DEREK NATHANIEL BELL #14 - Outfielder BIRTHDATE: December 11, 1968 1999 OPENING DAY AGE: 30 BIRTHPLACE: Tampa, FL HOME: Tampa, FL BATS: Right THROWS: Right HEIGHT: 6-2 WEIGHT: 215 M.L. SERVICE: 7.000 CONTRACT STATUS: Signed through 1999 (option on year 2000). HOW OBTAINED: Acquired from San Diego along with Doug Brocail, Ricky Gutierrez, Pedro Martinez, Phil Plantier and Craig Shipley on December 28, 1994, in exchange for Ken Caminiti, Andujar Cedeno, Steve Finley, Roberto Petagine, Brian Williams and a player-to-be-named.

Derek's 1998 stats:
 

• Went 4x6 with three doubles and two RBI in the season opener on March 31 against the Giants in the Astrodome, and his batting average did not go below .300 the rest of the year.
• Reached career-highs for at-bats (630), runs (111), hits (198), doubles (41), home runs  (22), walks (51) and strikeouts (126)...His hit total was the second-highest single-season total in club history and broke Enos Cabell's previous club record of 195 (but teammate Craig Biggio had 210 hits during the season).
• Hit his 20th home run of the season on September 11 against the Cardinals, which made him the fourth Houston player in 1998 to hit 20-or-more joining Moises Alou (38), Jeff Bagwell (34) and Craig Biggio (20). It was his first, 20-plus homer season in a Houston uniform and marked only the third time in club history the Astros have had four players hit 20-or-more in the same year.   The first two times Houston had four, 20-plus home run players was in 1972 (Lee May 29, Jimmy Wynn 24, Cesar Cedeno 22, Doug Rader 22) and 1973 (Lee May 28, Cesar Cedeno 25, Doug Rader 21, Jimmy Wynn 20).
• He tied his career-high with a dramatic, game-winning homer off New York's Jeff Tam in the bottom of the 12th inning on September 15 (1st game) in a 6-5 decision over the Mets. The 21 roundtrippers matched his 1993 total with San Diego and gave Houston its 97th win, which broke the previous single-season record set in 1986 (96).
• His career-best 22nd home run came off Chicago's Kevin Tapani in the bottom of the first on September 25.
• Tied his career high with six RBI on April 3 against Colorado and hit his first home run of the season.
• Batted .413 (45x109) with 12 doubles, five homers and 25 RBI in March/April, hitting safely in 19 of Houston's 27 games...in addition to his four-hit game in the opener, he collected four hits on April 22 at New York and at home against the Mets on April 28.
• His season batting average was above the .400 mark until May 6 when an 0x4 day against Chicago's Kerry Wood in his one-hit, 20-strikeout performace dropped him to .391.
• After batting only .208 (21x101) in May, he heated back up in June by hitting .360 (40x111)...he hit safely in 24-of-26 games in the third full month of the season, which included a career-high, 14-game hitting streak from June 12-25 over which he hit .361 (22x61).
• Beginning on May 29, he started a 68-game stretch in which he did not go more than two games without collecting at least one hit...he batted .322 (91x283) in that span, which lasted through August 14, before he went hitless in four straight games.

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