|
Roberto Alomar
Career stats: baseball-reference.com
Player most similar to: Frankie Frisch Resume · 12-time All-Star (1990-2001) · 10 Gold Glove awards (1991-96, 1998-2001) · Top 10 in MVP voting five times (1991-93, 1999, 2001) · 1992 ALCS MVP · 1998 All-Star Game MVP · Led league in runs in 1999 The 12-time All-Star called it quits with the Devil Rays, finishing just 276 hits shy of 3,000. He led Toronto to consecutive World Series titles in 1992 and 1993 and was considered by many a lock for the Hall of Fame until a swift decline the last three seasons as he drifted from team to team. Alomar’s legacy was tarnished, however, when he spit in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck in 1996 while with the Orioles. The messy confrontation made front-page news all over the country and turned Alomar into a target for angry fans throughout the majors. He made matters worse afterward by saying he thought Hirschbeck was under stress because his 8-year-old son, John Drew, had died of a rare brain disease three years earlier, prompting the umpire to charge into the Baltimore clubhouse looking for Alomar. Yet soon, the two became friends, and even worked together to raise money to fight that brain disease. And now Alomar deeply regrets losing his temper during a heated argument over balls and strikes. “I wish it never happened,” he said, “and I hope that’s not how people remember me.” Alomar’s announcement came one day after he committed two errors in one inning of a spring training game with the Devil Rays, who signed him to a $600,000, one-year contract in January. “I played a lot of games and I said I would never embarrass myself on the field,” Alomar said. “I had a long career, but I can’t play at the level I want to play, so it’s time to retire.” He said he had doubts even entering camp. “I just can’t go anymore,” Alomar said. “My back, legs and eyes aren’t the same.” Alomar also played for the Padres, Cleveland, the Mets, the Diamondbacks and the White Sox during a 17-year career. In his prime, he was one of the best all-around players in the game, blessed with speed, smarts and extra-base power. He became the biggest star in a famous baseball family. Alomar’s older brother, Sandy Jr., is a catcher with Rangers in his 18th major league season. They were teammates in San Diego, Cleveland and Chicago. Their father, Sandy, spent 15 seasons in the big leagues and is now a coach with the Mets. A 10-time Gold Glove award winner and career .300 hitter, Roberto Alomar was an All-Star for 11 consecutive seasons from 1991 to 2001 but struggled the past three seasons, batting .266, .258 and .263. In 2004, he missed two months with a broken right hand and finished with four homers and 24 RBIs in 56 games for the Diamondbacks and White Sox. “We wanted to give him a chance,” LaMar said. “For 17 years he has been one of the greatest, if not the greatest, second basemen ever to play the game. We would be honored to keep him with the team in some capacity.” The Roberto Alomar
Library · Roberto Alomar: A Forgotten Legend? — Matthew Namee, The Hardball Times (June 28, 2004) Back to Padres
Nation home |
