CHAD BELL: All The Bells And Whistles

By Eli Fishman | SomersetPatriots.com

Bridgewater, New Jersey - With a hitting philosophy based on the simple three-word phrase “hit strikes hard” it's no secret why the New York Yankees organization thinks so highly of Somerset Patriots infielder Chad Bell.

The 6’3”, 210lb left-handed hitter likes to do just that. Hit baseballs hard. Bell has reached a maximum exit velocity of 116 MPH, which would rank top ten in the big leagues, while putting together an impressive season for the Patriots.

“The Yankees are huge on exit velocities, so I feel like I've gained a lot of value in the organization because of some of the numbers I've put up,” Bell explained. “I’m just trying to go up there and put the barrel on the ball… luckily I’m finding some success right now.”

Added Somerset manager Dan Fiorito, “His average exit velocity and his maximum exit velocity are through the roof. They are both plus even for the big leagues. That's a carrying tool for him and he knows that when he goes up there, he can change the game with any swing.”

Chad Bell is on FIRE 🔥

Bell crushes his fourth homer of the year to extend our lead to 4-1. He’s now 20 for his last 47 with 16 RBI in that span. pic.twitter.com/RbZjNywiAO

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 22, 2022

Bell found a hot streak to begin the season, hitting .431 with 15 RBI between April 23 and May 21. His 21 RBI this season are second on the team, and his .378 average with runners in scoring position stands atop the leaderboard.

“When he swings at pitches over the heart of the plate he does damage. There's no doubt about that,” Fiorito said. “He’s a huge piece of this team and is a big reason why we’ve been successful so far.”

The 25-year-old Bell quickly rose through the organization in 2021, spending time with Low-A Tampa, High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. He finished the season hitting .239 with a .801 OPS, while his 21 home runs in 98 games registered fifth-most in the Yankees organization, and his 56 RBI placed tenth.

In addition to his hot bat, Bell’s defensive abilities have been a key contribution to the Patriots Eastern League best 29-16 record through May 31st.

“The job that he’s done all over our infield, playing first, second, and third this year, he’s been a great glove for us,” said Fiorito.

A native of Fort Collins, Colorado, Bell wasn't heavily recruited out of high school, attending Western Nevada College for his freshman year, a decision that came with a major twist.

The junior college in Carson, Nevada announced just prior to Bell’s arrival on campus that they would be shuttering the baseball program as a part of budget cuts. Meaning he had one season to earn an offer from a four-year college to continue his baseball career.

Motivated to make the most of the opportunity, Bell finished the year with a .290 average, and in true storybook fashion, hit a walk-off home run to clinch the Wild Cats conference championship victory in the program’s final season.

After the program disbanded Bell was unsure of his next step, until a chance encounter with the University of Louisiana - Monroe Head Coach Bruce Peddie. Peddie was in attendance at one of Bell’s 2016 summer ball games while playing for the Medford Rogues in Oregon, scouting one of his teammates. Bell stole the show and caught the immediate attention of Peddie. A few weeks later Bell flew to Monroe for a visit, and shortly after accepted a scholarship to play baseball for the War Hawks.

Bell went on to hit .304 over three seasons at ULM, setting the single-season school record with 21 home runs in 2019, where he was named First Team All-Sun Belt Conference, hitting .333 in 57 games.

He was selected in the 19th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Yankees, and was assigned to rookie-level Pulaski to begin his career, where he hit .251 with nine home runs and 41 RBI in 55 games.

As he has climbed through the organization, Bell has particularly enjoyed the parallel ascent of his teammates. Over a dozen of Bell’s teammates from Pulaski in 2019 have played for the Patriots at some point this season, and many of his 2021 teammates in Tampa and Hudson Valley currently call Bridgewater home.

“Having all those years with each other, it's kind of like college again where it's the same team every year, even though you're in different cities,” Bell said. “It makes it easy to go out and play every day. Everybody's rooting for each other, nobody wants to see anybody struggling. It's turning out to be a pretty cool season and hopefully we can keep it going and come back with a ring at the end of the year.”