New York Mets Managerial Candidate
Mike Bell
Mike Bell is another young, rising star that has landed on the New York Mets radar in their search for a new manager.
In fact, Bell has a remarkably similar resume to Luis Rojas. He comes from a long, rich baseball bloodline. He is the grandson of former Met, Gus Bell, the son of former all-star and manager Buddy Bell, and brother of current Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell.
Much like Rojas, Mike’s career as a player did not pan out as well as the rest of his family. He spent most of his career as a player in the minor leagues, despite reaching the majors with the Reds in 2000. His time in the majors was short-lived, as he spent the remaining years of his career back in the minors.
However, he has become very well respected from within the Diamondbacks organization. He worked his way up from managing the Class-A Yakima Bears to the current Vice President of Player Development for the major league squad. He has been gaining recognition for his work, as he interviewed for both the Orioles and the Rangers’ managerial vacancies last offseason.
He remains a hot commodity, as Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that he is also a strong candidate for the Pirates’ managerial opening. The Mets interviewed him on Monday.
If Mike Bell were to secure an MLB manager job, he and his brother David would become the first pair of brothers to manage in the MLB at the same time.
If the Mets decide they want to give the keys to their clubhouse to a young, first time manager with strong player development skills, Rojas and Bell appear to be their best candidates. Rojas certainly has a leg up since he has worked directly with the front office, but Mike Bell is an outside-the-box candidate that would present a high-risk, high-reward scenario for the Mets organization.