Rob Bell (baseball)

For other people with the same name, see Robert Bell (disambiguation).

Rob Bell
Pitcher
Born: (1977-01-17) January 17, 1977 (age 47)
Newburgh, New York, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 8, 2000, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 2007, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Win–loss record34–37
Earned run average5.71
Strikeouts421
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Robert Allen Bell (born January 17, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2005, and a final season in 2007, with four different teams.

Career

Bell attended Marlboro High School in Marlboro, New York, where he was teammates with Dee Brown.[1] He initially committed to play college baseball at Wake Forest.[2]

Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft, Bell was considered a Braves top prospect and pitched in their minor league system until November 10, 1998, when he was traded with Denny Neagle and Michael Tucker to the Cincinnati Reds for Bret Boone and Mike Remlinger.[3][4]

Bell made his major league debut with the Reds on April 8, 2000, against the Chicago Cubs.[5][6] In Bell's first season in the Majors, he finished with an ERA of 5.00 in 26 starts. His record was 7–8 with 112 strikeouts and 73 walks. The following season, Bell started 9 games for Cincinnati before being sent down to AAA.

On June 15, 2001, Bell was traded to the Texas Rangers for Rubén Mateo and Edwin Encarnación.[7][8] In 18 starts for the Rangers, Bell had a 5–5 record with a 7.18.

In 2002, Bell pitched in 17 games (15 starts) for the Rangers and split time with the Rangers and their AAA affiliate.

The Rangers released Bell on March 12, 2003.[9] Five days later, Bell signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[10] Bell began the season in the minors, pitching in 12 games before being called up to the majors. He went on to finish the season with 18 starts, striking out 44 batters in 101 innings. The Devil Rays resigned Bell following the 2003 season.[11] In 2004, Bell had his best year and ended the season with a career high 8 wins. In 2005, Bell appeared in 8 games with the Devil Rays. In AAA, he only appeared in 22 games. He elected free agency afterwards, ending his 3-year tenure with Tampa Bay.

He signed with the Cleveland Indians on December 15, 2005, but Bell spent the entire 2006 season with the Indians' Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons.

Bell signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles in 2006. Bell appeared in 30 games with the Orioles as a reliever, but was outrighted to the minors following the 2007 season, and elected free agency. In December 2007, he signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals, but was released during spring training. In April 2008, Bell signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox, but was released in June.

On February 16, 2013, Bell joined the Tampa Bay Rays organization as a sales account representative for the Hudson Valley Renegades.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ Witt, Kevin (July 8, 2007). "Ex-Marlboro mates Bell & Brown right where they belong: Back in The Show". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  2. ^ Witt, Kevin (June 16, 2001). "Go AL West, young man: Bell traded to Rangers". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Braves Trade Neagle to Reds for Boone".
  4. ^ "Braves trade Neagle to Reds for Boone". Deseret News. November 11, 1998. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014.
  5. ^ Record Online search
  6. ^ Red big bats mark bells enquirer.com April 8, 2000 [permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Swapping Stories: The Mateo Trade | texasrangers.com: News". Archived from the original on June 2, 2014.
  8. ^ "Rangers acquire Bell, give up on Mateo". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  9. ^ "Rangers release RHP Bell". March 12, 2003.
  10. ^ "Devil Rays agree to deal with Rob Bell". March 17, 2003.
  11. ^ Record Online search
  12. ^ "Ex-Rays Reliever Rob Bell Rejoins Rays Organization as Member of Hudson Valley Renegades Front Office". February 16, 2013.
  13. ^ "Bell joins Renegades front office".