A five-tool threat, Bobby Abreu combined power, speed, and plate discipline across 18 major-league seasons. He finished with over 2,400 hits, 400 stolen bases, and nearly 1,500 walks. (Jerry Coli / Dreamstime)

On August 3, 2019, the Philadelphia Phillies included on their Wall of Fame a Venezuelan who in the United States was known as Bobby, but in his native country called by many “El Comedulce.”1

Bob Kelly Abreu Vásquez was born in Maracay, Aragua state, on March 11, 1974, the second of six children in the family raised with great effort by Nelson Abreu, a worker at the Kraft Heinz food company, and his wife, Águeda Vásquez de Abreu.

Living in a neighborhood called Sorocaima, Bobby began to show his affinity for sports, playing volleyball, soccer, basketball, foosball, and, of course, baseball.

His love for the sport that brought him fame and fortune was born thanks to his father. “He played baseball too. He was left-handed. And he was the one who took us together with my mother, but we followed my dad a lot, because he was good. My mom says that he didn’t want to sign (to professional baseball),” Abreu said. “The people of Maracay know my dad. He was a well-known man in Maracay and in San Carlos de Cojedes, where he was born. He was our idol and he was the person we followed to play baseball.”2

Bobby, along with his older brother Nelson, and younger brother Dennis, were the ones who applied themselves the most in that sport, all of them later signing to play professional baseball. But before they learned how to play the game, they learned a very good education, along with their other siblings, Nielsen, Anaís (who died in 2018), and Amarily.

“We grew up with the fundamentals and foundations of the home, and when I was about 10 or 11 years old, my father suffered an accident,” Abreu recalled. “My older brother was 15, and that’s the age when we’re all rebellious, and my mom had to deal with the six children alone, because my dad was in bed.”3 Despite experiencing very hard times in their adolescence, the Abreu family managed to prevent their children from taking a bad path on the streets of Sorocaima.

“Sometimes there was not enough to eat and we wanted to make enough food for everybody, making arepas.4 Today we laugh at that very beautiful remembrance, because with a little can of deviled ham we filled five arepas,” Abreu said. “My mother is the fundamental pillar in my life, in my career, because she has been there since we had nothing. My dad was my hero, even though he didn’t see me play in the major leagues, and my mom taught us to respect the values of the home, but it was a pretty hard stage, because we lived in a neighborhood where you could take any path, but we always we stood right there.”5

Bobby began to stand out in baseball from a very young age and represented the state of Aragua in several tournaments, before joining the Houston Astros academy, which was led by Andrés Reiner, who years later became a special assistant to the general manager of the organization.

“I got there at the age of 15. Andrés Reiner for me, and for many of my colleagues, was like our father, who guided you, gave you the best advice, ‘dedicate yourself, you have to work hard, you’re never tired, you have to work twice as hard as others to be able to improve,’” Abreu said. “Andrés Reiner, really, was the best thing that has happened to me as a counselor, because apart from signing me as a scout, he was watching you, how your things were going, if you were doing things well or badly. He knew how to talk to you and we really always carry him with us, because he has been an exemplary person for all of us.” Abreu signed with the Astros on August 21, 1990, and traveled to his first spring training, in the United States, in 1991.

“Before I got to the training camps I was scared. The farthest I (had gone) from my house was to San Carlos de Cojedes, two hours from my house, and always with the family. On that occasion (spring training), I had to be alone, without my father or my mother,” Abreu recalled. “I had to go traveling with Roberto Petagine, Raúl Chávez, Henry Centeno, my compadre, may he rest in peace, Argenis Conde, (Jesús) Aristimuño, who was our coach, and I was behind them, because I had never been even in an airplane, nor in an airport. When I (got) to Miami, at immigration, you have to be alone and when the guy started to speak English to me, I wanted to cry. I wanted to go home.”

Despite the fear, Abreu arrived at his first spring training remembering Reiner’s advice.

“I come to spring training, at 17 years old, and you are rubbing shoulders with older people, and you come to see that the baseball that you played as an amateur was not the same as the one that you played as a professional,” he said. “When they start talking to us about fundamentals, I already came with Andrés Reiner’s class, who had to do everything running, jostling, you’re never tired here. They would say that Venezuelans never get tired,” he stressed. “At that time I was supposedly playing shortstop. I would stand there, but I didn’t have those good hands. That’s why they sent me to the outfield.”

