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MLB WINTER MEETINGSDecember 10, 2018David BellLas Vegas, Nevada Q. Now that the coaching staff is complete, what's your focus now? DAVID BELL: Yeah, that has been a focus. Now it's just to get all our staff together and start really making plans. We've obviously talked a lot, but never really gotten together as a group. So we're doing more and more of that. And continuing to reach out to the players and make those connections. Q. I notice that you were with the Giants, what did you learn coming from a big organization? DAVID BELL: I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I had with the Giants. I think all your experiences prepare you as much as possible. I think there's -- from playing to coaching to what I did last year with the Giants has helped prepare me. And definitely a special place, the Giants, and I'll miss being there. Q. Have you made any decisions as much as positions for certain guys or rotation or bullpen, have you gotten that far? DAVID BELL: Not that specific. I think just getting to know the players, getting to understand them on the level that the rest of the organization does. And it's been a great advantage being in the office and being part of those discussions but not in that kind of detail with lineups or anything like that. Q. A guy like Homer Bailey, have you thought about how you might use him? DAVID BELL: Not really. With Homer it's not -- he's had such a great career. My focus and our focus is how can we maximize who he is, not only for us but who he is, and how he can feel great about the career he's had and be able to contribute. That's really the focus there. But not -- I've reached out to Homer but not to the point that we know exactly what that's going to look like. But the focus is just making a great situation for him and for our team. Q. How is the conversation? DAVID BELL: Good. Q. Is the bullpen a possibility? DAVID BELL: For Homer? Again, it's so early. And I think -- I know this isn't early for people that have been in Cincinnati, but for us and our staff, and trying to develop that relationship him and see how he fits in with everything else we're doing. He's a good pitcher. And to try to use -- try to put him in a position that can help us succeed, but at the same time find something that's comfortable for him and something that he welcomes. Q. How much are you involved with those discussions (inaudible)? DAVID BELL: For me it's really been a learning process of getting to know our organization. I have been with quite a few teams over the last four or five years, so I have a pretty good knowledge of all the players out there. So I've been engaged. I've been involved. I've had an opinion. I've had a voice. But really it goes back to my main focus is to coach and to manage our players. But of course we're always trying to improve and to be a part of those discussions has been great. Q. You talk about hiring, the recent trend of -- (inaudible)? DAVID BELL: Yeah, I think they were both unique situations, where they happened to be in a situation where they did become available. You know, you think about having this opportunity and you put a coaching list together of people you'd want to talk to. They were not on my list, because I had no idea that they would have been available. If I would have known they were available they would have been at the top of the list. So to start our staff with those two guys was just a great beginning. And everything seemed to fall into place after that. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: I do. I've known Turner since almost 30 years, when he was in the Indians organization when I was there. Derek was in the Cubs organization when I was there just for a year, so we got to know each other a little bit, then. Q. A lot of talk about the shift and its effect on baseball. What do you feel the shift has contributed the last couple of years? DAVID BELL: First of all, the most important thing is what the fans want. So, I mean, that is what is best for our game and what's best for our fans is the most important. My opinion, I like the shift because as a defensive player and a defensive coach you want to play where you think the offense is going to hit the ball. So when you're positioning yourself with that in mind I think that would take away a little bit of the challenges of positioning. Q. What did you think of Lee Smith the year you had him? DAVID BELL: It just -- what a great person, obviously a great career. Very happy for him. I was very fortunate to spend a year with him. He's great with the kids. I hope he stays in the game because he has so much to offer through his experiences. Q. Your brother, Mike, is a candidate for the Orioles job. First a little bit of scouting report on why you think he could be a good Major League manager. And secondly, what does that mean for the Bell legacy to have potentially two guys managing at the same time? DAVID BELL: I haven't thought a whole lot about that, but as far as Mike, he's had so much experience leading. And leading a player development system is great preparation really for anything in this game because there's so many people that you're in charge of. You have 80 plus staff and 200 plus players. The experience and the practice of creating a culture and creating a great environment for all those people to work in, he's definitely prepared. And I know he would with do great given the opportunity. Q. As far as what it means to -- you haven't really thought about that, but obviously given the family, the fact that you would be doing it at the same time. DAVID BELL: Yeah, I think we're all grateful to be in positions in this game, to be able to contribute to the game, have an impact on people and players. And I think -- I know he's very grateful for the job he's in. But I think he's prepared for this. And it would be another opportunity for him to grow and he's prepared. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: Yeah, we have a great relationship. I got to know him really well the one year that he was the -- he joined us the last year I was there in St. Louis. Just a great, great baseball mind and great communicator. We've stayed in touch. He's become a good friend. It will be fun competing against him. