Report: David Bell may be favorite to be next Reds manager

Bell managed in Reds minor-league system from 2009-12

David Bell, whose dad and grandfather played for the Cincinnati Reds, may be the favorite to be the next Reds manager, according to a report Saturday by Jon Heyman.

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Bell is one of eight people reported to have interviewed for the job. The others are: Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman; former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, former Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell and former Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus; and Billy Hatcher, Pat Kelly and Freddie Benavides, three members of Riggleman's coaching staff.

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Also Mark Sheldon, of MLB.com, reported Saturday San Francisco Giants bench coach Hensley Meulens and Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Charlie Montoyo will also interview for the position.

Bell, 46, is a graduate of Cincinnati Moeller High School. He hit .257 in a 12-year big-league career that included stops with six teams. His dad Buddy Bell played for the Reds from 1985-88. Buddy’s dad Gus Bell was a four-time all-star who played for the Reds from 1953-61.

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David Bell hit his first career home run against the Reds in 1995.

“It was a thrill just to get my first home run, but getting it in Cincinnati just added to it,” he said then. “It's weird how things work out. I got traded to the National League and I do this in Cincinnati. That's just about too perfect, like somebody is helping me out.”

Bell has worked as the director of player personnel for the Giants since last October. Earlier in his career, he managed in the Reds’ minor-league system with the Double-A Carolina Mudcats (2009-11) and Triple-A Louisville Bats (2012). In 2013, the Cubs hired him as third-base coach. He then moved to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014 as an assistant hitting coach and then bench coach for three seasons.

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