For my commencement post, I wanted to start off with one of the players who was most important in a) making me realize that I was capable at a young age of determining a bad player when I saw one and b) helping, through fault, to introduce one of my favorite Phillies of all time.
The younger brother of All-Star outfielder George Bell, Juan Bell had a very short-lived career, playing only two short seasons (1992-93) and 70 games in a Phillies uniform.
Stats
As a major leaguer from 1989-1995, Bell played only 329 games—a little more than two full seasons worth of games.
As a career hitter, Bell was only able to muster a .212 average and 177 hits. As a Phillie, he swatted 43 of those hits and topped, or bottomed out, at a lowly .203 average.
If those numbers looked bad, they were Babe-Ruth-like compared to his defensive numbers. Bell garnered 15 of his 27 career errors for Philadelphia. As the Phillies’ opening day starting shortstop in 1993, he made nine errors, which inevitably led to his being placed on waivers.
The 1993 Season
Without a steady-handed glove to stake claim at the shortstop position with Kim Batiste serving more of a backup role to Dave Hollins at third base and Mariano Duncan, the team’s opening day starter the year before, better suited for second base as Mickey Morandini's platoon, Bell got first dibs at the position.
Bell had little to no success in that title year. He logged only 13 hits and 7 RBI in those 24 games. With an important role to fill in one of the most difficult positions in the game and as the No. 8 hitter, Bell was not able to carry the weight.
As a result, the Phillies brought up a young upstart by the name of Kevin Stocker, who had never played even a game in the majors before being called upon (to read a great homage to one of the great players from that year, as well as one of the original Tampa Bay Devil Rays, read this great piece from Phillies Nation). With a .324 batting average for the year, decent speed and an adequate glove, Stocker erased all memories of Bell from the minds of fans…
…but not this one.
Personal Memories
I remember going to a game early in the 1993 season, seeing Bell play and successfully identifying the quality of his play as being below sub-par. As a 6-year-old budding Phillies fan, this was both an opportunity to both brag and feel disappointed. However, I look upon the memory of Juan Bell positively. If he had even played moderately below average, he might have stayed on the roster, possibly platooned with Duncan and Batiste. And Kevin Stocker might have just ended up being nothing more than…well…a post on this blog.
The younger brother of All-Star outfielder George Bell, Juan Bell had a very short-lived career, playing only two short seasons (1992-93) and 70 games in a Phillies uniform.
StatsAs a major leaguer from 1989-1995, Bell played only 329 games—a little more than two full seasons worth of games.
As a career hitter, Bell was only able to muster a .212 average and 177 hits. As a Phillie, he swatted 43 of those hits and topped, or bottomed out, at a lowly .203 average.
If those numbers looked bad, they were Babe-Ruth-like compared to his defensive numbers. Bell garnered 15 of his 27 career errors for Philadelphia. As the Phillies’ opening day starting shortstop in 1993, he made nine errors, which inevitably led to his being placed on waivers.
The 1993 Season
Without a steady-handed glove to stake claim at the shortstop position with Kim Batiste serving more of a backup role to Dave Hollins at third base and Mariano Duncan, the team’s opening day starter the year before, better suited for second base as Mickey Morandini's platoon, Bell got first dibs at the position.
Bell had little to no success in that title year. He logged only 13 hits and 7 RBI in those 24 games. With an important role to fill in one of the most difficult positions in the game and as the No. 8 hitter, Bell was not able to carry the weight.
As a result, the Phillies brought up a young upstart by the name of Kevin Stocker, who had never played even a game in the majors before being called upon (to read a great homage to one of the great players from that year, as well as one of the original Tampa Bay Devil Rays, read this great piece from Phillies Nation). With a .324 batting average for the year, decent speed and an adequate glove, Stocker erased all memories of Bell from the minds of fans…
…but not this one.
Personal Memories
I remember going to a game early in the 1993 season, seeing Bell play and successfully identifying the quality of his play as being below sub-par. As a 6-year-old budding Phillies fan, this was both an opportunity to both brag and feel disappointed. However, I look upon the memory of Juan Bell positively. If he had even played moderately below average, he might have stayed on the roster, possibly platooned with Duncan and Batiste. And Kevin Stocker might have just ended up being nothing more than…well…a post on this blog.
