Bell has nice ring for M's at third

Third baseman's solid defense and timely hits key for Seattle

JIM COUR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published August 28

SEATTLE -- David Bell was the right third baseman for the Seattle Mariners after all.

The Mariners settled on Bell this year after searching for a third baseman with more power all spring and in the first half the season.

As it has turned out, they made a wise decision.

"I think all around he's having the best year of any third baseman in the league," Seattle hitting coach Gerald Perry said. "Offensively and defensively."

Bell, 28, has been a key player for the playoff-bound Mariners, who begin this week with a best-in-baseball 94 victories. He's started 104 of Seattle's first 131 games at third base, playing outstanding defense. Now, he's hitting, too.

"His defense at third has been tremendous all year," Mariners All-Star second baseman Bret Boone said. "I think he should win a Gold Glove."

Bell just had a big week at the plate. He went 5-for-5 against Detroit on Wednesday and followed with a two-homer game, the first of his career, against the Tigers on Thursday.

When All-Star shortstop Alex Rodriguez left as a free agent for Texas last winter, Mariners general manager Pat Gillick talked to the San Diego Padres about acquiring Phil Nevin.

Bell got off to a horrible start with his bat this season. He was hitting .185 on May 22 and didn't get above .200 until May 25.

"During the course of a year, you have ups and downs," Bell said. "People start strong and finish weak. There's no rhyme or reason to it sometimes."

Bell kept working. By the All-Star break, he had his average up to .261 with nine homers and 44 RBIs in 77 games. He led the All-Star voting until the final week, when Baltimore's Cal Ripken caught him.

"I've gotten more and more comfortable as the year's gone on," Bell said. "I feel like I've contributed. I think I've helped us offensively, too. I feel like I've helped us win games and that's very important to me."

Boone, who is having a career year with 29 homers and 112 RBIs, thinks Bell's bat is much better than his statistics because he gets timely hits.

"David's had his ups and downs, and he doesn't have eye-popping numbers, but all year he's been great in situations," Boone said. "He's driven in some big runs and lately he's gotten really hot."

Quiet and softspoken off the field, Bell has a different side to him when something, such as an at bat, doesn't go his way.

"He can be the most intense guy on the team," Perry said. "There's no close second. He can get mad. I'll put it this way, when he gets mad, you can hear him down the tunnel getting mad."

Acquired in a trade with Cleveland for Joey Cora on Aug. 31, 1998, Bell has seen his career flourish in Seattle.

Before the trade to the Mariners, he played in 107 games for the Indians in 1998, but he was still trying to prove that he was a full-time player. Cleveland traded him to St. Louis in 1995 and got him back from the Cardinals on waivers in 1997.

"I played every day in Cleveland, but I think when I got traded here even some of the people here for some reason still saw me as a utility player," he said. "Kind of a key to me was that I kind of saw myself as an every-day player even when it wasn't happening."

In 1999 -- his first full year with the Mariners, when the team moved to Safeco Field from the Kingdome in mid-season -- he hit .268 with 21 homers and 78 RBIs.

The Mariners used him at second base in '99 and he split last season between second and third. He'd rather play third -- like his father, Colorado Rockies manager Buddy Bell.

Like his father, Bell plays third with a flip throw to first.

"My dad used to throw like that and my dad was the best third baseman I ever watched," he said.

Mariners glance

- Record: 94-37.

- Today: Seattle (Pineiro 3-0) at Tampa Bay (Wilson 5-8), 4:15 p.m. (KIRO Ch. 7).

On the web:

Seattle Mariners.

David Bell.

The Olympian Copyright 2001