| Buddy Bell |
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Bell was born while his father was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was drafted in 1969 by the Cleveland Indians and was regarded as a promising prospect from the beginning. He first appeared in the major leagues with the Indians in 1972 , appearing mostly in the Outfield as a rookie, but afterwards becoming a fixture at third base. Bell was a solid, but not overpowering, right handed hitter on a mostly lackluster Indians team. He was named to the All-Star team in 1973. After the 1978 season Bell was traded to the Texas Rangers , in exchange for Toby Harrah – a player who seemed similar in many ways, a good hitting infielder in the middle of his career. Bell enjoyed his best season with the Rangers in 1979 , collecting 200 Hits , 101 RBI , and his first Gold Glove Award . He followed with solid seasons through 1984 , including several All-Star selections. In the middle of the 1985 season, Bell was sent to the Cincinnati Reds , where his father also had been a popular player in the late 1950s . This was a very popular addition with Reds fans, and Buddy responded with two more solid years. In the 1988 season he began to fade, and was traded to the Houston Astros . Bell was released in December and returned with the Rangers before the 1989 season, in which he appeared sparingly. In a 18-year career, Bell posted a .279 Batting Average with 201 Home Run s and 1106 RBI in 2405 Games . He also won six Gold Gloves, and made 5 All-Star Game appearances. Following retirement, Bell worked for several years as a Coach in the Reds and from 94-95 for the Indians, and managed the Detroit Tigers from 1996-98, when he resigned after 135 games because he "couldn't stand the losing" (and the Tigers were a terrible team at the time). He then managed the Colorado Rockies from 2000 through part of 2002 when he was fired in April after a 6-16 start. As a manager both for Detroit and Colorado, Bell compiled a 184-277 record. In November 2002 Bell returned to coaching for the Cleveland Indians. On May 31, 2005 , the Kansas City Royals hired Bell as their manager, three weeks after Tony Peña resigned. Bell won his first four games as a manager, becoming only the second Royals manager (after Whitey Herzog ) to do so and guiding the Royals to their first four-game winning streak since 2003 . Unfortunately, after the novelty of a new manager wore off, the Royals resumed their losing ways. CAREER
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