David Bell

Plain and simple, Bell had a poor season. He hit .400 against lefthanders in 135 AB but just .199 against righties in 422 chances. That ugly differential was the widest of any regular in the major leagues. Bell is a pull hitter whose bad back has limited his mobility to the point where he can no longer handle quality pitches on the outside part of the plate. He can still make contact (just 69 K) and is a "gamer" who plays hurt, but his power looks to be almost gone.

Bell had a nice comeback season after missing most of his first year in Philadelphia with a bad back. The odds are against him repeating this success, as he will be 32 in 2005, is still battling the back problem, and was never a star with the bat. No farmhand is pushing for his job, although Chase Utley could shift to third.

Bell suffered through his worst season in the major leagues, hampered by a back injury that limited him to 297 at-bats, while hitting .195. He can only go up with his offensive numbers, but how much will manager Larry Bowa and the Phils wait for him to return to his production levels while with the Giants and the Mariners, especially with Chase Utley being kept out of the lineup?

Bell was the first ‘name' free agent to sign this off-season. He's nothing special with the stick (.256 career) but hitting seventh in this lineup should get him 70-80 RBI again. The Phillies probably overpaid for him and there's no reason you should.