Derek Bell

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Derek Nathaniel Bell

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Biographical Information[edit]

Intro[edit]

"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." - Derek Bell, March 18, 2002

Derek Bell saw action in eleven big league seasons. His finest season may have come during his time with the Houston Astros. In 1998, he batted .314 with 22 homers, 108 RBI and 111 runs scored as part of the growing Houston swarm known as "The Killer Bs". A World Series champion with the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays, Bell made another appearance in the Fall Classic with the New York Mets in 2000, his last decent season as a big leaguer. He may be best known for the "Operation Shutdown" incident of 2002, where he left the team in spring training after learning he would need to compete for a starting job.

Beginnings North of the Border[edit]

In his youth, Bell was a member of the 1980 Little League World Series US Champion team from Tampa. They lost in the championship game to Taiwan's Hualien County, 4-3. One of Bell's teammates was future major leaguer Gary Sheffield and another was first-round pick Ty Griffin. Bell was 0 for 3 with a RBI in the finale, hitting 5th and playing right field for Tampa. He played in the 1981 Little League World Series as well, becoming the first two-time LLWS player who would become a major leaguer. Tampa (this time without Sheffield and Griffin) again won the US title. In the finale, Bell hit third and went 1 for 3; he also pitched, giving up 5 hits, 3 walks, 5 wild pitches and 4 runs while fanning 9 in 5 innings in a 4-2 loss to Taichung, Taiwan.


Originally a 2nd round draft choice of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1987 Amateur Draft, Bell broke into the big leagues in 1991. His first game was June 28 against the Mariners. Starting and hitting 7th in the lineup, he went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout in a 3-1 loss in SkyDome. Through July 14, Bell was hitting only .059/.238/.059 (his lone hit coming against David West in a 1-0 shutout loss to the eventual World Champion Twins on July 4) when he was returned to the AAA level. For the Syracuse Chiefs, he hit .346/.424/.532 with 22 doubles, 13 triples, 12 home runs, 27 stolen bases (but 13 caught stealings), and 93 RBI. He was recalled to the Toronto in September and collected 3 more hits (all singles) in 11 at bats to end the season. He was set to begin 1992 as Toronto's most oft-used left fielder (sharing time with Candy Maldonado), but was injured early in the team's second game. Furthermore, Maldonado began to hit well and turn into a run producer just before Bell came off the disabled list after a shaky April, so the Candy Man became the Jays' starting left fielder and played 137 games, relegating Bell to fourth outfielder duties and only 61 games, where he struggled to produce to the tune of a .242/.324/.354 slash line.

Bell was the victim of a classic prank. On fan appreciation day late in the 1992 season, Joe Carter drove Bell's Jeep onto the field (with Dave Winfield in the passenger seat), accompanied by the SkyDome public address announcer announcing that Bell's vehicle was going to be given away to a lucky fan. The crowd roared, Bell was stunned with his mouth agape, and the P.A. announcer announced the winning seat. However, the seat number was a fake, and Bell was let off the hook by the good-natured and fun-loving Carter before the game.

Moving On to San Diego[edit]

By the end of spring training in 1993, Bell had fallen out of favor with the Blue Jays. On March 30, inside one week of the regular season commencing, he was traded to the San Diego Padres (along with minor league outfielder Stoney Briggs) for Darrin Jackson. The Padres were rebuilding and Bell was still young enough to fit into the team's future plans. In what was effectively his first full season, he slashed .262/.303/.417. He hit 21 home runs, 19 doubles, and drove in 72 runs. Seeing most of his action in center field, his defensive stats were a little of a mixed bag - below average fielding, average range, and 8 outfield assists; his 4 outfield double plays led the national league. Nearing the end of the season, the Padres experimented with playing Bell at third base. They had traded away Gary Sheffield earlier in the season and had tried out utility infielders Archi Cianfrocco and Craig Shipley at the hot corner. To say that the experiment was less than successful could very well be considered the biggest understatement of the early 90s. Between the end of August and the middle of September, Bell started 19 games at third base; he committed 9 errors in 50 chances for an .820 fielding percentage! He was mercifully moved back to the outfield for the remainder of the season. These were his only professional games as an infielder (save for his lone pitching appearance with the 2000 Mets in a 16-1 drubbing at the hands of his former team, the Padres).

Bell really began to come into his own during the strike-shortened 1994 season. Again San Diego's starting center fielder, his power production went down, but he raised his averages to .311/.354/.454. His defense slid, though, as his 10 errors were the most among National League center fielders; his range numbers fell back a little, as well and he only turned in 3 outfield assists.

With the Killer B's in Houston[edit]

In the ensuing offseason, during the strike, Bell was part of a huge trade, one that would benefit both teams involved. On December 28, 1994, Bell, Doug Brocail, Ricky Gutierrez, Pedro Martinez, Phil Plantier and Craig Shipley were sent to the Houston Astros for Ken Caminiti, Andujar Cedeno, Steve Finley, Roberto Petagine, Brian Williams, and a player to be named later (Sean Fesh, named May 1, 1995). He was moved to right field by the Astros (with rookie speedster Brian L. Hunter patrolling center), where his defense could be better hidden than in center.

His bat remained potent to the tune of a .334/.385/.442 slash line in 1995. His power numbers took another step backwards, but he drove in 86 runs which was his highest total to date. However, that career-best wouldn't last long, as he drove in 113 in 1996, which would wind up being his career best. 1996 was also his first of two seasons in which he'd hit 40 or more doubles (40 exactly), but his batting average fell to .263 and he strikeout rate increased. 1997 was an improvement over 1996 with .276/.344/.438 as his slash line.

1998, though, might have been his pinnacle year - .314/.364/.490, 41 doubles and 22 home runs (both career bests), 108 RBI, and a league-leading 10 sacrifice flies. The follow-up performance, the 1999 season, was not Bell's finest. He was hurt part of the year and played 128 games, and when he was on the field, his production took a huge backward step. He could only a muster a .236/.306/.350 slash line (the first time he slugged under .400 since 1992) and despite the decrease in playing time, struck out the most times in his career - 129 whiffs in 509 at bats.

Final Years and Operation Shutdown[edit]

Now 31 years old, the Astros traded Bell to the New York Mets along with Mike Hampton for Roger Cedeno, Octavio Dotel, and Kyle Kessel on December 23, 1999. He did have somewhat of a bounce back season in Queens, hitting .266/.348/.425 with 31 doubles and 18 long balls for the 2000 Mets.

A free-agent at season's end, he signed a two-year deal with the Pirates worth $9.75 million, but subsequently had a terrible first year in Pittsburgh - .173/.287/.288 through an injury-plagued Summer, and an even worse .162/.266/.250 slash line at the AAA level with the Nashville Sounds.

In spring training 2002, the Pirates announced he would have to compete for a starting job. A displeased Bell left the team on March 29 and was unsurprisingly released two days later. He never played professional ball again while the Pirates paid him over $4 million to complete the contract he signed prior to the 2001 season. Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette brilliantly stated: "Derek Bell becomes the ultimate Pirate: lives on a boat and steals money."

Post-Career[edit]

On April 19, 2006, Derek was arrested in Tampa and charged with felony cocaine possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested again on December 2, 2008, facing four counts related to drug paraphernalia charges. He spent years as an assistant coach at C. Leon King High School and Tampa Catholic High School.


In an interview in 2020, Bell said he had long regretted the Operation Shutdown quote and it was a kind of hip-hop reference about taking a rest to come back stronger.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Related Sites[edit]

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