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Mark Belanger
Mark Henry Belanger (June 8, 1944 – October 6, 1998), nicknamed "the Blade", was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1965 through 1982, most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won six American League East division titles, five American League pennants, and two World Series championships between 1966 and 1979.
A defensive standout, Belanger won eight Gold Glove Awards between 1969 and 1978, leading the American League in assists and fielding percentage three times each; he retired with the highest career fielding percentage by an AL shortstop (.977). In defensive Wins Above Replacement (WAR), Belanger is tied with Ozzie Smith and Joe Tinker for most times as league leader with six. Belanger set franchise records for career games, assists, and double plays as a shortstop, all of which were later broken by Cal Ripken Jr. After his playing career, he became an official with the Major League Baseball Players Association. In 1983, Belanger was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame. He has been described as "the most electrifying defensive shortstop of his generation".
Belanger was born on June 8, 1944, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, of French-Canadian and Italian-American descent. He attended Pittsfield High School, where he played baseball and basketball. On the basketball court, he became the school's first 1,000-point scorer, scoring 1,455 points in three years. He led his team to the 1962 Western Massachusetts championship game and a 59-10 record over those three years.
He was recruited by the Orioles as an amateur in 1962, and signed for $35,000 shortly after turning 18-years old. He was then assigned to the Class-D Bluefield Orioles, where he hit .298, while playing shortstop; also playing eight games that season for the Single-A Elmira Pioneers. His manager at Elmira was future Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver, and included future Orioles Andy Etchebarren, Dave McNally and Darold Knowles. He spent 1963 in the U.S. Air National Guard, and returned to the Orioles minor league system in 1964, playing shortstop for the Single-A Aberdeen Pheasants, batting .226, with a .958 fielding percentage. He did go to Orioles spring training in 1963, where Orioles shortstop Ron Hansen gave Belanger fielding advice that would positively effect how Belanger played shortstop going forward.
Belanger spent the majority of the 1965 season with now Double-A Elmira, again managed by Weaver, where he had a .968 fielding percentage. He was called up for 11 games with the Orioles, making his debut with the club on August 7, 1965 as a pinch runner. In 1966, he played for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, also managed by Weaver, batting .262, with six home runs and a .974 fielding percentage; playing in eight games with the Orioles at the end of the season.
He took over as the Orioles' regular shortstop in late 1967 from future Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio, and held the position for more than a decade. He hit his first Major League home run at Yankee Stadium on May 14, 1967, off Yankees' ace Mel Stottlemyre. This was in the same game that Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run.
Belanger was nicknamed "The Blade" because of his tall, narrow and angular frame—6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg). Belanger was a flashy fielder and won eight AL Gold Gloves (1969, 1971, and 1973–78). He is second all-time in defensive WAR, behind only Ozzie Smith and just above teammate third baseman Brooks Robinson. He was also named to the All-Star team in 1976.
Belanger joined a select group of shortstop-second baseman combinations who each won Gold Gloves in the same season while playing together (in 1969 and 1971 with Davey Johnson and again with Bobby Grich each year between 1973 and 1976). Because Brooks Robinson won the AL Gold Glove at third base each season during the 1960–1975 stretch, the left side of the Orioles' infield was seemingly impenetrable, described by Detroit Tigers manager Mayo Smith as like "'trying to throw a hamburger through a brick wall'". Along with eight-time gold glove center fielder Paul Blair, the Orioles defense from 1969-73 is considered among the greatest ever; and Belanger and Robinson are considered among the greatest fielders ever.
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Mark Belanger
Mark Henry Belanger (June 8, 1944 – October 6, 1998), nicknamed "the Blade", was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1965 through 1982, most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won six American League East division titles, five American League pennants, and two World Series championships between 1966 and 1979.
A defensive standout, Belanger won eight Gold Glove Awards between 1969 and 1978, leading the American League in assists and fielding percentage three times each; he retired with the highest career fielding percentage by an AL shortstop (.977). In defensive Wins Above Replacement (WAR), Belanger is tied with Ozzie Smith and Joe Tinker for most times as league leader with six. Belanger set franchise records for career games, assists, and double plays as a shortstop, all of which were later broken by Cal Ripken Jr. After his playing career, he became an official with the Major League Baseball Players Association. In 1983, Belanger was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame. He has been described as "the most electrifying defensive shortstop of his generation".
Belanger was born on June 8, 1944, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, of French-Canadian and Italian-American descent. He attended Pittsfield High School, where he played baseball and basketball. On the basketball court, he became the school's first 1,000-point scorer, scoring 1,455 points in three years. He led his team to the 1962 Western Massachusetts championship game and a 59-10 record over those three years.
He was recruited by the Orioles as an amateur in 1962, and signed for $35,000 shortly after turning 18-years old. He was then assigned to the Class-D Bluefield Orioles, where he hit .298, while playing shortstop; also playing eight games that season for the Single-A Elmira Pioneers. His manager at Elmira was future Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver, and included future Orioles Andy Etchebarren, Dave McNally and Darold Knowles. He spent 1963 in the U.S. Air National Guard, and returned to the Orioles minor league system in 1964, playing shortstop for the Single-A Aberdeen Pheasants, batting .226, with a .958 fielding percentage. He did go to Orioles spring training in 1963, where Orioles shortstop Ron Hansen gave Belanger fielding advice that would positively effect how Belanger played shortstop going forward.
Belanger spent the majority of the 1965 season with now Double-A Elmira, again managed by Weaver, where he had a .968 fielding percentage. He was called up for 11 games with the Orioles, making his debut with the club on August 7, 1965 as a pinch runner. In 1966, he played for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, also managed by Weaver, batting .262, with six home runs and a .974 fielding percentage; playing in eight games with the Orioles at the end of the season.
He took over as the Orioles' regular shortstop in late 1967 from future Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio, and held the position for more than a decade. He hit his first Major League home run at Yankee Stadium on May 14, 1967, off Yankees' ace Mel Stottlemyre. This was in the same game that Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run.
Belanger was nicknamed "The Blade" because of his tall, narrow and angular frame—6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg). Belanger was a flashy fielder and won eight AL Gold Gloves (1969, 1971, and 1973–78). He is second all-time in defensive WAR, behind only Ozzie Smith and just above teammate third baseman Brooks Robinson. He was also named to the All-Star team in 1976.
Belanger joined a select group of shortstop-second baseman combinations who each won Gold Gloves in the same season while playing together (in 1969 and 1971 with Davey Johnson and again with Bobby Grich each year between 1973 and 1976). Because Brooks Robinson won the AL Gold Glove at third base each season during the 1960–1975 stretch, the left side of the Orioles' infield was seemingly impenetrable, described by Detroit Tigers manager Mayo Smith as like "'trying to throw a hamburger through a brick wall'". Along with eight-time gold glove center fielder Paul Blair, the Orioles defense from 1969-73 is considered among the greatest ever; and Belanger and Robinson are considered among the greatest fielders ever.
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