One of his early mentors was legendary Dominican outfielder César Cedeño, a four-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner, and a Houston Astros Hall of Famer.

“At that time I was a switch-hitter. I stood right-handed, and César Cedeño saw that I always took BP from the left side. He asked me, ‘How come you hit with both hands and the BP is always left-handed? From now on you are only going to hit left-handed.’… And I ended up hitting left-handed.”

“César Cedeño helped me a lot in hitting. I was taking his advice and I had a good season.”

Abreu played right field throughout his career and was listed as 6 feet tall and 220 pounds.

Abreu debuted with a .301 average in the Gulf Coast League in 1991, and continued to climb the circuit each year, from Class A to Triple A in 1996, also trying to apply what he saw on television from his idols.

“When I began to watch baseball games, I liked Ozzie Guillén a lot, because of the way he played, because he was a great leader and knew how to use his skills. He was not looking to do more than he could do,” he said.

“Also Roberto Alomar. I saw Roberto Alomar a lot, when he went to the World Series with Toronto, also when he was in Baltimore. When I was in the minor leagues, the Baltimore games were on TV a lot and I watched him hit, how he stole the bases, how he played the ball with ease and elegance, with confidence and intelligence, he was always ahead of the plays, and Roberto Alomar was one of the people I admired. The other was Ken Griffey Jr. So I saw those patterns and I wanted to get details from them to continue growing on the game and be like them.”

In 1993, when Abreu was 19, he received one of the hardest blows in his life, the death of his father, Nelson, to whom he wanted to pay a lifetime tribute.

“My dad was called ‘El Comedulce.’ When he passed away, in 1993, I asked the media to call me ‘El Comedulce’ in his honor,” he said.

Abreu not only honored his father with his nickname, but with greater determination in his goal of reaching the major leagues. In 1994 he hit .303 in Double-A and developed more power by hitting 16 home runs and driving in 73 runs.

Little by little he earned his place among the best prospects in the organization and as a more complete player, stealing 24 bases in Triple A in 1996.

“I was looking for my opportunity to reach the major leagues,” he said during spring training. “I think as you go through the minor leagues and start watching the big-league games, you say, ‘Hey, I want to be there.’ More when you go to spring training.”

“The Astros had all four fields and the major-league field next to it.That’s where I want to be,” he recalled. “You have to work hard and you tried harder every day to get to the major leagues.”

The reward for that effort came in the last month of the 1996 season, after Abreu batted.283 with 86 runs scored, 14 doubles, 16 triples, 13 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 132 games in Triple A.

“(Manager) Tim Tolman calls me to his office, and as a baseball player, you don’t want to go to the office. What did I do wrong? Are they going to scold me or are they going to kick me out?” he recalled. “He tells me, ‘Congratulations, because you are going to Pittsburgh.’”

The Astros were finishing a series against the Pirates. “I didn’t believe it. The first thing I did was cry, give (Tolman) a hug and call my mom to say, ‘Mom, you have a major-league son.’”

His big-league debut came at Three Rivers Stadium, where he couldn’t hide his nerves during batting practice.

“I remember that in my first BP I didn’t hit the ball out of the cage. It was pure fly and fly. The nerve hits you,” he said. “In my first at-bat, I was shaking. My legs were shaking. (Manager) Terry Collins tells me, ‘Abreu, you’re going to hit.’ I was so nervous.”

Abreu was called to pinch-hit for reliever Chris Holt in the top of the ninth inning, but he didn’t get to have his first at-bat.

“That first at-bat they had a left-handed pitcher in the bullpen and Mike Simms was the right-handed pinch-hitter. They brought in the lefty (Dan Plesac) and they brought in Simms (as a pinch-hitter). It took me like 13 at-bats to get that first hit.”6

His first hit came in his 11th major-league game, on September 24, 1996, at the Astrodome against the New York Mets. His first victim was Bobby Jones; pinch-hitting in the eighth, Abreu sent a line drive to right field. Afterward, he started three games, getting a hit in each, with his first double and his first RBI coming September 28 against the Florida Marlins.

The next season, 1997, Abreu became the starting right fielder for the Astros and after a slow start in the first two months, in which he averaged .245, an injury took him out of action and he underwent surgery in Houston to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his right wrist.

He returned to the field on July 3, but in a substitute role, so in the middle of the month he went to the minor leagues to get more playing time, returning to the majors in September.

