Bell attended Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Playing for the school's varsitybaseball team for three years, where he ranks in the Top Ten in five career categories including doubles and plate appearances. He ranks among the top in Single Season Doubles and Most Doubles in one game. He also played Mickey Mantle and Connie Mack BaseballNational Championship teams in 1988 and 1989 respectively as well as leading Moeller to a state championship in 1989. Bell was also a member of the Moeller boy's basketball team. Bell committed to play baseball at the University of Kentucky as a junior.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
After the Cleveland Indians selected Bell with the 7th round, Bell decided to forgo his commitment to Kentucky.
On July 27, 1995, Bell was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with Pepe McNeal and Rick Heiserman for Ken Hill.
Return to Cleveland
On April 14,, Bell was claimed off waivers by the Indians. On April 15, he hit the first inside-the-park home run in Jacobs Field history, and the first for the Indians since.
Seattle Mariners
On August 31, 1998, Bell was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Joey Cora. Bell was re-signed on December 19, 2001.
San Francisco Giants
On January 25, 2002, Bell was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Desi Relaford so he could have a chance to play every day. Bell scored the 2002 NLCS winning run for the San Francisco Giants from second on Kenny Lofton's single. Bell was the runner bearing down on home plate in Game 5 of the 2002 World Series when J. T. Snow lifted 3 year old batboy Darren Baker out of harm's way. Near the end of the season, he won the Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership – as voted on by his teammates and coaching staff.
Philadelphia Phillies
On December 2, 2002, Bell signed a four-year $17 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He made Major League history on June 28,, by joining his grandfather, Gus Bell, as the first grandfather-grandson combination to hit for the cycle.
Milwaukee Brewers
Bell was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 28,, in a deal that swapped him for minor league pitcher Wilfrido Laureano. The Brewers chose not to re-sign Bell after the 2006 season, and he became a free agent.
Coaching career
On October 31,, the Cincinnati Reds named Bell the manager for their Double-A affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats. Bell spent three seasons as the Mudcats manager. In November 2011 he was named manager of the Reds' Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats. On October 23,, the Chicago Cubs named Bell the third base coach for the Major League club. On December 17, 2013, the St. Louis Cardinals announced hiring Bell as their new assistant hitting coach. From 2015 through 2017, Bell served as the Cardinals' bench coach. He left the team on October 20, 2017, to become the vice president of player development for the San Francisco Giants.
Managing career
Cincinnati Reds
On October 21, 2018, the Cincinnati Reds announced Bell had been hired as the 63rd manager in franchise history. The contract spans three years with a club option for a fourth. In an April 7, 2019 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bell was ejected after his role in a bench clearing incident involving Chris Archer, Derek Dietrich, Yasiel Puig, Amir Garrett, Keone Kela, and Felipe Vázquez. This was Bell’s first career managerial ejection. Bell received a one-game suspension following the incident on April 9. On July 30, 2019, another bench-clearing mash-up occurred between the Reds and Pirates, with Bell involved in it. On August 1, 2019, Bell received a 6-game suspension without eligibility to appeal.
