The former Philadelphia Phillies infielder who became a manager was let go on Sunday night. Many ex-Phillies players have remained in baseball as coaches, including David Bell, who played for the team from 2003 to 2006. Bell, who enjoyed a 12-year Major League career, has served as an assistant coach with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. He became the manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 2019 and received a contract extension last year to remain through 2026.
Despite this extension, Bell was dismissed on Sunday night, as reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The Cincinnati Reds fired manager David Bell barely a year after giving him a contract extension through the 2026 season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 23, 2024
This move was not entirely unexpected; although the Reds showed promise under his leadership at times, their performance this season has been disappointing.
General manager Nick Krall stated, “David provided the kind of steadiness that we needed in our clubhouse over the last few seasons. We felt a change was needed to move the Major League team forward. We have not achieved the success we expected,” according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Injuries have plagued the team this season, but their 76-81 record and fourth-place standing in a weak National League Central raises questions. With just four games left in the regular season, Cincinnati clearly felt a need for a new direction.
During his three full seasons with the Phillies, Bell posted a .253 batting average with 32 home runs, 78 doubles, 175 RBIs, and an 83 OPS+ in 1,387 at-bats. He was part of the team in 2006 but did not finish the season with Philadelphia.
