Mark Belanger, baseball player, 1965-1982

Mark Belanger

Born: 6/8/1944 in Pittsfield, MA, USA

Died: 10/6/1998 in New York, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-08-07 | Final Game: 1982-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Mark Henry Belanger

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Biography

Mark Belanger was a prominent Major League Baseball player, whose career spanned from 1965 until 1982. Born in 1944, Belanger became known as a key figure in the Baltimore Orioles’ dynasty during the late 1960s and 1970s. Primarily playing as a shortstop, he was celebrated for his defensive prowess, earning a reputation as one of the best fielders of his era. With a career total of 2,016 games, Belanger amassed 1,316 hits, including 20 home runs and 389 RBIs. His batting average of .228 reflected his role as a defensive stalwart rather than an offensive powerhouse. Belanger's contributions to the game were not limited to his statistics; he was selected as an All-Star once during his career, underscoring his impact on the field. He also demonstrated speed on the bases, successfully stealing 167 bases throughout his tenure. Belanger played a crucial role in the Orioles' success, which included multiple playoff appearances and a World Series championship in 1970. His legacy endures as one of the key figures in the Orioles’ storied history, representing the quintessential shortstop of his time, characterized by exceptional defense and leadership on the field.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2016 5784 676 1316 175 33 20 389 167 576 839 0.228 0.300 0.280 0.580 -16638.0

Career AVG .228 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 10.5% below league average.

Career OBP .300 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 6.3% below league average.

Career SLG .280 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 25.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.580 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — 16.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1965 BAL AL 11 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1966 BAL AL 8 19 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1967 BAL AL 69 184 19 32 5 0 1 10 6 12 46 0.174 .242 (-28%) .306 (-27%) .357 (-39%) .663 (-33%) -1014.3
1968 BAL AL 145 472 40 98 13 0 2 21 10 40 114 0.208 .236 (-12%) .298 (-9%) .340 (-27%) .638 (-19%) -1517.2
1969 BAL AL 150 530 76 152 17 4 2 50 14 53 54 0.287 .248 (+16%) .320 (+10%) .369 (-6%) .689 (+1%) 208.7
1970 BAL AL 145 459 53 100 6 5 1 36 13 52 65 0.218 .253 (-14%) .325 (-7%) .385 (-33%) .711 (-21%) -1769.0
1971 BAL AL 150 500 67 133 19 4 0 35 10 73 48 0.266 .249 (+7%) .316 (+15%) .365 (-12%) .682 (avg) 389.7
1972 BAL AL 113 285 36 53 9 1 2 16 6 18 53 0.186 .243 (-24%) .310 (-24%) .353 (-31%) .664 (-27%) -1454.0
1973 BAL AL 154 470 60 106 15 1 0 27 13 49 54 0.226 .256 (-12%) .325 (-7%) .378 (-31%) .703 (-20%) -1751.7
1974 BAL AL 155 493 54 111 14 4 5 36 17 51 69 0.225 .256 (-12%) .324 (-8%) .369 (-19%) .693 (-14%) -1304.7
1975 BAL AL 152 442 44 100 11 1 3 27 16 36 53 0.226 .257 (-12%) .327 (-13%) .374 (-26%) .701 (-20%) -1691.5
1976 BAL AL 153 522 66 141 22 2 1 40 27 51 64 0.270 .255 (+6%) .320 (+5%) .360 (-10%) .681 (-3%) -167.0
1977 BAL AL 144 402 39 83 13 4 2 30 15 43 68 0.206 .264 (-22%) .329 (-13%) .401 (-32%) .730 (-23%) -1839.8
1978 BAL AL 135 348 39 74 13 0 0 16 6 40 55 0.213 .257 (-18%) .323 (-7%) .378 (-34%) .702 (-22%) -1377.7
1979 BAL AL 101 198 28 33 6 2 0 9 5 29 33 0.167 .265 (-37%) .329 (-17%) .397 (-45%) .727 (-33%) -1201.5
1980 BAL AL 113 268 37 61 7 3 0 22 6 12 25 0.228 .264 (-14%) .326 (-20%) .387 (-29%) .714 (-25%) -1276.9
1981 BAL AL 64 139 9 23 3 2 1 10 2 12 25 0.165 .255 (-35%) .320 (-24%) .368 (-36%) .688 (-30%) -716.4
1982 LAD NL 54 50 6 12 1 0 0 4 1 5 10 0.240 .261 (-8%) .324 (-5%) .388 (-33%) .712 (-20%) -154.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
43 126 17 23 0 2 1 7 15 14 0.183

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 ALCS BAL 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0.200
1979 WS BAL 5 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000
1974 ALCS BAL 4 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000
1973 ALCS BAL 5 16 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0.125
1971 ALCS BAL 3 8 1 2 0 0 0 1 3 2 0.250
1971 WS BAL 7 21 4 5 0 1 0 0 5 2 0.238
1970 ALCS BAL 3 12 5 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.333
1970 WS BAL 5 19 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 0.105
1969 ALCS BAL 3 15 4 4 0 1 1 1 0 0 0.267
1969 WS BAL 5 15 2 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 27 10 33 41 1 6
3B 2 0 2 4 0 1
SS 1942 1681 3005 5786 210 1054

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 BAL SS 4 0 1 1 0 2
1966 BAL SS 6 4 9 20 0 3
1967 BAL 2B 26 10 33 40 1 6
1967 BAL 3B 2 0 2 4 0 1
1967 BAL SS 38 33 65 94 8 17
1968 BAL SS 145 142 248 444 22 73
1969 BAL SS 148 144 251 449 23 79
1970 BAL SS 143 125 212 412 19 78
1971 BAL SS 149 142 280 443 16 77
1972 BAL SS 105 86 180 285 12 53
1973 BAL SS 154 145 241 530 23 100
1974 BAL SS 155 153 243 552 13 100
1975 BAL SS 152 138 259 508 17 105
1976 BAL SS 153 148 239 545 14 97
1977 BAL SS 142 122 244 417 10 82
1978 BAL SS 134 109 184 409 9 76
1979 BAL SS 98 54 110 195 3 38
1980 BAL SS 109 75 133 258 10 49
1981 BAL SS 63 49 86 162 7 21
1982 LAN 2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1982 LAN SS 44 12 20 62 4 4

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 27
Third Base 2
Shortstop 1942

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2021 MLB Players Curt Flood Award
1978 Gold Glove SS
1977 Gold Glove SS
1976 Gold Glove SS
1976 TSN All-Star SS
1975 Gold Glove SS
1974 Gold Glove SS
1973 Gold Glove SS
1971 Gold Glove SS
1969 Gold Glove SS

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1974 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 6.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 8.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 2.0 336 0