Cleveland Indians pick up Belliard's $4M option

He had career-high 17 HRs and 78 RBIs for the Tribe.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians picked up the $4 million option on Ronnie Belliard for next season Friday, rewarding one of their steadiest and most underrated players.
In his second season with Cleveland, Belliard batted .284 with 36 doubles and set career-highs with 17 homers and 78 RBIs. He also played well in the field, posting the AL's fifth-highest fielding percentage among second basemen.
If the Indians had not exercised Belliard's option by Nov. 15, the 30-year-old would have been eligible for free agency.
"The best option is when a player picks it up himself by his level of performance," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. "He genuinely has a passion for the game and plays on a daily basis like he enjoys it. That is representative of the attributes we want in our players."
The Indians didn't expect Belliard to develop into one of the league's premiere middle infielders when they signed him as a free agent in December 2003. They figured he was a stop gap at the position while Brandon Phillips developed in the minors or until they found someone else.
Exceeds teams expectations
But Belliard, who previously played in Milwaukee and Colorado, has gone beyond anyone's expectations. He was named an All-Star in '04, and then followed up one of his best seasons with an even better one in '05.
"He took on a leadership role, too, as this past season went along," Shapiro said. "He's a very important player for this ball club."
Belliard made 139 starts at second last season and hit in every spot in manager Eric Wedge's lineup except cleanup.
He batted .280 or higher in every month but August (.255) and came on strong at the finish, batting a combined .299 in September/October as the Indians made their playoff push before collapsing in the season's final week.