New Reds manager Bryan Price turned to an old friend from his days in Arizona for the first bench coach of his MLB managerial career.
Jay Bell, whose hiring was reported late last night by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, will join the Cincinnati organization after a year as hitting coach for the Pirates.
"I'm really excited about working for Bryan," Bell told Tom Singer of MLB.com. "It's going to be a really good thing. I'll miss being in Pittsburgh, for sure; there's such a great group of men in that clubhouse I have a lot of respect for. But this opportunity was really nice."
A first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1984, Bell made his playing debut as an Indian and spent three seasons in Cleveland after being part of a trade that involved Bert Blyleven going to Minnesota.
The Indians traded Bell to Pittsburgh after the 1988 season, and the infielder became an every-day player for the Pirates, hitting .269 with 78 home runs and 423 RBIs from 1989-96.
After one year with the Kansas City Royals, Bell enjoyed a solid five-year stint in Arizona before finishing his career as a Met in 2003. He hit 91 home runs as a Diamondback and scored the game-winning run in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against the Yankees.
He worked in the Arizona organization, first as bench coach and later as a club advisor, from 2005-09. Price was the team's pitching coach from 2007-09 before taking the same position in Cincinnati.
Also of note from Singer -- the Pirates could replace Bell with Jeff Branson, a former Red and Indian who served as Bell's assistant in Pittsburgh last season.
