Roberto Alomar was overpaid by the New York Mets for his year and a half of service towards the end of his career, but I was happy to see him get the recognition he deserved with a spot in the Hall of Fame.
His career will always be defined by a select few by the spitting incident, and for those of you who think that is enough to keep him out of Cooperstown, I feel sorry for you.
Some fans will never overlook this transgression, using it as the basis of every argument they ever make about his wrongful inclusion.
They will overlook his production and what he brought to the game, rubbishing 17 years of talent for the seven teams he suited up for.
It’s true that he did not shine in Shea Stadium like he had done in Cleveland, Baltimore, Toronto or San Diego, and it’s also true that his numbers from the 222 games he suited up for the Mets are not necessarily Hall-worthy. Still, Alomar would probably have still been enshrined even if he had called it a day after his time with the Indians came to an end.
His .265 batting average and 13 home runs in New York were not representative of his overall production. Rather, they are the statistics of a once-speedy, defensive-minded second baseman in the twilight of his career.
Alomar was serviceable for the Mets, outperforming fan favorite and double play partner Rey Ordonez across the board. Personally, I would have liked to see the Mets make more of an effort to re-sign Edgardo Alfonzo, but they didn’t lose too much in signing Alomar, with the exception of a little bit of pop, a few million dollars and a couple years. Okay, so maybe they did lose more than a little, but I digress.
This man was a 12-time All-Star and career .300 hitter before he even came to the Mets. His reputation preceded him, and we gave him more money than we should have, but simply put, he was a stud.
He was a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner, as well as a World Champion on more than one occasion. He was a winner who was simply past his prime when he came to the Big Apple.
He may never have been the biggest name in any of the cities he played, but he still compares more than favorably with other players at his position. Critics lay praise, rightfully so, on lifelong Cub and fellow Cooperstown member Ryne Sandberg, but Alomar put up similar statistics across the board, both offensively and defensively. Some metrics would have him on top.
He played one more season than Sandberg, matching the Cub like for like. A scattering of more hits and more steals were offset by a couple more home runs and more doubles. Sandberg won an MVP, something Alomar did not, but the players really do have very similar figures.
It’s a little harder to compare him with the likes of other sure-fire Hall of Famers such as Jeff Kent because, despite playing in the same era, Kent’s game featured a lot more power and a lot less speed. Still, look at the career numbers and the disparity is nowhere as great as some perceive.
They had careers of similar lengths, and while Kent was a much better run producer, Alomar was a more patient hitter who utilized the whole field better. Don’t get me started about the glovework. While they both played up the middle, they had contrasting roles within their respective teams. Both flourished.
It’s not like Kent was the most loved person in the clubhouse 24/7 either.
Alomar may not be considered the best second baseman of his era—or the second or the third. Mets fans who only remember him for the time he spent with the club in 2002 and 2003 might not see why he has even been selected at all.
Almost everyone has put the past behind them now when it comes to Alomar and the negativity surrounding that one ugly spitting incident. Baseball writers have followed suit, and now it’s your turn. Remember him for what he accomplished with the bat and with the glove. Roberto Alomar really was one of those rare gems, and now he’s where he belongs.
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