Cleveland Indians

Revisionist history will state that Matt Williams was traded for Albert Belle. The truth is that Williams went to the Indians in a trade with the Giants on Nov. 13 and Belle left Cleveland as a free agent seven days later. But for all practical purposes, Williams is viewed by Tribe fans as Belle's replacement, a cross that Williams is reluctant to bear. "I don't think that my teammates expect me to hit 50 homers and knock in 150 runs," Williams says. "I'm not trying to fill Albert's shoes, because there's no reason to put myself through that. I could never do what he did for the Indians. How could anyone?"

Williams, a four-time National League All-Star third baseman, should not be so humble. Had it not been for a pair of freak injuries—a broken right foot caused by a foul tip in 1995 and a right shoulder injury suffered while trying to break up a double play last year—that cost him 125 games, Williams would have put up Belle-like numbers the past two years. Belle hit .314 with 98 home runs and 274 RBIs over that span, while Williams hit .316 with 45 homers and 150 RBIs. Projecting Williams's figures over the same number of at bats that Belle had, Williams was on pace for 75 homers and 250 RBIs despite being surrounded by an inferior lineup in San Francisco.

Off the field, the 32-year-old Williams is the anti-Belle. He is a throwback who reported to the Indians' spring training camp in Winter Haven, Fla., with the pitchers and catchers on Feb. 15, anxious to begin rehabilitating his shoulder and meet his new teammates. Williams's locker was located in the same corner of the clubhouse in which Belle used to dress. Unlike last year, when that area was treated as a no-man's land, this spring there were often players clustered there, chatting with Williams, who would sometimes hang around for hours after a game, gathering tidbits on opponents in his new league. "Matt is a magnet for other guys because he doesn't have a superstar attitude," says Indians reserve infielder Robby Thompson, who was Williams's teammate for 10 seasons with the Giants. "He just wants to excel at his job every day and then blend in with the crowd."

Joining a new team in a new league was a disorienting experience for Williams, who had spent a decade in San Francisco and repeatedly stated that he wanted to play his entire career there. But five months ago Giants general manager Brian Sabean called Williams to inform him that he had been traded to the Indians. "I was shocked because I didn't see it coming," Williams says.

A month later he visited Cleveland for the first time. While he met with the Indians' brass, his wife, Tracie, picked out a house just outside the city. It's a place that Matt won't spend any time in until a week into the regular season. But he isn't as concerned with his living arrangements as he is about how he will handle his first showdown with Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera or some other pitcher he has never faced. "I feel like it's the first day at a new school and everybody is staring at the new kid in class," Williams says. "For me it's like being a rookie again, except that I'm a little too old to be the Rookie of the Year."

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]