July 01, 2010|By Jeff Zrebiec, The Baltimore Sun
When he was acquired by the Orioles from the Los Angeles Dodgers last July in the George Sherrill trade, young third baseman Josh Bell called the deal a welcome opportunity to get to the big leagues quicker than he might have in the prospect-laden Dodgers organization.
It just didn't figure to come this soon.
With designated hitter Luke Scott going on the disabled list after straining his left hamstring while rounding the bases on his eventual game-winning home run Wednesday and the club not wanting to rush back outfielder Felix Pie from his back injury, the Orioles surprisingly summoned Bell, the organization's top position prospect, to the major leagues though his stay might not be long.
Batting seventh and starting at third base in place of Miguel Tejada, who served as the designated hitter, Bell went 1-for-4 against the Oakland Athletics in his major league debut. He got his first big league hit on a seventh-inning single off starter Trevor Cahill.
"You dream about doing it," Bell said of the hit. "Growing up as a kid, it's your dream to get to the big leagues and have your team win. We didn't get the win, but it felt good to get the first one out of the way."
Said Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail: "We wanted a guy that was on the 40-man [roster] and that we could option back and forth, and in essence, you are dealing with primarily losing your DH, so you can go down and reach and get any bat you wanted. Josh had two home runs the other day, one being a grand slam. [He's] swinging the bat pretty well. It just seemed like the natural thing to do. We tried to explain to Josh, 'Don't buy a house here yet, this isn't necessarily going to be a permanent assignment, because Felix isn't that far behind you.' "
Pie, who went 0-for-4 in another rehabilitation game Thursday night for Double-A Bowie, is expected to be activated Monday in time for a three-game series at the Detroit Tigers. Bell will be one of the candidates to return to Triple-A Norfolk at that point, but that was the furthest thing from his mind as he prepared for his debut Thursday.
"I definitely feel that I'm doing better, but I still know that there are things that I need to work on," said Bell, who was informed of his imminent promotion Wednesday night after Scott got injured. "I'm not exactly where I wanted to be, but I feel good and I'm ready. There are a lot of guys that have played baseball that haven't had the opportunity, so you look for this and you just look to be able to help out a ballclub win."
Bell, 23, was hitting .266 for Norfolk with 10 homers and 44 RBIs in 74 games this season. He hit .268 with two homers and 11 RBIs in the past 10 games, including two home runs and six RBIs against Charlotte on Tuesday.
"Just mainly trying to get my pitch," Bell said of his recent surge. "Before, I was swinging, trying to hit everything, trying to really do too much. I'm just trying to settle down and pretty much hit my pitch."
MacPhail said several times before the season started that Bell was unlikely to come up this year, but he acknowledged Thursday night that the switch-hitter has largely exceeded the organization's expectations though that doesn't necessarily mean he'll get an extended look now.
"We thought he might be in for a struggle, and he's actually performed at a higher level than I think we expected and we believe that he's a third baseman and that he's capable of handling that position," MacPhail said.
"I don't think we'd send him home if he hit four home runs in four days. I think I would go home before that. You can always make room, but I think, in fairness, that's not the likeliest scenario. We really feel like he needed the full year at Triple-A and that would be him progressing at a pretty rapid clip, because he lost the better part of a year in his development. So he's a young man that still needs a lot of minor league experience, and he's here, in all likelihood, on a short-term basis."
MacPhail said it's up to interim manager Juan Samuel how much Bell plays, but he hoped Samuel would get him out there at least "a couple of times."
"We want him to enjoy the experience and know what this is all about so he can continue his progress down there and hopefully get up here to stay," Samuel said. "He's going to get a little taste and see what the big leagues are all about."
With Bell's promotion, there was speculation that the Orioles could be nearing a trade of one of their infielders, such as Ty Wigginton or Tejada, but MacPhail said that while he is having conversations with clubs, there's "nothing right around the corner." He also said there has been no discussion about moving Tejada back to shortstop, using Cesar Izturis as a utility man and installing Bell as the everyday third baseman.
Bell knows the reality, but he's not worried and is hoping to open some eyes.
"A lot of guys, you see them go down quick. I never wanted to be that guy," he said. "When I got called up, I wanted to know myself that I'm ready to produce and be here. I wanted to stay, so hopefully I'll be able to get the opportunity to stay here and help them win."
jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com
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