Thursday, January 2, 2014

Player Profile: Clay Bellinger

I have three cards of Clay Bellinger. This one is from 2001 Topps.

Playing career: Utilityman Clay Bellinger played for the Yankees from 1999-2001 and the Angels in 2002. He played for four teams and all four won the pennant, with three of them winning the World Series. He played in two World Series with the Yankees. In 183 regular season games he hit .193 with 12 HR and 35 RBI. A fuller account of his career can be found at The Greatest 21 Days.

My memories: Like most Yankee fans, I remember him fondly mostly because of when he played for them. Looking at his numbers I forgot how bad he actually was.

Where he is now: He is a full-time firefighter for the Gilbert, AZ fire department. Other full-time members of the department are former major leaguer Andy Larkin (engineer) and Ila Borders (medic), one of the few women to play professional baseball. He is also an instructor at the AZ Baseball Boot Camp.

Interesting facts: His son Cody Bellinger signed with the Dodgers in 2013 after being drafted in the fourth round.

Google Autocomplete results: He is sixth when you type Clay Be, between Clay Beige, a Benjamin Moore paint color, and Clay Beads, a craft material. Another prominent Clay Bellinger was arrested for DWI in North Carolina in 2009.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Frank Bellino.

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