Despite Abreu’s being well regarded within the organization, the Astros did not protect him and he was taken in the November 18, 1998, expansion draft to stock the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I was playing in Venezuela. My agent, Peter Greenberg, called me and he tells me, ‘Tampa picked you in the draft.’ I was happy, because I was going to have the opportunity to play,” Abreu said. “Two hours later he calls me again. ‘Peter, what happened? Bob, I have other news for you: They traded you to Philly, they traded you for Kevin Stocker, it’s a good trade for you.”

In a matter of minutes he had moved through three organizations, ultimately ending up with the Phillies, whom he joined in the spring of 1998.

“I went to spring training in Clearwater, in ’98, and I had a good season my first year,” recalled Abreu, who was the undisputed starter and hit .312 with 17 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases, showing signs of a potential that was about to explode.

In Venezuela, in the Winter League, he also displayed that superstar potential and won the batting title with a record .419 average while playing for Leones del Caracas.

“It was very important, because I remember that that year I went to work against lefties, because I was hitting well against righties, but I needed to hit lefties better and use the right midfield and hit home runs toward the opposite field,” he recalled. “In Venezuela, I faced many left-handed pitchers and that allowed me to work on that. Winter ball helped me a lot to work on what I was failing.”

The following season, 2000, Abreu established himself as an undisputed figure for the Phillies by finishing with the third-best batting average in the National League (.335), setting career highs in all offensive categories by finishing with 118 runs scored, 183 hits, 35 doubles, 11 triples (NL leader), 20 home runs, 93 RBIs, and 109 walks, in what was the first of his eight consecutive seasons with 100 or more walks.

“That was a great season. I was fighting for the batting title with Larry Walker and Luis González. I went 20-20 (homers and steals), drove in 93 runs,” Abreu said. “It was a very good year. I was hitting well all year.”

In 2001 Abreu became the first Venezuelan to join the 30-30 club, after finishing with 31 home runs and 36 stolen bases, an achievement he repeated in 2004, when he hit 30 homers and stole 40 bases, the year in which he participated in his first All-Star Game and won the Silver Slugger Award, repaying in a big way the contract the organization gave him in 2002 for five seasons and $64 million.

“That season you wanted to show more of yourself. You had been doing seasons of 40 doubles, you stole 20 to 30 bases, you hit 20 homers, but you wanted more, you wanted to teach more about your game and show all your tools. Hitting, stealing bases, playing defense, taking bases on balls, I tried to get better in all my numbers and be an all-around player.”

Already one of the most complete players in the major leagues, Abreu experienced one of the most exciting moments of his career when he was chosen for his second All-Star Game, in Detroit, where he participated in a memorable Home Run Derby.

“I didn’t expect it, but when they told me, ‘You’re in the Home Run Derby. You are going to represent Venezuela. It was the only one that was made representing countries. You have to understand what it means to represent your country and the weight you have to do things well.”7

Abreu reached the All-Star Game with 18 home runs, but he had no expectations other than putting on a good show for his country.

“They tell me, ‘Bob, you’re the first to hit.’… My legs were shaking, I was nervous, and I was just asking to hit a little home run in Detroit, in a huge stadium, completely packed, and I knew that all of Venezuela was watching me on television.”

“When I took out the first ball I felt a relief. I was already calm. Then, with the pitcher I had, Ramón Henderson, I started hitting home runs and that was crazy.”

Abreu stole the show and hit 24 homers in the first round, breaking the record of 15 set by Miguel Tejada.

“Venezuela was paralyzed watching the Home Run Derby. I was just asking God and my dad to help me hit at least a home run. One came out and I began to break some of Miguel Tejada’s records,” he said.

Abreu hit six home runs in the second round to advance to the final with catcher Iván Rodríguez, whom he dispatched with 11 homers, also a record at that time, surpassing the Puerto Rican’s five, and ended up hoisting the championship trophy with a total of 41 home runs, a record for the event at the time.

“It was a very beautiful moment that I lived, a very special moment,” he commented. “I was living a dream. I woke up from that dream when I got to the hotel. When I turned on the television, ESPN was showing what I did, and I was crying alone in the room.”

In 2006, Abreu entered the next to last year of his contract with Philadelphia, making him one of the most coveted pieces on the trade market that season.

On July 30, 2006, he waived his no-trade clause and accepted a trade to the New York Yankees, where he would have a chance to play in the postseason, something he hadn’t done since 1997 with the Astros.

