 |
|
|---|---|
| San Diego Padres — No. 21 | |
| Relief Pitcher | |
| Born: September 29 1977 | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| August 24, 2004 for the New York Mets | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
|
| Win-Loss | 7-9 |
| Earned Run Average | 3.57 |
| Strikeouts | 207 |
| Teams | |
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Heath Justin Bell (born September 29, 1977 in Oceanside, California) is a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball with the San Diego Padres.
Contents |
High School Years
Bell attended Tustin High School in Tustin, California, which is about 30 miles from his birthplace in Oceanside and 60 miles from his current job in San Diego. He lettered in football, basketball, and baseball.
Junior College Years
Bell attended Santiago Canyon College where he was named a freshman All-American in 1997.
Pro career
He was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 69th round of the 1997 amateur draft but did not begin his professional career until 1998 when he signed with the New York Mets as an undrafted free agent. He is one of the highest-round draft picks to ever make it to the Majors. After toiling in the Mets minor league system for eight seasons, Bell made his major league debut on August 24, 2004 pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts against his current club, the Padres. The righty spent the next two seasons shuttling between the Mets and their Triple-A affiliate Norfolk, mainly filling in as an injury replacement. On November 15, 2006, Bell was traded with fellow relief pitcher Royce Ring to San Diego for outfielder Ben Johnson and reliever Jon Adkins. He is now part of the highly-regarded Padres bullpen, where he has replaced Scott Linebrink as the 8th inning setup man before Trevor Hoffman closes the game.
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[1].
Personal information
Bell is married with three children and resides in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Bell's cousin is actor and musician Drake Bell.
See also
External links
- Heath Bell at ESPN.com
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
