by The 1991 Indians were completely dismal. They went 57-105 and were the worst team in baseball once again. Belle was only one of two players to even hit double digit homeruns as Carlos Baerga managed to belt 11.
Again, Belle had zero protection behind him and still crushed any pitch he could find near the strike zone. No one on the team hit 300. Belle also led the squad with 31 doubles.
The 1991 Cleveland Indians weren’t just bad, they were putrid. With 1990 Rookie of the Year Sandy Alomar Jr. banged up, they had to rely on Joel Skinner getting most of the work behind the plate and the pitchers suffered from it. Only one pitcher, Charles Nagy, had double digit wins with 10, no one else did anything in the rotation.
Albert’s rookie numbers that season were excellent; he hit 28 homeruns with 95 RBI and a .282 batting average. He showed extremely large promise to be a staple in the middle of the Indians lineup for a long time to come. What is perhaps more impressive was the fact he had next to no protection in that lineup.
The lone bright spots from the miserable season were Belle, Baerga, Nagy and the hopes of a returning Alomar in the coming years. Still, despite the terrible season, the Indians had their two key pieces in the lineup with Baerga hitting third, and Belle cleanup.
With closer Steve Olin closing 17 games in very limited attempts, things looked dim and bright all at the same time. They had a spark, albeit small.
Sadly, his anger problems also followed him to the pros. During a game he turned and threw a baseball at the chest of a fan heckling him in the stands. The fan was calling him Joey, and made several mentions to Belle’s alcohol problems, even remarking that he was going to throw a Keg Party at his house and invite Belle.
Albert was suspended for seven games following the ugly incident. His numbers in 1991 could have been even better if he didn’t miss time with the suspension and a short demotion back to AAA after not running out a ground ball, he had hit to the opposing team’s third basemen during a game. His game total for the Indians in 1991 was only 123, meaning he missed 39 games.
In the time he missed at the Major League level between the minors and suspension, there was no doubt he would have eclipsed the 30-home run total that season as well.
If so, it would have been a run of 30 plus homers between 91- 00 which is unheard of. It was clear that he had immense talent, but his attitude would need a major over haul.
