the National League in saves with 42 in his first year as a full time closer. He won the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award[11]

In 2010, Bell was named to his second consecutive NL All-Star team in July. Starting May 29, he converted 34 consecutive saves to end the season, the longest streak by a Padres since Hoffman. Bell collected saves on a season-high four consecutive days from August 10–13. For the year, Bell had a career-high 47 saves, which ranked second in MLB and was second in team history behind Hoffman's 53 in 1998. Bell's .940 save percentage (47 of 50) led all of MLB. He did not allow any of his nine inherited runners to score, and he had six saves of more than one inning pitched. Bell won the DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award, The Sporting News NL Reliever of the Year Award, and the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award.[12][13][14]

Bell was the highest paid Padres player in 2011 at $7.5 million salary and would be eligible for free agency at the end of the season.[15] He converted his first seven save opportunities of 2011, which tied him with Hoffman for the Padres club record of 41 consecutive successful save conversions. The streak also tied him with Hoffman and Rod Beck for the then-fourth longest in MLB history.[16] Bell blew his next save opportunity, a 3–0 lead, after he opened the ninth inning walking the first two batters, and third baseman Chase Headley made a two-out, two-run throwing error to tie the game.[17] On May 14, Bell recorded his 100th career save in a 9–7 win over the Colorado Rockies.[18] Bell was selected to his third consecutive All-Star game. Entering the game in the eight inning, Bell sprinted from the bullpen and did a slide in front of the pitcher's mound, taking out a chunk of the infield grass and leaving grass stains on his pants. "I wanted the fans to have fun with this," said Bell.[19][20][7] With the team 12 games under .500 coming out of the All-Star break, general manager Jed Hoyer said the Padres would pursue a long-term contract with Bell if they did not get a desirable trade offer for him.[21][22] Ultimately Bell was not traded at the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, but Hoyer admitted Bell’s greatest value to the team might come as a free agent if Bell refuses salary arbitration and signs elsewhere—the Padres would receive two first-round draft picks in June 2012 as compensation.[23][24] Bell said he planned to accept arbitration from the Padres if they did not agree on a multi-year deal.[25] He finished the season 43 of 48 in save opportunities with a 2.44 ERA, but he struck out less than 30 percent of all opponents’ at-bats for the first time as a Padre.[26][27]

Bell wanted a three-year contract from the Padres, who instead offered two years with an option for 2014. Talks stalled after Hoyer left the Padres and was replaced by Josh Byrnes as general manager. The Padres offered arbitration, but Bell backed away from his earlier intention to accept arbitration. The Miami Marlins, the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were also interested in signing him. Bell had a 27–19 record with a 2.53 earned run average and 134 saves in 354 appearances with the Padres over five seasons.[27]

Miami Marlins

On December 1, 2011, he agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract with the Miami Marlins pending a physical.[28] The deal became official on December 5.[29]

Scouting report

Generally a power pitcher, Bell has averaged nearly a full strikeout per inning but also proved to be hittable in his 2005 sophomore season allowing 10.8 hits per nine innings and a very high 5.59 earned run average. Bell has a 94–98 mph fastball, usually sitting between 95 and 96. He also has an 11–5 curveball in the low 80s.[30] Keith Law of ESPN wrote in 2011 that Bell has a straight fastball and pitches in the upper half of the zone, and benefited from pitching in the spacious Petco Park as a Padre.[31]

Personal information

Bell is married to Nicole, and they have four children.[32] They reside in San Diego, California.[15] Bell's cousin is actor and musician Drake Bell. Former basketball player Erik Meek is also his cousin.[33]

Bell joined the Hope For Leadership Foundation, a Christian-based movement that promotes sports and civic programs for inner-city kids.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "About Heath". Heath Bell's Official Website. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  2. ^ "Scout.com: Heath Bell Profile". Notredame.scout.com. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Norcross, Don (June 18, 2011). "For Bell, every day is father's day". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011.
  4. ^ "Heath Bell Named NBC Graduate of the Year - NBC Baseball World Series - National Baseball Congress". Nbcbaseball.com. July 22, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  5. ^ Bryan Hoch (August 17, 2006). "Mets trade for Johnson, Adkins". newyork.mets.mlb.com. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  6. ^ McCalvy, Adam (July 25, 2007). "Brewers acquire Linebrink from Padres". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Rosecrans, C. Trent (July 13, 2011). "Bell's slide steals the show". CBSSports.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011.
  8. ^ Canepa, Nick (June 14, 2009). "Bell can see light behind gloom". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 23, 2011.
  9. ^ Newman, Mark (July 4, 2010). "Postseason feel to All-Star Final Vote". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2011.
  10. ^ Major League Baseball (May 6, 2009). "Heath Bell named winner of the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month award for April" (Press release). Archived from the original on March 9, 2011.
  11. ^ San Diego Padres (January 16, 2010). "Padres agree to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Heath Bell" (Press release). Archived from the original on March 9, 2011.
  12. ^ "Heath Bell Named Winner Of The Major League Baseball Delivery Man Of The Year Award | padres.com: Official Info" (Press release). San Diego Padres. October 13, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  13. ^ "Padres' Black, Bell honored by Sporting News". The San Diego Union-Tribune. October 20, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011.
  14. ^ "Rolaids Relief Man Award NL Standings". Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c Center, Bell (March 19, 2011). "Bell believes fans will help decide his future with Padres". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 20, 2011.
  16. ^ "Pirates give up late runs in loss to Padres". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. May 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011.
  17. ^ Center, Bill (May 6, 2011). "Padres blow it but still manage to walk off winners". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011.
  18. ^ Norcross, Don (May 14, 2011). "Hawpe caps big rally as Padres top Rockies". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011.
  19. ^ Baxter, Kevin; Shaikin, Bill (July 12, 2011). "Heath Bell doesn't let opportunity slide by at All-Star game". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
  20. ^ Sullivan, Tim (July 12, 2011). "Show goes on without some All-Stars, but Bell provides memorable moment". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
  21. ^ Jenkins, Chris (July 14, 2011). "Where will Bell's comedy act be playing next?". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011.
  22. ^ Center, Bill (July 13, 2011). "Amid questions about future, Padres face long second half". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011.
  23. ^ Center, Bill (July 31, 2011). "Padres trade Adams, Ludwick; keep Bell, Harang". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011.
  24. ^ "Guzman keys late rally as Padres beat Rockies 8-3". Associated Press. July 31, 2011. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011.
  25. ^ Center, Bill (August 1, 2011). "Bell says he intends to play for S.D. in 2012; Padres lose". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on August 2, 2011.
  26. ^ Kahrl, Christina (December 1, 2011). "Nothing Fishy about interest in Heath Bell". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011.
  27. ^ a b Center, Bell (December 1, 2011). "Bell, Marlins agree on 3-year contract". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011.
  28. ^ http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7302467/miami-marlins-agree-closer-heath-bell-three-year-deal-sources-say
  29. ^ Frisaro, Joe (December 5, 2011). "Set to introduce Bell, Marlins make deal official". MLB.com. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  30. ^ "Gameday 2007". mlb.com. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  31. ^ Law, Keith (December 2, 2011). "Heath Bell a mistake for Miami". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 2, 2011.(subscription required)
  32. ^ "Player Bio Information". MLB.com. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  33. ^ Kurkjian, Tim (April 17, 2009). "Fun-loving Bell finally has his dream job". ESPN The Magazine. Archived from the original on March 20, 2011.
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