What years did Heath Bell play?

Heath Bell played in Major League Baseball from 2004 to 2014.

Was Heath Bell a pitcher?

Yes. Heath Bell pitched in the major leagues, recording 38 wins and 637 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Heath Bell hit?

Heath Bell hit 0 career home runs.

What was Heath Bell's career batting average?

Heath Bell batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 6 at bats.

What was Heath Bell's career ERA?

Heath Bell finished with a 3.49 career ERA, going 38-32 with 637 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Heath Bell have?

Heath Bell recorded 637 career strikeouts.

Heath Bell

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2004-2014)

Heath Bell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2004 to 2014 for 5 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 11 seasons. Across 590 career appearances, he went 38-32 with a 3.49 ERA, 637 strikeouts, and 168 saves. Heath Bell was a 3-time All-Star and a 2-time Reliever of the Year. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 16480.6.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 12, 2026

W–L 38–32

ERA 3.49

WHIP 1.27

SO 637

Pitcher PIV 16480.6

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 235 lb
Born: 9/29/1977 in Oceanside, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 2004-08-24
Last Game: 2014-05-03
Awards: 3× All-Star · 2× Reliever of the Year

Full name: Heath Justin Bell

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Career Pitching Statistics

Heath Bell — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
38	32	590	0	0	0	168	628.2	584	244	48	214	637	3.49	16480.6

Career ERA 3.49 vs. league average 4.19 across their career seasons — 16.5% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Heath Bell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
2004	NYN	NL	0	2	17	0	24.1	22	9	6	27	3.33	4.46 (+25%)	136.7
2005	NYN	NL	1	3	42	0	46.2	56	29	13	43	5.59	4.29 (-30%)	1623.2
2006	NYN	NL	0	0	22	0	37.0	51	21	11	35	5.11	4.53 (-13%)	253.5
2007	SDN	NL	6	4	81	2	93.2	60	21	30	102	2.02	4.47 (+55%)	4702.3
2008	SDN	NL	6	6	74	0	78.0	66	31	28	71	3.58	4.32 (+17%)	1954.9
2009	SDN	NL	6	4	68	42	69.2	54	21	24	79	2.71	4.32 (+37%)	3355.4
2010	SDN	NL	6	1	67	47	70.0	56	15	28	86	1.93	4.08 (+53%)	3602.5
2011	SDN	NL	3	4	64	43	62.2	51	17	21	51	2.44	3.94 (+38%)	1126.0
2012	MIA	NL	4	5	73	19	63.2	70	36	29	59	5.09	4.01 (-27%)	470.3
2013	ARI	NL	5	2	69	15	65.2	74	30	16	72	4.11	3.87 (-6%)	-382.7
2014	TBA	AL	1	1	13	0	17.1	24	14	8	12	7.27	3.74 (-94%)	-361.4
Career · 11 seasons			38	32	590	168	628.2	584	244	214	637	3.49	—	16,481

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Heath Bell — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
590	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000	0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .411 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS .000 vs. league average .739 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Heath Bell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
2004	NYN	NL	17	1	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2005	NYN	NL	42	3	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2006	NYN	NL	22	1	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2007	SDN	NL	81	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2008	SDN	NL	74	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2009	SDN	NL	68	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2010	SDN	NL	67	1	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2011	SDN	NL	64	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2012	MIA	NL	73	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2013	ARI	NL	69	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2014	TBA	AL	13	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 11 seasons			590	6	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1178 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Heath Bell — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	313	1	0	0	0	0	.000
Away	276	5	0	0	0	0	.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Heath Bell — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	313	325.1	281	121	112	316	3.35
Away	276	300.2	303	123	100	316	3.68

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Heath Bell — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
2014-05-03	TBR	NYY	—	1.0	3	3	3	1	0	0
2014-05-02	TBR	NYY	W	2.1	4	0	0	1	0	0
2014-04-28	TBR	CHW	—	1.0	1	1	0	1	3	0
2014-04-27	TBR	CHW	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2014-04-24	TBR	MIN	—	1.2	5	5	5	0	0	1
2014-04-23	TBR	MIN	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0
2014-04-20	TBR	NYY	L	1.0	1	1	1	2	2	0
2014-04-17	TBR	NYY	—	1.2	3	2	1	0	1	0
2014-04-13	TBR	CIN	—	1.0	3	2	2	1	1	0
2014-04-07	TBR	KCR	—	2.2	3	2	2	1	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Heath Bell — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	590	0	40	83	1	9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Heath Bell — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
2004	NYN	P	17	0	3	0	0
2005	NYN	P	42	2	8	0	2
2006	NYN	P	22	0	7	0	1
2007	SDN	P	81	7	17	0	1
2008	SDN	P	74	8	7	0	1
2009	SDN	P	68	7	9	0	1
2010	SDN	P	67	3	4	0	0
2011	SDN	P	64	3	5	0	0
2012	MIA	P	73	1	14	0	2
2013	ARI	P	69	8	7	1	1
2014	TBA	P	13	1	2	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Heath Bell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	590

Awards & Honors

Heath Bell — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
2010	Reliever of the Year Award
2010	TSN Reliever of the Year
2009	Reliever of the Month	April
2009	Reliever of the Year Award

Salary History

Heath Bell — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
2014	TBA	AL	$9,000,000
2013	ARI	NL	$10,000,000
2012	MIA	NL	$7,000,000
2011	SDN	NL	$7,500,000
2010	SDN	NL	$4,000,000
2009	SDN	NL	$1,255,000
2008	SDN	NL	$420,000
2007	SDN	NL	$385,500
Total Career Earnings			$39,560,500

College History

Heath Bell — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Santa Ana College	Santa Ana	CA	1997, 1998

Award Voting History

Heath Bell — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
2010	Cy Young Award	NL	8th	4.0	224	0
2010	Most Valuable Player	NL	25th	2.0	448	0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Heath Bell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Heath Bell

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Heath Bell: the record in brief

The profile opens with Heath Bell's first major league game on August 24, 2004; the last one listed came on May 3, 2014. The season rows list, in order, the New York Mets (2004 through 2006), the San Diego Padres (2007 through 2011), the Miami Marlins (2012), the Arizona Diamondbacks (2013), and the Tampa Bay Rays (2014). Born on September 29, 1977, in Oceanside, CA, USA, Bell is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Bell's listed size is 6'3" and 235 pounds. On the record, Heath Bell was born Heath Justin Bell.

Across 590 games (0 starts), Bell recorded 38 wins against 32 losses with a 3.49 ERA. The same table counts 637 strikeouts and 168 saves. Against a 4.19 league ERA for the same years, Bell was 16.5% better. Bell won 6 games in 2007, the most of any season listed. The most saves in one season was 47, in 2010. 2010 was Bell's sharpest full season, a 1.93 ERA against the league's 4.08.

Frequently Asked Questions about Heath Bell

What years did Heath Bell play?: Heath Bell played in Major League Baseball from 2004 to 2014.
Was Heath Bell a pitcher?: Yes. Heath Bell pitched in the major leagues, recording 38 wins and 637 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Heath Bell hit?: Heath Bell hit 0 career home runs.
What was Heath Bell's career batting average?: Heath Bell batted .000 over his career, with 0 hits in 6 at bats.
What was Heath Bell's career ERA?: Heath Bell finished with a 3.49 career ERA, going 38-32 with 637 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Heath Bell have?: Heath Bell recorded 637 career strikeouts.