Twins bench coach Mike Bell dies — dead at 46

Minnesota Twins bench coach Mike Bell has died.

The Twins have announced that Bell died on Friday after battling cancer. He was just 46.

The entire Minnesota Twins organization is saddened by the death of current bench coach Mike Bell, who passed away today at the age of 46 from cancer.

At the request of the Bell family, we will play tonight’s game in honor of Mike. pic.twitter.com/3Eq2N08aUO

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) March 26, 2021

The Twins have a spring training game scheduled for Friday night that they likely considered canceling, but they said they will play it at the request of Bell’s family.

Bell was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft. He spent seven years playing for minor league affiliates with the Rangers and New York Mets before making his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2000. Bell played one season in the majors before returning to the minors for five years.

Bell then managed at the minor league level before becoming the Director of Player Development for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was hired by the Twins for the 2020 season.