THE FINAL BELL HAS RUNG
Jason Bell’s first season as a manager is officially over and it ended the best way possible -- with a championship
TROY » Jason Bell’s first season as a manager ends with an NY-Penn League Championship, but before the championship series, Bell reflected on the year and the successes, and failures, he had, as a manager.
“It’s been awesome,” said Bell. “I’ve had a lot of great players that have bought into my ideas this last season and especially this coaching staff, which made it a lot easier on me than I was expecting.”
Bell is a native of St. Louis, Montana. In college he pitched for Central Missouri and Saint Louis University before becoming the Director of Baseball Operations at Ohio University. After Ohio, Bell was off to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where he served as the pitching coach for the Division I program during the 2016 season.
After spending his first season in the Astros Organization
as the Development Coach for the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits, Bell was tapped as the ninth manager in ValleyCats history.
Bell received the honor at just 27 years old, making him one of the youngest managers in Minor League Baseball.
“It’s actually funny I think Blake [ Butera] and I are the two youngest,” said Bell. Butera manages the Hudson Valley Renegades, Bell’s competitor in the NY-Penn League Championship.
“I don’t take too much into account with age — I think everybody has different types of experiences that will help them in a situation or hurt them,” said Bell. “For me I think it’s
been about having a growth mind- set and being open to learn different styles and philosophies, but more than anything challenging my own philosophies.” Bell continued.
“If I try something that doesn’t work, instead of being stubborn and sticking to something that doesn’t work, I try and ask myself why and ask the other coaches and people that I respect ‘what would you do differently if you were me’ or ‘what do you think could have been better,’” said Bell. “I think if you always take that approach, even if you have been coaching forever, you can never stop learning. I am obviously very inexperienced, but I think moving forward for however long I coach, I will always try stick to that same game plan.”
Bell’s idea to always continue his growth is evident in his game preparations
and how he looks at the game. Bell takes an analytical approach to the game, but understands that his players are just kids, and that they are more than just swing speeds and pop times.
“I think more than anything in baseball there is way more things you can test now,” said Bell. “I like having more evidence, but at the end of the day, your gut is more important than the analytics themselves. I think part of being a manager is trying to have both sides of that. Having some type of feel for knowing these guys as people, because they aren’t just a number. They aren’t just robots, they are human beings, and knowing where they are at mentally, knowing who they are, can help you trump analytics at times.”
Bell does think that his
age allows him to create a bond with his players that other managers might struggle to build.
“I am similar to them in age but I feel like I can relate to them in a lot of ways as far as this also being only my second year in the organization,” said Bell. “All of those variables are important in getting to know these guys and getting them ready for professional baseball, especially seeing how the game has evolved and is ever changing.”
Bell is happy with where he is right now. If the Astros asked him to stay as the ValleyCats manager, he would happily oblige, but, he admits that he has little control in where he goes next season. Bell is keeping his head at the present moment, wherever that may lead the young manager.
“I just kind of try and be where my feet are and if I come back to this level next year I’d be perfectly happy with that,” said Bell. “It’s just about being where I am at right now and controlling what I can control.”
The relationship between the Astros and Bell must be pretty strong at the moment. Bell earned the club a Championship, and the Astros gave Bell a chance to manage.
“They’ve done everything for me,” said Bell. “They believed in me — There was really no reason they should’ve allowed me to have this position. I didn’t play professional baseball, this is only my second year in the organization. For me, they provided the opportunity and I can’t thank them enough for that.”
Bell had a lot of memories as he reflected on the
season, some that were just too hard to compartmentalize, but he did have a favorite moment that came to mind when asked.
“I really like champagne showers,” said Bell. “For me the memory would be watching all of our guys celebrating that way. Especially for the guys who it was there first time for. That’s really special.”
The ValleyCats had the chance for two Champagne showers. Two exciting memories Bell and the ‘Cats will remember for a long time, wherever their careers take them.
“There is no way this would have been possible without [the team] and their belief in me and the continued backing of the organization,” said Bell. “It was a crazy year and something I will never forget, or something I ever will want to forget.”