Buddy Bell, baseball player, 201 home runs, 1972-1989

Buddy Bell

Born: 8/27/1951 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1972-04-15 | Final Game: 1989-06-17

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: David Gus Bell

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Biography

Buddy Bell was a distinguished Major League Baseball player, born in 1951, whose career spanned from 1972 until his retirement in 1989. A versatile position player, Bell was known for his strong defensive skills and consistent offensive production. Over the course of his career, he played in 2405 games, compiling 2514 hits and achieving a batting average of .279. He demonstrated power at the plate with 201 home runs and contributed significantly to his teams with 1106 RBIs. Additionally, Bell showcased his speed on the bases, recording 55 stolen bases throughout his career. Bell's contributions to the game were recognized with five All-Star selections, underscoring his status as one of the top players of his era. He played during a time when the game was transitioning towards a more offensive style, yet he maintained a balanced approach that emphasized both hitting for average and driving in runs. His legacy is not only reflected in his impressive statistics but also in his impact on the teams he played for, including the Texas Rangers and the Cleveland Indians. Following his playing career, Buddy Bell transitioned into coaching and management, continuing his influence on the sport long after his time on the field.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2405 8995 1151 2514 425 56 201 1106 55 836 776 0.279 0.341 0.406 0.747 9988.4

Career AVG .279 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +8.2% above league average.

Career OBP .341 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +5.2% above league average.

Career SLG .406 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.747 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1972 CLE AL 132 466 49 119 21 1 9 36 5 34 29 0.255 .243 (+5%) .310 (avg) .353 (+2%) .664 (+1%) 72.8
1973 CLE AL 156 631 86 169 23 7 14 59 7 49 47 0.268 .256 (+4%) .325 (avg) .378 (+4%) .703 (+2%) 196.4
1974 CLE AL 116 423 51 111 15 1 7 46 1 35 29 0.262 .256 (+2%) .324 (-1%) .369 (-5%) .693 (-3%) -197.1
1975 CLE AL 153 553 66 150 20 4 10 59 6 51 72 0.271 .257 (+5%) .327 (+1%) .374 (+1%) .701 (+1%) 90.5
1976 CLE AL 159 604 75 170 26 2 7 60 3 44 49 0.281 .255 (+10%) .320 (+3%) .360 (+1%) .681 (+2%) 212.0
1977 CLE AL 129 479 64 140 23 4 11 64 1 45 63 0.292 .264 (+11%) .329 (+7%) .401 (+6%) .730 (+6%) 613.3
1978 CLE AL 142 556 71 157 27 8 6 62 1 39 43 0.282 .257 (+9%) .323 (+1%) .378 (+4%) .702 (+3%) 200.4
1979 TEX AL 162 670 89 200 42 3 18 101 5 30 45 0.299 .265 (+12%) .329 (-1%) .397 (+13%) .727 (+7%) 692.2
1980 TEX AL 129 490 76 161 24 4 17 83 3 40 39 0.329 .264 (+24%) .326 (+16%) .387 (+28%) .714 (+23%) 2177.5
1981 TEX AL 97 360 44 106 16 1 10 64 3 42 30 0.294 .255 (+15%) .320 (+14%) .368 (+16%) .688 (+15%) 1001.5
1982 TEX AL 148 537 62 159 27 2 13 67 5 70 50 0.296 .261 (+13%) .324 (+16%) .388 (+10%) .712 (+13%) 1561.9
1983 TEX AL 156 618 75 171 35 3 14 66 3 50 48 0.277 .260 (+6%) .324 (+2%) .389 (+6%) .714 (+4%) 454.5
1984 TEX AL 148 553 88 174 36 5 11 83 2 63 54 0.315 .259 (+21%) .322 (+18%) .384 (+19%) .707 (+19%) 2127.0
1985 TEX AL 84 313 33 74 13 3 4 32 3 33 21 0.236 .257 (-8%) .323 (-5%) .390 (-14%) .714 (-10%) -564.5
1985 CIN NL 67 247 28 54 15 2 6 36 0 34 27 0.219 .257 (-15%) .323 (-4%) .390 (-6%) .714 (-5%) -564.5
1986 CIN NL 155 568 89 158 29 3 20 75 2 73 49 0.278 .257 (+8%) .325 (+11%) .395 (+13%) .720 (+12%) 1506.5
1987 CIN NL 143 522 74 148 19 2 17 70 4 71 39 0.284 .262 (+8%) .331 (+11%) .415 (+2%) .746 (+6%) 905.1
1988 CIN NL 21 54 3 10 0 0 0 3 0 7 3 0.185 .254 (-27%) .317 (-15%) .377 (-51%) .695 (-35%) -292.0
1988 HOU NL 74 269 24 68 10 1 7 37 1 19 29 0.253 .254 (-1%) .317 (-5%) .377 (-1%) .695 (-3%) -292.0
1989 TEX AL 34 82 4 15 4 0 0 3 0 7 10 0.183 .254 (-28%) .319 (-23%) .375 (-38%) .694 (-31%) -410.9

