- Roberto Alomar
Infobox MLB retired
name=Roberto Alomar
birthdate=birth date and age|1968|2|5Ponce, Puerto Rico
position=Second baseman
bats=Switch
throws=Right
debutdate=April 22
debutyear=by|1988
debutteam=San Diego Padres
finaldate=September 5
finalyear=by|2004
finalteam=Chicago White Sox
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.300
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=2,724
stat3label=Home runs
stat3value=210
teams=
*San Diego Padres (by|1988-by|1990)
*Toronto Blue Jays (by|1991-by|1995)
*Baltimore Orioles (by|1996-by|1998)
*Cleveland Indians (by|1999-by|2001)
*New York Mets (by|2002-by|2003)
*Chicago White Sox (by|2003, by|2004)
*Arizona Diamondbacks (by|2004)
highlights=
* 12x All-Star selection (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
* 10xGold Glove Award winner (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
* 4xSilver Slugger Award winner (1992, 1996, 1999, 2000)
* 2xWorld Series champion (1992, 1993)
* 1992 ALCS MVP
* 1998 All-Star Game MVP
*Toronto Blue Jays Level of Excellence Roberto Alomar Velázquez (born February 5, 1968 in Ponce,
Puerto Rico ) is a formerMajor League Baseball player (by|1988-by|2004), considered by many to be one of the best second basemen in history. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2017030&CMP=OTC-DT9705204233] ESPN article] [ [http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/roberto-alomar-a-forgotten-legend/] Hardball Times article] He holds the record for mostGold Glove Award s at that position, [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_nl.shtml#multi] baseball-reference.com GG] and has also won the second mostSilver Slugger Award s for a second baseman. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/silver_slugger_nl.shtml#multi] baseball-reference.com SS]A native of
Salinas, Puerto Rico , Alomar was aswitch-hitter and threw right-handed. He is the son ofNew York Mets third base coachSandy Alomar, Sr. , a former All-Star second baseman with a 15-year MLB experience. His older brother, Sandy Jr., was a Major Leaguecatcher .Career
an Diego Padres
Alomar broke into the Major Leagues in by|1988 with the
San Diego Padres , where he was regarded as an excellent fielder with speed and a solid bat. Defensively, he displayed excellent lateral range and a powerful arm, often making spectacular plays on ground balls hit deep in the hole between first and second base, and on balls hit up the middle well behind second base. He was an All-Star for the first time in by|1990.Toronto Blue Jays
MLBBioLOE
Name = Roberto Alomar|In by|1991 he andJoe Carter were traded to theToronto Blue Jays in exchange forFred McGriff andTony Fernández . It was in Toronto that he developed into a premier offensive second baseman, combining a .300-plusbatting average with above average power and high end speed on the bases. In by|1993 he batted .326, third in the league behind teammatesJohn Olerud , andPaul Molitor . He was a large part of Toronto'sWorld Series championships in 1992 and 1993. Next to Joe Carter's World Series-winning shot in 1993, his home run againstDennis Eckersley in the 1992 ALCS is considered by many as the most important hit in the club's history; Alomar was the MVP of the ALCS. In each of his five seasons with the Blue Jays, Alomar was on the All-Star team, and won the Gold Glove award.He is commonly regarded by Blue Jay fans to be the best player they have ever had. On March 20, 2008, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that Alomar would be elevated to the Level of Excellence at Toronto's Rogers Centre, joining such Blue Jay legends as George Bell,
Joe Carter andTony Fernández . Alomar also announced that if he is elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame he would like to go in wearing a Blue Jays hat, which would make him the first player to do so. At 6:55 PM (ET), on April 4, 2008, Alomar's name and number were added to the Level of Excellence at theRogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, along withPaul Beeston , prior to the home opener game of the 2008 season. Alomar and Beeston were presented commissioned portraits at the ceremony.Baltimore Orioles
In by|1995, Alomar signed with the
Baltimore Orioles at a time when Toronto was moving to rebuild and Baltimore was building toward a championship-calibre team. In Baltimore, Alomar paired with Hall of FamerCal Ripken Jr. to form one of the most decorated double-play combinations in baseball history. He would play again in the playoffs in by|1996 and by|1997 for the Orioles, although the Orioles were defeated in theAmerican League Championship Series in both years.Controversy
On September 27, 1996, during a game against his former team, the Blue Jays, he got into a heated argument over a called third strike with umpire
