When Tom Belza was in grammar school in Louisville, Kentucky, teachers would give a “Shining Shamrock” badge to someone who personified Christian values and attitudes.
For several years in a row, Belza won it.
“I really think that is what I am trying to do as a person now. I don’t need a little shamrock badge,” said Belza, an inactive infielder with the Mobile BayBears, the Southern League Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. “I’m always looking to be a better person. That is what it all comes down to. That is my ultimate goal, to be somebody that other people look up to and feel like they can trust.”
Belza, 26, who is currently on the disabled list from a recent injury, wants to be an example of faith by the way he carries himself and by the way he acts.
“I’m trying to show people Christ. I’m wanting people to see the Lord but at the same time not forcing it upon them.”
He was raised by Christian parents who took him and his two brothers to church.
Leaving Loveland, Ohio, after graduation from Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Belza went to Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater to play baseball. Being 12 hours away from family and dealing with “certain things” around him including temptations, “made me look to Christ,” he said.
In Christ he found “someone you can always count on and you can always talk to. He means everything. He is someone to fall back on.”
Cincinnati Player of the Year
An injury made him question if baseball would be in his future.
“I blew my elbow out when I was 13. I really relied on my family and Christ at the time to help me through that. That was one of those things where I was like, ‘I don’t know if I am going to be able to play again.’”
But he did play again and excelled.
At Moeller, he was All-Ohio his senior year. His school-record .556 batting average broke former Moeller player Ken Griffey Jr.’s record. As a senior, he was Cincinnati Player of the Year, first team all-state, Louisville Slugger honorable mention All-American, and Greater Catholic League Player of the Year.
Belza, whose team won the 2007 Connie Mack World Series, hit two home runs, 12 doubles and six triples his senior season and he stole 20 bases and had 25 RBI.
Freshman All-American
At OSU he led the Cowboys in batting average two years, hitting .386 as a freshman that topped the Big 12 Conference and .346 as a sophomore. He was a Freshman All-American and second team All-Big 12 in 2008. He led the Cowboys to two NCAA regionals, Stillwater in 2008 and Clemson in 2009. He made the all-tournament team both seasons.
Drafted in the 43rd round in 2010 by the Diamondbacks, Belza has played on seven minor league teams, including 18 games with the Reno Aces in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (2013 and 2015).
With Visalia in the High-A California League in 2013, he hit .300 with 10 homers and 63 RBI. He has played in Mobile in 2014, 2015 and this season.
In 2014, Belza was a Southern League All-Star and batting champion runner-up. He had 126 hits including 21 doubles, five triples, one home run, 31 RBI and an on-base percentage of .387. In 2015 he hit .229 with 13 doubles.
His consistency has earned him a nickname.
“We call him Every Day Tom — EDT,” said former Mobile teammate Archie Bradley, who now pitches for Arizona. “He is the same guy every day. He doesn’t change his approach. He puts in the same amount of work, if he gets an out or gets hits.”
Belza prays during National Anthems and never misses baseball chapel.
“I go to baseball chapel every time it is offered to us. I think they do a great job with the services that they provide us. It is a blessing,” he said.
Belza also finds fulfillment through community service projects such as going with players to soup kitchens, leading camps for little leaguers and participating in Big Brother, Big Sister activities.
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