Ronnie Belliard Was A Solid, Dependable Second Baseman

Ronald Belliard was born in 1975 in New York City. He graduated from Miami (Florida) Central High School in 1994 and was selected in that year’s MLB Amateur Draft in the eighth round by the Brewers. Belliard spent five years in the Brewers farm system before getting his first call-up to Milwaukee in September 1998, where he played in just eight games and hit .200 (1-for-5).

Ronnie Belliard spent the first month at Triple-A Louisville the following year before getting called up to the Brewers in mid-June. He had a solid season, and it was surprising that he received no Rookie of the Year votes. Belliard’s slash line was .295/.379/.429 across 457 at-bats, including 29 doubles, four triples, and eight home runs. He also knocked in 58 runs and had an OPS+ of 106.

In the final season at County Stadium, Belliard played in 152 games and slashed .263/.354/.389 across 571 at-bats. His nine triples led the team with 30 two-base hits and eight round-trippers. His seven steals were a career-high.

The stocky (5-foot-9, 210-pound) righty swinger showed some pop in 2001 in the first season at Miller Park, slamming 30 doubles and 11 home runs into early August. But then he suffered a high right ankle sprain when White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura took out Belliard at second base on a double play attempt that caused him to miss eight weeks. His slash line across 364 at-bats was .264/.335/.453.

Belliard only started 60 games in 2002 but played in 104 with 289 at-bats; his slash line was a career-low .211/.257/.287. He was granted free agency after the season and signed with the Colorado Rockies in February 2003. He had a decent season for the Rockies, slashing .277/.351/.409 across 447 at-bats. Once again, he was granted free agency after the year and was signed by the Cleveland Indians.

The second baseman had two of his best seasons for the Indians in 2004-05. He earned his only All-Star nod for the AL in 1994, batting .282/.348/.426 with 12 homers and a career-high 48 doubles, good for second in the league. The following season was similar, with a batting line of .284/.325/.450 with a career-high of 17 homers and 78 RBIs.

Belliard played half of the 2006 season with Cleveland but was swapped to the St. Louis Cardinals at the trading deadline. Once again, Belliard had a solid campaign, slashing .272/.322/.403 with a combined 30 doubles and 13 home runs. After the season, he was signed as a free agent by the Washington Nationals. In addition, Belliard was the victim of an attempted extortion scam where an Illinois man tried to get money from Belliard in exchange for silence in a case where the player allegedly impregnated the man’s daughter. The man was found guilty of a felony fraud count.

In 2007, Belliard played every infield spot but made 113 starts at second base. His batting line was .290/.332/.427 across 511 at-bats. He banged out 35 two-base hits and 11 homers. The following season saw Belliard miss a month early in the season due to a left calf strain and another month at the end of the campaign with a strained groin. His final numbers showed a slash line of .287/.372/.473 in 296 ABs. He banged out 22 doubles and 11 homers.

Belliard was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers mid-season in 2008. He played well in 24 games with the Dodgers, slashing .351/.398/.636 across 77 at-bats, including seven doubles, five home runs, and 17 RBIs.

Belliard played one more year in Los Angeles, but it didn’t go as well, and his .216/.295/.327 slash line saw him released in September. 2011 Belliard played in the Yankees and Phillies organizations, but after 53 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he announced his retirement in June 2011.

His final stat line showed 1,377 hits with 328 doubles, 114 home runs, and a slash line of .273/.338/.415 across 5,045 at-bats.

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