Jorge Bell was one of those silent players. If you were a fan of baseball in the 1980’s you should know who Jorge Bell is. He was never a superstar; he never got the fame or attention others were getting at the time, but was a solid contributor to the Toronto Blue Jays team for 9 seasons.
Like most rookies, Bell had to earn his playing time and was not regarded as a ‘prize’ rookie. After being a role player for the first 2 seasons of his career, he finally earned a starting job in the Blue Jay’s outfield. Very quickly after that, his offense took off and he became noticed by many baseball fans and collectors. Jorge was a great mix of power and patience as he routinely batted around .290, while driving in 100 runs and hitting 25+ home runs a year. Bell quickly rose to be a top outfielder in the majors and he earned (5) Top 10 finishes for the league’s MVP award. In 1987, he finally reached the pinnacle by winning the MVP while hitting .308 with 47 homers and 134 RBI.
Bell may be most remembered for hitting the final home run in Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium and then being the first player to hit a home run in their new stadium, The Skydome.
Jorge Bell, where are you today??
2 responses so far ↓
gerad // August 28, 2008 at 4:20 pm |
He used to be a hitting coach for the Blue Jays Minor League Team in the 2000’s. I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing today. He did have a monster 1987 season.
whitesoxcards // August 28, 2008 at 5:19 pm |
Last I heard, he was pumping gas in the Domincan Republic, after flaming out with the White Sox in 1993.