FORT MYERS, Fla. – Minnesota Twins bank coach Mike Bell, the younger brother of Cincinnati Reds coach David Bell, died of kidney cancer Friday. He was 46 years old.
At the request of the Bell family to take the field in his honor, the twins said their exhibition game against Atlanta would be played as scheduled.
Mike Bell had surgery on January 28 to remove a tumor discovered earlier that month. He took a leave of absence from the team to focus on his health. Twins coach Rocco Baldelli said at the start of spring training that his top assistant on the bench was “very, very optimistic” about his recovery.
“We know Mike as a baseball man, but I can say that, with the love he has for the game and for all the people in the game, he was first a family man,” Baldelli said on Friday.
“He brought that passion to the field as our bank technician. He was an incredible bank technician because he was incredible with people.”
In a statement released by the organization, the twins said Bell had “an indelibly positive impact” on the team and everyone he met during his only season in office.
“Everyone who met Mike, on and off the field, is better off with the experience. The twins join the baseball world in mourning for Mike’s untimely death; our thoughts and best wishes are with his wife, Kelly, his three children, Luke, Mikayla and Madeline, and the entire Bell family during this difficult time. “
Mike Bell was chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 1997 expansion project. His only season playing in the major leagues was in 2000 with Cincinnati, when the third baseman entered 19 games and made 6 to 27 with two home runs.
Bell spent 13 years with the Arizona Diamondbacks in player development and minor league management.
“Mike was really loved by everyone who knew him – from coaches and players to colleagues and teams in Arizona and throughout our minor league system,” said the Diamondbacks in a statement. “His loss left a huge hole in our hearts, but its impact cannot be overstated and his legacy will not be forgotten.”
David Bell has played 12 seasons in major championships, mostly in Philadelphia and Seattle, and was hired as manager of the Reds in 2019.
“Our Reds family is overwhelmed with sadness for the Bells as they mourn the loss of Mike,” said Cincinnati chief executive Bob Castellini in a statement.
“This big baseball family has blessed thousands of people over the 70 years that they have dedicated themselves to our game. We are honored that Mike, like his grandfather Gus, his father Buddy and his brother David, wore a Reds uniform. For Buddy, David and their families, “he said.
Buddy Bell has spent nine years as a coach and 18 seasons as a player in the major leagues. The brothers’ grandfather, Gus Bell, played 15 years in the majors. Another brother, Ricky Bell, had a 10-year career in the secondary league.