Roberto Alomar

Roberto Alomar (born February 5, 1968, Ponce, Puerto Rico) was inducted in 2011 into the Baseball Hall of Fame, where his plaque reads that he “set the standard for a generation of second basemen with a quick, powerful bat, a smooth, steady glove and seemingly endless range.” During his stellar 17-year career in the major leagues, he was a 12-time All-Star, won 4 Silver Slugger awards (given to the best hitter at each position in each league), and was awarded 10 Gold Gloves.

A native of Puerto Rico, Alomar was born into a family of baseball players. His father, Sandy Alomar, Sr., had a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career that began with the Milwaukee (now Atlanta) Braves and included stints with the Chicago White Sox, California (now Los Angeles) Angels, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers as well as an appearance in the 1970 All-Star Game. Roberto’s elder brother, Sandy Alomar, Jr., a catcher and six-time All-Star, played 20 years in the big leagues, most notably for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), for whom he later served as a coach.

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Roberto Alomar began his professional baseball career with the San Diego Padres organization and made his MLB debut with the Padres in 1988, finishing fifth in that year’s vote for the National League (NL) rookie of the year. Three years later he moved to the Toronto Blue Jays. During his five seasons with the Blue Jays, Alomar’s batting average exceeded .300 in all but one year, and he helped lead the team to two World Series wins (1992, 1993) and finished sixth in the American League (AL) most valuable player (MVP) vote three times (1991–93). During those championship seasons, he racked up a combined .354 batting average in four postseason series. In 1995 Alomar joined the Baltimore Orioles, for whom he and fellow future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr., constituted one of the game’s best keystone combos. In 1999 he played the first of three seasons with his brother, Sandy, as a member of the Indians. During his tenure in Cleveland, Alomar enjoyed some of his most productive seasons at the plate. In 1999, en route to finishing third in the AL MVP vote, he batted .323, socked 24 home runs, drove in 120 runs, stole 37 bases, and led the league in runs scored with 138. Two years later he hit 20 home runs, recorded 100 runs batted in (RBIs), batted .336, and stole 30 bases. In the meantime, he and another perennial Gold Glove winner, shortstop Omar Vizquel, formed an often balletic double-play combination. From 2002 to 2004 Alomar played for the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He retired in 2005 because of health issues.

Alomar was the first second baseman to be awarded the Gold Glove Award 10 times (1991–96, 1998–2001). His 12 All-Star Game appearances came between 1990 and 2001. He won the Silver Slugger award in 1992, 1996, 1999, and 2000.