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: Yeah, when I look at our division it's so well rounded, every single night you go out and it's going to be a great competition from top to bottom. I've spent a lot of time in the division. I think it's the best division for that reason, you know. And just great competition. I think anyone has a chance to win this division, I really do. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: That's all you can ask for, to be in a situation where you know if you play to the best of your potential to have an opportunity to win a division, that's another aspect of the division that makes it great. Q. Did you have any ideas about how he might fit in your organization next year? DAVID BELL: Yeah, I did meet him. I know he's preparing himself to play center field. He told me that when he walked by me. That's him. He's confident. He's an athlete. I think he's capable of doing whatever we do. But it's our job to put him in a good position, especially breaking into the Major Leagues. He's going to contribute. He's going to contribute a lot. And good for him. He has the versatility to be able to have a great game and an option to play multiple positions. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: That was great. Because I only talked to him on the phone. So I hung out in the clubhouse for a couple of days as they came through I pulled him in. And just to have that one-on-one time is really probably the best part of the job, really. And I enjoy that. Other coaches have that opportunity, too. It was just one more step to where we need to go. We have a long way to go, but it was a big step. Q. Do you expect pitching decisions, do you feel that's going to happen? DAVID BELL: I think again you're always trying to improve your team. And of course this time of year that's what everyone is talking about. You've heard them say that. I think every Major League team is trying to be the best they can be. If we have an opportunity to make our team better and it makes sense, I'm sure we'll do that. My focus is on the guys we have. I love the guys we have. But, again, it's nice to be a part of that process and have a voice and kind of follow along who we're talking to. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: We have options, you know, with Ervin and Senzel and Schebler, certainly, we do. And I know that's a topic after we lost Billy. But, we have guys that can play out there. Q. Do you have to have power to win in the division, and do you have to have power with so many starting pitchers that are right-handed? DAVID BELL: I mean power -- power has always been important. I think in today's game it's even more important. I think that's been well documented. And there's certainly power in our division. There's power on our team, in our lineup. We have a solid core that has the ability to hit home runs. It is important in our ballpark to be able to do that. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: I think having left-handed anything is an advantage. But certainly in our division it makes sense to have power from the left side. Q. How many reps do you need to play in the Minor Leagues before you're comfortable playing in each position, how much do you play in center field before you know you can play in the Major Leagues? DAVID BELL: I think it's individual. I think each players development takes on a life of its own. With a talent like Nick I think it's a lot less than other players. I also believe that when players reach the Major Leagues their development is not over. And I love the challenge of being able to continue that development. He's going to be with us and he's going to play a lot. He may play multiple positions, he may settle in at one position. Eventually he will do that. But we see in today's game, to have that versatility, to be able to play multiple positions, you can give games regular at-bats, regular playing times just to give him experience. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: For sure, yeah, having the experience of working close with multiple front offices in Arizona has been a big part of why he's prepared, especially in today's game, because that is so important to have that relationship, to work altogether. He just works well with people. And I think being in that position where he's -- he has the relationship with the front office but also has the ability to connect with the players, because he does have playing experience, he managed in the Minor Leagues. He's very well rounded. Q. The most interesting thing you've gained in the front office, have you picked up anything that's interesting that you can talk about? DAVID BELL: It's just such a -- and I did experience it last year in San Francisco. It was the one part of the game that I had not really experienced at all. And it was a little bit of an unknown for me. So just the process of valuing players, the process of how important it is to really understand your own players and who you have in the Minor League system, who you have on the Major League team. How important it is follow all departments to work together, the front office, player development, scouting. I see that as a great challenge. I also see that as part of my job to help bring that together. And we have a lot of people in the organization that see it that way, too, we're going to make that happen. And I do believe that's a big advantage, when everything is working together and we all understand what our values are. And that process has started. So that's been interesting. Q. We're seeing some nontraditional coaching staff hires in baseball, pitching analytics and hitting analytics being a big part of that. What are your thoughts on that, the fact that people do not necessarily have experience? DAVID BELL: I love it. I think that having different perspectives in everything we do in this game, whether we're making decisions or helping our players perform better. Having different opinions and different perspectives from people with different backgrounds and expertise just helps the decision-making process. And you're creating an advantage for yourself. I think it's an exciting time in the game because of that. And it's a great time to be a player because you have all these different resources to pull from that you can make