Bell, George A. M.
Baseball
b. Oct. 21, 1959, San Pedro de Macoris, DR
For a four-year period from 1984 through 1987, Bell was one of the most feared power hitters in baseball. He had a sensational season in 1987, batting .308 with 47 home runs and a league-leading 134 RBI to win the AL's most valuable player award.
Bell played with the Toronto Blue Jays for part of the 1981 season but missed most of the following season with an injury. He became a starting outfielder with Toronto in 1984. Over the next four years, he hit 132 home runs and had 424 RBI.
The right-handed Bell, who led AL outfielders in errors three times, continually resisted attempts by Toronto management to make him a designated hitter. His batting average and home run totals declined during the next three seasons, though he had 104 RBI in 1989.
The NL's Chicago Cubs signed him as a free agent in 1991 and he went to the White Sox in 1992, when he had 25 home runs and 112 RBI, though his batting average was only .255. Injuries limited his playing time in 1993, when he batted .217 with just 13 home runs and 64 RBI.
He left major-league baseball in 1994 to play in Japan.