“I thought I was going to spend my entire career with Philadelphia. That opportunity was given to go to the Yankees, to the Big Apple, Yankee Stadium. … “I had the no-trade clause in my contract and I agreed to go to New York.”

Abreu went to the Yankees along with Cory Lidle in a trade for C.J. Henry, Matt Smith, Jesus Sanchez, and Carlos Monasterios.

He made the most of that big stage and he began to perform. He came from Philadelphia hitting .277 and in 58 games with his new club he hit .330 to help the Yankees capture the AL East championship with a 97-65 record.

In the Division Series, Abreu hit .333 with four RBIs, but he couldn’t stop New York from being eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in four games.

In 2007 he hit .283 with 40 doubles and 101 RBIs to help the Yankees return to the postseason, but again they lost in the Division Series, also in four games, to the Cleveland Indians.

New York took the option of his 2008 contract for $16 million and the Venezuelan responded with a .296 average, 100 runs scored, 39 doubles, 20 home runs, and 100 RBIs, but they did not offer him a new deal and he became a free agent.

“It was a very nice experience playing for the Yankees, because of the city, the organization, that name weighs heavily,” said Abreu. “It was nice to play with ‘The Captain’ (Derek Jeter), with Alex Rodríguez, and I met two people who were my buddies, like Robinson Canó and Melky Cabrera.”

“I thought I was going to re-sign with the Yankees, because I was a free agent. It didn’t happen and I signed with Anaheim,” said Abreu, who reached a deal for one season and $5 million.

Abreu didn’t slow down and for the seventh straight season he finished with at least 100 RBIs (103) and hit .293, helping the Angels win the AL West title.

In 2009 he played in the postseason for the last time and in the Division Series he was 5-for-9 with four runs scored, two doubles and an RBI to be key in the three-game sweep against the Boston Red Sox.

In the American League Championship Series, Abreu had to face his former Yankees teammates, who ended up winning the ALCS and the World Series, both in six games.

“We went to the playoffs, to the league finals to play against the Yankees. We lost that year, when they were champions, and I didn’t have that luck to win a World Series,” Abreu said. “I have been blessed to play alongside great players. Playing with Vladimir (Guerrero) was excellent. There was Maicer Izturis, (Mike) Napoli. I was one of the oldest and we enjoyed a lot.”

After the 2009 season, Abreu signed a two-year, $19 million deal with the Angels, with a $9 million option for 2012 if he had 550 plate appearances in 2011 or a combined 1,200 in 2010-11.

In 2010 he hit 41 doubles and 20 home runs, but for the first time since 1998 he fell short of 100 RBIs, and for the first time since 1997 his batting average dipped below .280; he hit just .253.

In 2011 his performance dipped further as he hit .253 with just 30 doubles, 8 home runs, and 60 RBIs, but he reached 585 plate appearances to exercise the option on his contract.

In 2012 Abreu’s place in the lineup was no longer guaranteed. With Albert Pujols as designated hitter and with Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells covering the outfield corners, Abreu didn’t have a day-to-day game in manager Mike Scioscia’s lineup.

On April 27, after Abreu hit just .208 (5-for-24), with three doubles and five RBIs in eight games, the Angels released him to call up their best prospect, Mike Trout.

“I arrived in 2009 and he started in the major leagues in 2011. I saw him in spring training and he was with us playing up front. He was a very mature person in the game, respectful in the game and respectful as a person. Excellent person,” Abreu said of Trout. “He is a very humble person, who respects everyone, and when I saw him in spring training I knew that when they gave him the opportunity to play he was going to lose sight of them.”

So it was. Trout’s impact was immediate and at the age of 20 he batted .326 and hit 30 home runs, leading the majors in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49), unanimously taking the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and being second in the voting for the Most Valuable Player Award, removing the unanimity of the winner of the first Triple Crown since 1967, Miguel Cabrera.

Abreu didn’t last long without a job, nor did he have to make a lengthy move, after signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 4, 2012.

With the Dodgers he also didn’t see regular action and in 92 games he hit .246.

Unable to get a satisfactory contract, Abreu did not play in the majors in 2013; he played winter ball in 2013-2014 with Leones del Caracas, showing that he still had one more cartridge to burn.

In Venezuela, he batted .322/.416/.461, with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, and 28 RBIs in 50 games. In the postseason he batted .441/.533/.932, with 22 runs scored, 5 doubles, 8 home runs, 26 RBIs, and 13 walks in 16 games.

