Ray Bellino
Raymond A. Bellino (born December 3, 1932 in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States) is a former minor league baseball player, manager and major league scout.
Playing career
Bellino played 15 years in the minors, in the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins farm systems. He was a defensive wizard,[1] however he was not a very formidable hitter, as he batted around .218 in 1,320 minor league games. His career high in batting average was .286, which he accomplished in 1952 with the Topeka Owls. However, he played only 16 games that season.[2]
Managing career
Bellino managed the Wisconsin Rapids Twins of the Midwest League from 1965 to 1967 and the GCL Expos of the Gulf Coast League in 1977. He led the Wisconsin Rapids Twins to the Midwest League finals in 1967, however they lost that series.
Scouting career
Following his playing and managing career, Bellino scouted for the Twins and Detroit Tigers. In 1981, as a Tigers scout, he won the A.B. "Turk" Karam Award, which recognizes the best scout each year.[3] He later became the Cincinnati Reds scouting supervisor.[4] One major league player he signed is C.J. Nitkowski.[5]
Honors
In 2001, Bellino was elected to the Hudson Sports Hall of Fame.[6]
Family
Bellino has 5 children who were raised to love baseball just as much as he did. They travelled with him wherever baseball scouting and playing took him. His wife Anne Bellino died in 2001. Bellino has 10 grandchildren and remains an active man in his current senior citizen community.