Amateur and Minor League Career
Bell played amateur baseball at C. Leon King High School in Tampa, where he attracted the attention of the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto selected him in the second round of the 1987 June draft, with the 49th overall pick. Bell signed with Toronto, and made his debut that same year in the New YorkâPenn League. He emerged as a top prospect with the Myrtle Beach Blue Jays the next year, when he was named to the South Atlantic League All-Star team. Bell's .344 batting average earned him the league batting title, and he also displayed substantial power, hitting 29 doubles, five triples, and 12 home runs in only 352 at bats. His success helped him earn a late-season promotion to class AA.
Although he continued to advance, Bell struggled for the next two seasons, batting .242 at AA in 1989 and .261 at AAA the next year, while also drawing walks at an extremely low rate. He was much younger than most players in those leagues, however, placing him at a competitive disadvantage. He re-emerged as a top prospect in 1991 while repeating AAA with the Syracuse Chiefs. That year, Bell batted .346 with 22 doubles, 12 triples, 13 home runs, 57 walks, and 29 stolen bases. Bell made the International League All-Star team and won the International League Most Valuable Player award, and Baseball America magazine named him the Minor League Player of the Year.
Read more about this topic: Derek Bell (baseball)
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