On his way to turning 40, the Philadelphia Phillies granted Abreu a minor-league deal on January 21, 2014, with an invitation to spring training. Abreu was released on March 27 after hitting .244/.404/.366 in 17 games.

On March 31, the New York Mets gave Abreu a minor-league contract. At Triple-A Las Vegas, he hit .360/.473/.507, with 8 doubles, 1 home run and 18 RBIs in 26 games, and the Mets brought him up.

In 78 games with the Mets, Abreu batted .248. He played his last major-league game on September 28, the last day of the regular season, against the Astros, the team that signed him and the one he made his major-league debut in 1996.

“Something curious. … Fate is fate. When I get to the big leagues, I got my first hit against the Mets and my manager was Terry Collins. And I gave my last hit with the Mets, my manager was Terry Collins and I gave it against the Houston Astros,” said Abreu, who played right field that day.

In his first at-bat he grounded out to second base. In the third inning he took a walk, the 1,476th of his career, while in the fifth inning, against Nick Tropeano, he singled to left field, his 2,470th hit to end his career, leaving Citi Field to a standing ovation.

“In baseball the first at-bat and the last at-bat are the most nervous at-bats you have. In that last at-bat I was very anxious and excited, I had to control myself,” Abreu recalled. “After I hit that hit to left field, Terry Collins gives me the sign, ‘What do you want to do?’ I told him, ‘I’m done. I retire here.’ I retired through the big door, with the hit I needed to say goodbye.”

Collins, Abreu’s first and last major-league manager, smiled and replaced him with a pinch-runner. Another Venezuelan born in Maracay, José Altuve, the Houston Astros second baseman, went to say goodbye to one of the best baseball players that Venezuela has produced.

“Altuve went to first and gave me a congratulatory hug. I couldn’t control myself. At that moment there was an ovation in the New York stadium,” he recalled. “It gave me chills. I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, but it was very nice to say goodbye that way, with a very pleasant ovation, because they appreciated the way I played ball and I enjoyed it to the fullest.”

Despite not winning numerous individual awards, only a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger, and participating in only two All-Star Games, Abreu retired as one of the most consistent players of his generation, with extraordinary hitting ability and an outstanding discipline that allowed him to play eight consecutive seasons with 100 or more bases on balls, and finish with a lifetime average of .291/.395/.475, with 1,453 runs scored, 574 doubles, 288 home runs, 1,363 RBIs, and 400 stolen bases.

Abreu is one of only four players in history with at least 200 home runs, 1,200 walks, and 400 stolen bases, joining Hall of Famers Joe Morgan and Rickey Henderson, as well as Barry Bonds.

Abreu also joined Bonds in the exclusive group of five players in major-league history with at least 1,000 runs scored, 1,000 RBIs, 2,000 hits, 1,000 walks, 250 home runs, and 400 stolen bases.8

Abreu first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2020, obtaining 22 votes for 5.5 percent, enough to stay on the ballot.

In 2021 his vote rose to 8.7 percent and in 2022 it fell to 8.6 percent. It climbed to 15.4 percent in 2023, fell again with 14.8 percent in 2024 and rising to his best voting in 2025, 19.5 percent.

His consistency has slowly earned Abreu some support for his Cooperstown candidacy.

“I think we have to keep thinking positive. I very respectfully say that there are numbers. I’m placed with select groups, with Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar, Rickey Henderson. Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds. … So you see that you do have numbers, because there are people who are in the Hall of Fame and you are with them, so you see that you have numbers to be there,” he said. “There is a group with Willie Mays and myself, with 150 games and more played for 13 consecutive seasons. … You have to stay positive and ask God to make it happen.”

Although he still doesn’t have enough support to enter Cooperstown, Abreu has already achieved immortality in Philadelphia, where he was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2019.

“When they called me to tell me that I was going to the Wall of Fame, I said, ‘I did it. So many stars that have played for that team and your mind takes you back to your childhood, to that young man who grew up and wanted to play ball, wanted to play major-league baseball and then it takes you to put a plaque where you are immortal, because your immortality is reflected there with that team, and you just say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for all of this. It is a blessing from God to give me that gift.’”

