Apparently, the origin of his nickname had to do with his thin frame, standing 6’1” tall yet weighing no more than 170 pounds.
Nevertheless, Belanger put in 18-years in the Major leagues, all but his last with the Baltimore Orioles, and while he hit .228 over the course of 2016 games and 5784 at-bats, that’s not what kept him in the big leagues.
Along the way he collected eight Gold Gloves, helping the Orioles defensively and being a part of four World Series teams, with one win in 1970.
Consistently among the league leaders in assists, fielding percentage and double-plays turned, Belanger, alongside all-time great third baseman Brooks Robinson, held that left-side of the infield on lockdown for many years.
Throw in Bobby Grich for most of the 70’s over at second base and you had one hell of a defensive infield there. Awesome!
