Derek Bell
From BR Bullpen
Derek Nathaniel Bell
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 215 lb.
- High School C. Leon King High School
- Debut June 28, 1991
- Final Game July 3, 2001
- Born December 11, 1968 in Tampa, FL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Derek Bell is most infamously known for the "Operation Shutdown" incident of 2002. After a terrible 2001 in which he hit .173 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bell was displeased when at spring training, it was announced he would have to fight for a position.
Quoth Bell:
"Nobody told me I was in competition. If there is competition, somebody better let me know. If there is competition, they better eliminate me out of the race and go ahead and do what they're going to do with me. I ain't never hit in spring training and I never will. If it ain't settled with me out there, then they can trade me. I ain't going out there to hurt myself in spring training battling for a job. If it is [a competition], then I'm going into 'Operation Shutdown.' Tell them exactly what I said. I haven't competed for a job since 1991."
Bell did just that in the end of March. Unsurprisingly, he was released and never played in the majors again. The Pirates paid him over 4 million dollars that year. Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette brilliantly stated: "Derek Bell becomes the ultimate Pirate: lives on a boat and steals money."
Derek Bell was a member of the 1980 USA Champion Little League team from Tampa, Florida. They lost in the championship game to Taiwan, 4-3. One of Bell's teammates was future major leaguer Gary Sheffield.
On April 19, 2006 Derek Bell was arrested in Tampa for cocaine possession.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1988 MVP South Atlantic League Myrtle Beach Blue Jays
- 1991 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year, Syracuse Chiefs, International League
- 1991 MVP International League, Syracuse Chiefs
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1993 & 1998)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1996 & 1998)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1998)
- Won a World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992
