Sandy Alomar Jr.
Puerto Rican catcher, six-time All-Star, and 1997 All-Star Game MVP.
Santos Alomar Velázquez, known as Sandy Alomar Jr., is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2007, most notably for the Cleveland Indians, with whom he was a six-time All-Star and won two American League pennants. Alomar was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2009.
Quick Facts
- Team
- Cleveland Guardians
- Number
- 15
- Position
- Catcher; Coach
- Bats
- Right
- Born
- 18 June 1966
- Birthplace
- Salinas, Puerto Rico
- Debut league
- MLB
- Debut date
- September 30
Facts from the source article.
Major league career
Alomar was named Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year in both 1988 and 1989 while in the San Diego Padres organization, but was blocked at the major league level by Benito Santiago. After two brief call-ups with the Padres, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians after the 1989 season along with Carlos Baerga and Chris James for Joe Carter. He was an All-Star in 1991 and 1992, but his 1991 season was largely lost to injuries, finishing with no home runs and seven RBIs in 199 at-bats.
Over the next few years, he suffered several injuries and did not reach his potential, though he made his fourth All-Star team in the first half of 1996 before fading. In 1997, he batted .324 and was named All-Star Game MVP in his home ballpark, Jacobs Field, hitting a game-deciding two-run home run off Shawn Estes in the seventh inning; he was the first player to hit an All-Star home run in his home stadium since Hank Aaron in 1972. He also had a 30-game hitting streak, one short of Nap Lajoie's franchise record and four short of Benito Santiago's record for catchers, and helped lead Cleveland to a third straight postseason.
In the Division Series against the New York Yankees, he hit .316 with two home runs, including a game-tying shot off Mariano Rivera in Game 4. In the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles, he had a game-winning hit in the ninth inning of Game 4. The Indians lost the World Series to the Florida Marlins, but Alomar hit .367 with two home runs.
Coaching career
On February 15, 2008, Alomar was named catching instructor for the New York Mets organization, serving in that role for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. In November 2009, he was hired as first base coach on Manny Acta's staff with the Cleveland Indians. During the 2010 offseason, he was rumored to be one of four finalists for the Toronto Blue Jays managerial job. At the end of the 2011 season, he was rumored to be on the shortlist for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox managerial positions.
On September 28, 2011, he was promoted to bench coach for the 2012 season. On September 27, 2012, he was promoted to interim manager after the Indians fired Acta, finishing with a record of three wins and three losses. On October 6, 2012, the Indians hired Terry Francona as manager. On October 31, 2012, Alomar was announced as bench coach for 2013 under Francona, later becoming first base coach after being replaced by Brad Mills.
On August 2, 2020, Francona left the team due to gastrointestinal trouble and Alomar served as acting manager until Francona returned on August 9. Francona left again on August 18 for surgery, and Alomar acted as manager for the remainder of the season; the Indians were swept by the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series.
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