Career
The right-hander stood 6 feet 6 inches (198 m) tall and weighed 205 pounds (93 kg), and entered professional baseball after Cleveland selected him in the second round of the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft. Over the next five seasons, Ballinger played in the Indians" farm system, gradually moving up the ranks. In 1971, he spent the season with the Jacksonville Suns, and went 5-10 with a 2.91 European Research Area before being promoted to the major league squad.
Ballinger worked in 34⅔ innings during his two-month-long MLB career, giving up 30 hits and 13 bases on balls, while striking out 25.
He recorded eight games finished, but no saves. He was demoted after the 1971 season, and spent two more seasons in the minors.
After not playing in 19741, he spent the next five years alternating between the Suns and the Omaha Royals.