adjustments a lot faster. You can maximize who you are as a player. I think it's great. Q. And does that meld well or are you going a different direction? DAVID BELL: I see it as a balance, for sure. There's certain parts of this game that we all love that they're not going away. The competition, the hard work, the team work. That's not going away. We just have more resources now to make all of that work better. And it's just even more important to communicate and to work together with all departments. And really have no ego, and be able to work really well together. Q. I think that the old school scouts and baseball people, 50 plus, are intimidated by the new wave of metrics and the way people are building their teams and assimilating information. DAVID BELL: I really don't know that. I would guess that -- it's an individual thing. I don't know that they would be. I think it's -- I think it just adds to what we all do in this game. I think anyone that survives in this game for 50 years has found a way to evolve and found a way to learn and grow with the game. Q. Some of the things (inaudible) did in playoffs, would you feel free to do that with the roster? DAVID BELL: Yeah, with his experience it's very helpful. We're open-minded, for sure. Certainly trying to win every single game, but there's so many factors that go into that, too. You have to keep your team healthy for 162 games. You have to be just as healthy and ready to win Game 162 as you are in a game in June. There's a psychological aspect of putting players in positions to succeed. That's very important to us. And so it's all a balance, it's all taking in all these different considerations. And not forgetting that these guys have to go out and compete. And they have to be comfortable. And they have to be challenged. So it's all balance. Q. Did it reach a point that (inaudible)? DAVID BELL: Yeah, I think he's preparing for anything, that's for sure. He's a hard worker and takes great care of him. He's going to be ready for anything. I don't know him as well as everyone else in the organization. But I would have no hesitation to putting him in any role, any position. He's so competitive. Again, he takes such great care of himself. He's going to do well in this game for a long I am too. And it will be important for us to find at the best way to use him, the best way to maximize who he is, he brings a lot to the table, as you know. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: Hitting an is a part of the game in the National League. And to have an athlete like that, that at the very least can have good at-bats and handle the bat and not be an out. I think it's an example and kind of an inspiration for all of our pitchers. We'll find a way to allow him to contribute in that way. Q. Would you consider playing him in the outfield? DAVID BELL: Again, I'm open. I'm open to it. I think he gives you the luxury of having a pitcher but also maybe a guy that can play out there. These guys are -- especially him, he takes such good care of himself, he's an athlete. I have to take into consideration our medical department, our pitching staff, all the coaches, I don't hesitate to put them in situations where they just have to use their athleticism, I'm not afraid of him getting injured, necessarily. But it will be important to not overuse him. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: It does. But he also has experience pitching at the end of games. And that's important. We have to remember that. Any rules or any roles aren't going to limit us. But the fact that we want him to succeed and do well, that will be always factored in. So I do believe that we'll have opportunities to use him in important parts of the game that aren't necessarily the ninth inning. But it will be a balance. Q. Are you a traditionalist in point game preparation and batting practice, do you believe it's all in every day in batting practice or do you have a different way of looking at that as far as keeping fresh? DAVID BELL: Yeah, I do, I think it's an area of the game that we can improve on. It's an area that you look and you ask yourself a lot of questions, is this really the best way to practice. For the most part I think we do a good job, but I think there are areas of the way we prepare in Spring Training before games that can be improved. I think we are the only sport that plays a game every single night and practices every day before that game. And we do it like two hours before the game. So there's a place for that. But there's also maybe a place to find ways to improve that and make sure guys are not only rested and healthy, but practicing in a way that they're getting better, as well. Q. The mental part of just the mental day off before you go out to play? DAVID BELL: Yeah, I think it goes back to the individual and the communication and understanding what each guy needs and the right amount. And challenging them. Maybe even more than we do a lot of times or we've seen in the past. So it's very individual. But it's just finding a way to not ever do anything, just going through the motions. It has to have a purpose if we're out there because we're playing every night. Everything we do has to have a purpose. Q. I know you mentioned about your brother's pursuit. How would you say you two differ? DAVID BELL: I would say we're a lot alike. I don't know that he would say that. I hope I'm a lot like he is. He's -- obviously we grew up in the same family where we were taught a lot about the game from my dad, but also my grandfather. And so we have that anchor of that old school knowledge and experience of being around the clubhouse as a kid. But since then we've really had somewhat of a similar path. And I think we are different people. But when it comes to what is important to us, the players, the communication, the teamwork, things that are really important, I think we're very similar. Q. (Inaudible.) DAVID BELL: I've only heard about him. I have not -- I haven't seen him. I don't know that much about him. I know he's very good. Q. You don't get any scouting reports? DAVID BELL: Oh, yeah, we have information on all the guys. And he's very good. I just have not personally seen him. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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