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 12 10 63 4 2 4
2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
3B 2183 2161 1798 4925 254 430
OF 136 127 299 10 4 4
SS 41 17 36 69 2 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1972 CLE 3B 6 5 10 13 0 2
1972 CLE OF 123 115 274 10 3 4
1973 CLE 3B 154 153 144 363 22 44
1973 CLE OF 2 1 2 0 0 0
1974 CLE 3B 115 115 112 274 15 31
1975 CLE 3B 153 149 146 330 25 29
1976 CLE 1B 2 1 5 1 0 0
1976 CLE 3B 158 157 104 330 20 23
1977 CLE 3B 118 115 111 253 15 23
1977 CLE OF 11 11 23 0 1 0
1978 CLE 3B 139 139 125 355 15 30
1979 TEX 3B 147 144 112 364 15 22
1979 TEX SS 33 17 35 65 2 9
1980 TEX 3B 120 120 123 282 8 26
1980 TEX SS 3 0 0 0 0 0
1981 TEX 3B 96 96 66 281 14 18
1981 TEX SS 1 0 1 3 0 1
1982 TEX 3B 145 143 131 396 13 35
1982 TEX SS 4 0 0 1 0 0
1983 TEX 3B 154 153 123 383 17 29
1984 TEX 3B 147 147 129 323 20 28
1985 TEX 3B 83 82 70 192 16 22
1985 CIN 3B 67 67 54 105 9 13
1986 CIN 2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1986 CIN 3B 151 150 105 290 10 28
1987 CIN 3B 142 141 93 241 7 17
1988 CIN 1B 2 2 8 2 1 0
1988 CIN 3B 13 13 6 24 1 2
1988 HOU 1B 7 6 43 0 1 4
1988 HOU 3B 66 65 31 114 12 8
1989 TEX 1B 1 1 7 1 0 0
1989 TEX 3B 9 7 3 12 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 12
Second Base 1
Third Base 2183
Shortstop 41
Left Field 11
Center Field 64
Right Field 66
Designated Hitter 24

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1988 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1986 Player of the Week Week of 1986-08-15
1984 Gold Glove 3B
1984 Silver Slugger 3B
1984 TSN All-Star 3B
1983 Gold Glove 3B
1982 Gold Glove 3B
1981 Gold Glove 3B
1981 TSN All-Star 3B
1980 Gold Glove 3B
1980 Player of the Week Week of 1980-06-27
1980 Player of the Week Week of 1980-07-11
1979 Gold Glove 3B
1979 Player of the Week Week of 1979-06-15
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-05-21

Featured In Rankings

#18
Top 20 Third Basemen in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 18 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1988 CIN NL $790,909
1987 CIN NL $870,000
1986 CIN NL $870,000
1985 CIN NL $751,297
Total Career Earnings $3,282,206

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 4.0 392 0
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 30th 3.0 392 0
1981 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 7.0 392 0
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 7.0 392 0
1979 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 48.0 392 0