Ronnie Belliard has been designated for assignment by the Dodgers. It was mostly done to clear room on the 40-man roster for outfielder Trent Oeltjen. It was also an acknowledgment that resigning Belliard just never worked out they way they had hoped.
Belliard came aboard to L.A. and played in 24 games at the end of the 2009 season, and he made his impact felt. He hit .351 with five homers and 17 RBIs, giving the Dodgers a great jolt. In fact, he was so good that he took over the second base spot from Gold Glove winner Orlando Hudson during the playoffs. The Dodgers lost in the NLCS, but Belliard hit .300 in eight games.
I was happy to see the Dodgers get him back for this season, but it clearly never panned out. Reduced to mainly a pinch-hitting role with a start here and there, he hit a terrible .216 with two homers and 19 RBIs in 82 appearances. Simply put, he looked lost and took way too many strikeouts to be effective.
It's never good to see someone get released, but if the Dodgers are trying to build a better team for next season, this was a good move. Belliard just wasn't getting it done anymore, so it's time to move on.
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