The Minnesota Twins announced that bench coach Mike Bell died from cancer at the age of 46. In February, the team announced that Bell had been diagnosed with kidney cancer and would not be with the team during Spring Trainer as he received treatment.
"The Minnesota Twins are devastated by the loss of Mike Bell. In his short time with our club, Mike had an indelibly positive impact – not only on the quality of our team on the field, but most importantly upon everyone whom he met. Widely respected in our game, all who knew Mike, on and off the field, are better for the experience," the Twins said in a statement. "The Twins join the baseball world in mourning Mike's untimely passing; 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."
Bell grew up in a family of baseball players. He was the son of former major leaguer and manager Buddy Bell and his grandfather, Gus, also played 15 seasons in the majors. His brother Ricky was drafted by the Dodgers in 1997, and his other brother David is currently managing the Cincinnati Reds following a 12-year major league career.
While Bell spent 29 years involved in baseball, he only played 19 games in the Major Leagues. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1993 First-Year Player Draft and made his MLB debut for the Cincinnati Reds in 2000. He hit two home runs and had four RBIs during his short career. After spending a few more years in the minor leagues, Bell was named the coach of the Yakima Bears, a minor league affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007. He then managed the Visalia Rawhide in 2008-09.
He left managing and joined the Diamondbacks front office, rising to the role of Vice President of Player Development, which he held until 2019 when he was hired by the Twins to be their bench coach under manager Rocco Baldelli.
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