Sandy Alomar Sr. obit

 

Sandy Alomar Sr. dies at 81: Former MLB player, coach was father of Roberto and Sandy Jr.

Alomar spent parts of 15 seasons in MLB

He was not on the list. 

Sandy Alomar Sr., a former All-Star infielder and father of major-leaguers Sandy Alomar Jr. and Roberto Alomar, has died, Major League Baseball announced on Monday. Alomar Sr. was to turn 82 years of age on Oct. 19.

Alomar, a native of Puerto Rico, first signed with the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1960 and went on to spend parts of 15 seasons in MLB, six of which came with the California Angels. Over that span, he batted .245/.290/.288 with 1,168 hits and 227 stolen bases. With the Angels in 1970, he earned his only All-Star selection. Alomar Sr. also played in the World Series as a member of the 1976 New York Yankees, and spent playing time with the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and Texas Rangers. Sons Sandy and Roberto combined for 18 All-Star appearances during their career, and Roberto was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. 

"The Yankees mourn the passing of Sandy Alomar Sr. and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones," the team said in a statement Monday.

Tony Clark, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, also released a statement through the union: 

    "The baseball world suffered a great loss today with the passing of Sandy Alomar Sr., whose impact spanned more than five decades as a player, manager, coach, and beloved ambassador for the game in his native Puerto Rico. We remember Sandy for his achievements on the field, his lifelong commitment to the game, and a proud family legacy that was represented with distinction by his sons Sandy Jr. and Roberto.

    "The MLBPA and the community of players extend our sympathies to the Alomar family, Sandy's legion of friends throughout baseball, and to all his fans and admirers in Puerto Rico who are grieving his loss." 

Alomar Sr. retired as a player following the 1978 season with a career WAR of 10.5. After his playing career, Alomar Sr. managed the Puerto Rican national team and in the Puerto Rican winter leagues before returning to MLB as a coach and then minor-league manager within the Chicago Cubs organization. Major-league coaching stints then followed, first with the San Diego Padres and then with the Cubs, Colorado Rockies and Mets.

Alomar signed as an amateur free agent with the Milwaukee Braves in 1960. He was assigned to the Class D Davenport Braves in 1961 when he was 17 years old. He played shortstop and had a .278 batting average in 77 games. In 1962, he played for the Class C Boise Braves of the Pioneer League, where he had a .329 batting average while continuing to play shortstop; with three home runs, 83 runs scored and 72 runs batted in (RBIs). He was the Pioneer League's Most Valuable Player. His fielding percentage was below .900 both seasons.

Alomar was promoted to the Double-A Austin Senators in 1963. He hit .292, with five home runs, with 84 runs, 65 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. His fielding percentage improved to .917 at shortstop. The following season he was promoted to the Triple-A Denver Bears of the Pacific Coast League. His fielding percentage at shortstop improved to .944; while batting .263, with 86 runs, 40 RBIs, three homes runs and 20 stolen bases in 34 attempts. 

He was called up to the Braves in September 1964 and made his major league debut on September 15, playing shortstop. He had a base hit in his first game, and played 19 total games at shortstop for the Braves in 1964. In 1965, he split the season between the Milwaukee Braves (67 games) and the Triple-A Atlanta Crackers (66 games) and hit below .250 for both teams. He played both shortstop and second base for the Crackers and the Braves.

Alomar played the majority of the 1966 season with the Triple-A Richmond Braves, batting .243 in over 400 plate appearances, and now playing third base as well as at shortstop and second base. The Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, and Alomar played in 31 games for the Braves at second base and shortstop, batting .091.

On February 25, 1967, Alomar became part of an earlier trade between the Braves and Houston Astros that sent Eddie Mathews and Arnold Umbach to Houston for Dave Nicholson and Bob Bruce. Before the 1967 season started, Alomar was traded again to the New York Mets for Derrell Griffith. Alomar played the majority of the 1967 season with the Jacksonville Suns, the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, under manager Bill Virdon, playing principally at shortstop (though he played the other three infield positions as well) and batting only .209. He joined the Mets for 15 games, going hitless in 22 at-bats. Alomar had thought about quitting U.S. baseball when he was told he was a good fielder but could not hit and was sent to the minor leagues that year; but realized he had a family to provide for and continued to play.

 

Teams

As player

 

    Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1964–1966)

    New York Mets (1967)

    Chicago White Sox (1967–1969)

    California Angels (1969–1974)

    New York Yankees (1974–1976)

    Texas Rangers (1977–1978)

 

As coach

 

    San Diego Padres (1986–1990)

    Chicago Cubs (2000–2002)

    Colorado Rockies (2003–2004)

    New York Mets (2005–2009)

 

Career highlights and awards

 

    All-Star (1970)