D-backs drafted Luke Bell with fifth-annual ‘Cory Hahn 34th pick’

Cory Hahn announcing the 34th-round pick of the MLB Draft has become an annual tradition for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This year, Hahn announced that the D-backs selected right-handed pitcher Luke Bell as their “Cory Hahn 34th pick”.

Hahn received applause after the announcement and Mike Bell, vice president of player development, was there to hear his son’s named called.

The D-backs official Twitter posted a video of the moment the pick was announced.

With the 5th-annual Cory Hahn 34th Pick, the #Dbacks select Luke Bell, the son of the team’s Vice President, Player Development Mike Bell. Luke is committed to play at @GCU_Baseball.

The selection is named after @CoryHahn34, who works for the club as Coordinator, Pro Scouting. pic.twitter.com/OQbyQQYJiG

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 5, 2019

Baseball runs deep in the Bell family.

Hahn said Bell is the great-grandson of former major leaguer Gus Bell, grandson of current Cincinnati Reds vice president and senior adviser to the general manager Buddy Bell, and nephew of current Reds manager David Bell. 

Bell played at Seton Catholic High School in Chandler and is currently committed to play at GCU.

Bell pitched 55 innings in his senior year and posted a 2.80 ERA with 71 strikeouts.

In 2015, D-backs president/CEO Derrick Hall announced that the team’s 34th-round pick each year would be known as the “Cory Hahn 34th pick”.

Hahn wore No. 34 at Arizona State and in February 2011 fractured his C5 vertebrae in his neck while sliding headfirst attempting to steal second base, paralyzing him from the chest down.

The D-backs’ took Hahn as the 34th-round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft and after graduating in 2014 hired him to work in the baseball-operations department.

Currently, Hahn works as a coordinator for the pro scouting department.