Roberto Alomar

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Alomar and the second or maternal family name is Velázquez.
Roberto Alomar
Alomar at the 2011 Hall of Fame Parade
Second baseman
Born: (1968-02-05) February 5, 1968 (age 56)
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Batted: Switch
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 22, 1988, for the San Diego Padres
Last MLB appearance
September 5, 2004, for the Chicago White Sox
MLB statistics
Batting average.300
Hits2,724
Home runs210
Runs batted in1,134
Stolen bases474
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2011
Vote90.0% (second ballot)

Roberto Alomar Velázquez (/ˈæləmɑːr/; Spanish pronunciation: [aloˈmaɾ]; born February 5, 1968)[1] is a Puerto Rican former second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for sixteen seasons. He is regarded as one of the greatest second basemen and all-around players.[2][3] During his career, the 12-time All-Star won more Gold Glove Awards (10) than any other second baseman in baseball history, in addition to winning four Silver Slugger Awards for his hitting.[4] Among second basemen, he ranks third in games played (2,320), fifth in stolen bases (474), sixth in plate appearances (10,400), seventh in doubles (504) and assists (6,524), and eighth in hits (2,724), runs (1,508), at-bats (9,073), and double plays turned (1,407). In 2011, Alomar was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[5]

The son of MLB second baseman Sandy Alomar Sr., Alomar followed in his father's footsteps, signing with the San Diego Padres as an amateur free agent in 1985. He made his major league debut with the team three years later, establishing himself as an exceptional base-stealing, hitting, and fielding threat before becoming an All-Star in 1990. He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays the following off-season, leading the team to three consecutive American League Championship Series (ALCS) appearances and being named the 1992 ALCS Most Valuable Player (MVP), culminating in back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. Alomar signed with the Baltimore Orioles after the 1995 season, led the team to two ALCS appearances, and won the 1998 All-Star Game MVP Award in his final year with the team. He then joined the Cleveland Indians for three seasons and had the most productive years of his career in 1999 and 2001, again leading his team to the playoffs and becoming an AL MVP Award finalist both years. Alomar spent the final years of his career with the New York Mets, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox, before retiring at spring training in 2005. A switch hitter, Alomar finished his career with a .300 batting average. Shortly after his 2011 Hall of Fame induction, the Blue Jays retired his number 12.

In 2021, Alomar was banned from baseball by MLB following an independent investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, dating back to 2014.[6][7] In April 2021, the Blue Jays also announced that Alomar would be removed from the Level of Excellence and his retired number banner would be taken down at Rogers Centre.[8] The Blue Jays have subsequently reactivated the uniform number 12, and it has been used by other players. He remains the only player in history to be a member of both the Baseball Hall of Fame and MLB's permanently-ineligible list simultaneously.

  1. ^ Porter, David L. (2004). Latino and African American athletes today: a biographical dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-313-32048-4. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  2. ^ "12-time All-Star retires; has back, vision problems". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. March 19, 2005. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  3. ^ Namee, Matthew (June 28, 2004). "Roberto Alomar: A Forgotten Legend?". The Hardball Times. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  4. ^ "Silver Slugger Award Winners – National League". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  5. ^ Kepner, Tyler (January 5, 2011). "Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven Elected to Hall of Fame". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Keegan Matheson. "MLB puts Roberto Alomar on Ineligible List". Major League Baseball. Retrieved April 30, 2021. At my office's request, an independent investigation was conducted by an external legal firm to review an allegation of sexual misconduct reported by a baseball industry employee earlier this year involving Mr. Alomar in 2014.
  7. ^ Davidi, Shi (April 30, 2021). "MLB, Blue Jays sever ties with Roberto Alomar after sexual misconduct investigation". Sports Net.
  8. ^ "Club statements on Roberto Alomar". Major League Baseball. Retrieved June 3, 2021. The Blue Jays are committed to advancing respect and equity in baseball and are taking further action by removing Alomar from the Level of Excellence and taking down his banner at Rogers Centre.