Cleveland Indians: 7 Second Basemen Between Jason Kipnis And Roberto Alomar

Ronnie Belliard with the Washington Nationals. Photo: Wikipedia

With Brandon Phillips unable to claim the second base job, the Indians’ front office turned to Ronnie Belliard. A 5-foot-9, 210-pound infielder who could—at the very least—hold down the job until Philips was ready.

Low and behold, Belliard turned into a decent player while wearing a Chief Wahoo cap, and made his only All-Star team in 2004, when he slashed .282/.348/.426 with a .774 OPS. He drove in 70 runs and solidified the second base spot while Philips faltered.

In 2005, Belliard hit .284 as the Indians went on to win 93 games, while missing the postseason.

With free agency looming and the team going nowhere in 2006, the Tribe shipped Belliard to St. Louis for a player named Hector Luna before the trade deadline.

Next: Josh Barfield

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