| Name |
Ronnie Belliard |
| Height |
|
| Naionality |
American |
| Date of Birth |
7-April-1975 |
| Place of Birth |
The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Famous for |
Baseball Player |
Ronnie Belliard is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman of Dominican descent. Belliard was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 8th round of the 1994 Major League Baseball Draft. Belliard played in the Brewers farm system from 1994–1999, winning Texas League All-Star honors in 1996 and in 1998 he was honored as a Triple-A All-Star, International League All-Star, Baseball America 1st Team Minor League All-Star and Brewers Minor League Player of the Year.
He made his Major League debut on September 12, 1998 as a pinch runner against the Chicago Cubs and he got his first Major League hit in his first at-bat, as a pinch hitter, on September 16 against the Cincinnati Reds. In 1999, Belliard was named Milwaukee Brewers rookie player of the year. After he began the season at Triple A Louisville, he was recalled on May 11. He finished the season tops among National League rookies in almost every offensive category, including batting average (1st), runs batted in (6th), multi-hit games (4th), runs (6th), hits (4th), total bases (5th), doubles (2nd), triples (T-3rd), hitting streaks (T-5th), walks (1st), on-base percentage (1st), slugging percentage (3rd) and extra base hits (4th). Ronnie hit his first Major league home run and drove in his first run with a solo shot May 15. Belliard signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals on February 18, 2007. He was added to the Nationals' 40-man roster on March 22, 2007. Following an Opening Day injury to shortstop Cristian Guzman, second baseman Felipe Lopez was moved to shortstop, while Belliard filled in at second base. Guzman came back in early May, but at the end of June suffered a season ending injury putting Belliard back into the starting line-up. By July 23 Belliard had appeared in 85 of the Nationals 98 games, batting .305, and signed a two-year $3.5 million extension with the Nationals. He was viewed as a valuable veteran, capable of starting or as a utility infielder.
Belliard hit a game-ending 2-run home run shot off of closer George Sherrill with 2 outs and 2 strikes in 12th inning, erasing a 2-1 deficit on June 29, 2008 against the Baltimore Orioles. On March 30, 2011 Belliard agreed to a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played in 53 games for the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, hitting .251. On June 14, 2011 Belliard announced his retiremen.
