Albert Belle

Albert Jojuan Belle (born August 25, 1966), until 1990 known as Joey Belle, is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1989 to 2000, most notably for the Cleveland Indians. Known for his taciturn personality and intimidating stature, Belle was one of the leading sluggers of his time, and in 1995 became the only player to ever hit 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a season, despite the season being only 144 games. He was also the first player to break the $10 million per year compensation contract in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Belle was a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger. He retired with a .295 career batting average, and averaged 37 home runs and 120 runs batted in (RBIs) per season between 1991 and 2000. He is one of only 10 players in MLB history to have nine consecutive 100-RBI seasons.

Albert and his fraternal twin, Terry, were born on August 25, 1966, in Shreveport, Louisiana, the son of Albert Belle Sr., a high school baseball and football coach, and Carrie Belle, a former math teacher. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. Belle attended Huntington High School in Shreveport, where he was a star baseball and football player, a member of the National Honor Society, and vice president of the local Future Business Leaders of America. He graduated sixth in his high school class and made the all-state baseball team twice. In 1984, he was selected to play for the US in the Junior Olympics, in which the U.S. won a silver medal. He played outfield and pitched, winning one game. After graduation, Belle accepted a baseball scholarship to Louisiana State University.

Belle played college baseball at Louisiana State University from 1985 to 1987, where he made first-team All-SEC in 1986 and 1987 and played in 184 games, with 585 at bats, 194 hits, 30 doubles, 49 home runs, 172 RBIs, 157 runs, a .670 slugging percentage, and a .332 batting average. In 1986, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Chatham A's and was named a league all-star, then returned to the league in 1987 to play for the Hyannis Mets.

In his junior year, he was batting .349 before an incident involving a heckler insulting him with racial epithets at an SEC Tournament game led to a suspension that kept him out of the College World Series.

After college, Belle was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the second round (47th overall) of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft.

Belle made his major league debut on July 15, 1989, going 1-for-4 with one RBI in a 7–1 win against the Texas Rangers. He recorded an RBI single off Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan in his first career at bat. On July 19, Belle hit his first major league home run and went 2-for-4, helping Cleveland to a 10–1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. He ultimately played in 62 games during his first season, batting .225 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs.

Belle became the fourth player to have eight straight seasons of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, joining Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Lou Gehrig (a feat since matched by Albert Pujols, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, and Alex Rodriguez). He was an accomplished baserunner, with a career-high 23 steals in 1993, and 17 steals in 1999 despite hip problems that plagued him late in his career. He led the league three times in RBIs, three times in total bases, three times in extra-base hits, and twice in slugging. He was a five-time All-Star between 1993 and 1997. He had a strong throwing arm and was a gifted pitcher in high school. His range factor by games played was consistently higher than the major league average at that position; nevertheless, he still managed to accrue a -63 "total zone runs" during 12 major league seasons.