John Hirschbeck and spat in his face. He defended himself by saying Hirschbeck had uttered a racial slur and that Hirschbeck had been bitter ever since one of his sons had died of ALD, and then learned that another one had it also. He was suspended for five games and donated $50,000 to ALD research. Alomar and Hirschbeck settled their differences publicly and made apologies to each other on April 22, 1997, standing at home plate and shaking hands in front of the crowd before an Orioles game and now consider one another friends. Regarding the incident at his retirement, Alomar said, "That, to me, is over and done. It happened over nine years ago. We are now great friends. We have done some things with charity. God put us maybe in this situation for something. But I think people who know me, people who have had the chance to be with me on the same team, know what kind of person I am. Anything I ever did wrong, I would confront it and now it is OK."Cleveland Indians
In by|1999, Alomar signed with the
Cleveland Indians , joining his brother, Sandy Jr. It was in Cleveland that Roberto would have two of his finest seasons -- and perhaps two of the finest seasons ever for a second baseman. In 1999 he hit .323/.422/.533 with 24 HRs, 120 RBIs and 37stolen base s, and in 2001 he collected .336/.415/.541, 20, 100 and 30. Cleveland would make the playoffs in both years only to lose in theAmerican League Division Series . Alomar finished third in MVP voting in 1999.On the field, Alomar teamed with
shortstop Omar Vizquel to form one of the most decorated defensive combinations of all time. In 2000, with Vizquel committing just three errors all season long, the entire infield committed 34 errors--just one more than the record set by theNew York Mets infield the year before. As a result, Vizquel, Alomar andthird baseman Travis Fryman each won theGold Glove Award that season, and the Vizquel-Alomar duo won three consecutive Gold Gloves together, joining a select list of only eight shortstop-second baseman duos to have accomplished this feat in the same year.He was finally traded to the New York Mets before the 2002 season, in the same trade that brought pitcher Billy Traber and
outfielder sMatt Lawton andAlex Escobar to the Indians.Last years
In 2002, Alomar hit only .266/.331/.376 with 53 RBIs and 73 runs scored while falling apart defensively at second base. The Mets were puzzled by Alomar's mediocre play, which is generally attributed to his lack of comfort with being under the scrutiny of the New York fans and media. However, not even a midseason trade back to the
American League to theChicago White Sox in 2003 could revive Alomar from his funk. There was more misery ahead with theArizona Diamondbacks in 2004, after missing two months with a broken right hand. On August 5, he returned to the White Sox, and finished hitting just .263/.321/.392 in 56 games.Alomar agreed to a one-year contract with the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the 2005 season. However, on March 19, 2005, after a spring plagued by back and vision trouble, he decided to retire from the game.In a 17-year career, Alomar was a .300/.371/.443 hitter with 210 home runs and 1,134 RBI in 2,379 games. He is 51st all-time with 2,724 career hits.
Career milestones
In his career, Alomar established remarkable milestones for a second baseman, including:
* making twelve straight All-Star teams (1990-2001)
* winning a record ten gold gloves at second base (1991-96,1998-2001)
* batting over .300 nine times (1992-1997, 1999-2001)
* posting an OBP over .400 five times (1992-93, 1996, 1999, 2001)
* scoring 100 or more runs six times (1992-93, 1996, 1999-2001)
* driving in 100 or more runs twice (1999, 2001)
* stealing 30 or more bases eight times (1989, 1991-93, 1995, 1999-2001)
* winning four Silver Slugger awards (1992, 1996, 1999-2000)References
ee also
*
List of AL Gold Glove Winners at Second Base
*List of major league players with 2,000 hits
*List of Gold Glove middle infield duos
*List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Second Base
* Players from Puerto Rico in MLB
*Top 500 home run hitters of all time
* Famous Puerto Ricans
*List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
*List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
*List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
*List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
*Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
*List of Major League Baseball players with 400 stolen bases
* List of second generation MLB playersExternal links
* [http://www.RobertoAlomar.com Roberto Alomar's Official Site]
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