And while he waits for sufficient support to join the only Venezuelan in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, Luis Aparicio, Abreu dedicates himself to his business as an entrepreneur, as owner of two professional teams in Venezuela, Panteras de Miranda (basketball) and Mineros de Guayana (soccer), without abandoning the sport he loves, baseball, helping to train new talents in his own academy, the Bob Abreu Baseball Academy 53.

“The academy is a dream I’ve always had. I always wanted to have a facility where I can provide the kids with the knowledge I’ve gained throughout my career, as well as teach them all the techniques they need to help them achieve their dream of signing and going far,” Abreu said of his academy, located in San Diego, Carabobo state, which is part of the MLB Trainer Partnership Program.

“I want to prepare them, educate them in every aspect. At the academy, we give them English classes, because that’s important for their entrepreneurship, and they also have school classes. It’s something different from what we see in Venezuela at the academy level, with a complete facility to provide the kids with comprehensive development so they can achieve their dreams.”9

Last revised: September 15, 2025

SOURCES

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted baseballreference.com, MLB.com, espn.com, and latimes.com.

NOTES

1 A nickname meaning a person that eats a lot of candy.

2 Carlos Baerga: entrevista con el ex Grandes Ligas Bobby Abreu. June 28, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Vjv2mVSeg. Unless otherwise indicated, all quotations attributed to Bobby Abreu come from this interview.

3 La Estrella Invitada en IG: Bob Abreu. August 5, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN7PqmPh99Y.

4 Arepas is a type of flatbread made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling like cheese, meat, chicken, etc., and is a very popular meal in Venezuela.

5 La Estrella Invitada en IG: Bob Abreu.

6 Abreu had 11 plate appearances before his first base hit.

7 La Estrella Invitada en IG: Bob Abreu. All quotations related to the Home Run Derby are from this interview.

8 The other four are Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Craig Biggio, and Joe Morgan.

9 Author interview with Bobby Abreu, August 7, 2023.

Alfonzo was mentioned alongside Derek Jeter in 2000: “Cooperstown could be their final stops.”2 He was just 27 going into the 2001 season, and it was reasonable to expect several more prime years. Yet he never produced at the same level again, owing in part to a string of injuries. His big-league career ended in 2006, but he played on in the minors, independent ball, Mexico, Japan, and his homeland as late as 2013. Alfonzo then returned to the Mets’ minor-league organization, becoming a coach and manager.

Edgardo Antonio Alfonzo Pino was born on November 8, 1973 in Santa Teresa del Tuy, in the state of Miranda, southeast of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. His parents were Edgar Alfonzo, a truck driver for a medical supply company, and Mercedes Pino, a preschool teacher. Edgardo was the youngest of four children, three of whom were sons.

Baseball runs in the Alfonzo family. The oldest brother, Edgar Jr., played in the minors from 1985 through 1996, also becoming a minor-league coach and manager. Middle brother Robert (born in 1972), a Mets farmhand for 70 games in 1993 and 1994, became a scout.3 Three of Alfonzo’s nephews — Edgar Alfonzo III, Giovanny Alfonzo, and Javier Betancourt — also played in the minors and the Venezuelan winter league. A second cousin, Eliézer Alfonzo, was a big-league catcher for parts of six seasons from 2006 through 2011.

Alfonzo grew up in Soapire, a tiny town of perhaps 500 people just north of Santa Teresa del Tuy.4 He described his youth simply in 1998: “Go to school, play ball, nothing else.” He credited brother Edgar, six years his senior, with teaching him the game.5 By that time Edgar Sr., who did not play baseball himself, had changed his mind about letting his sons do so. Previously, Edgar Jr. had been able to play only when work took his father out of town.6

Around the time Edgardo turned 11 years old, Edgar became a professional ballplayer, joining the winter league’s Caracas Leones for the 1984-85 season. Edgardo therefore saw his first pro ballgame.7 That Leones club included various local heroes: Andrés Galarraga, Tony Armas, and Omar Vizquel (like Edgar Alfonzo, then a 17-year-old rookie). Their veteran leader was Gonzalo Márquez, who died in a tragic car accident in December 1984.

Vizquel, one of the finest shortstops ever, was a role model for young Edgardo (who also pitched as a youth). So was another first-rate Venezuelan shortstop, Dave Concepción. Vizquel, Alfonzo, and Ozzie Guillén all chose to wear uniform #13 in Concepción’s honor.8

At the age of 16 in 1990, Edgardo got his first big-league tryout, courtesy of Edgar. It was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, in front of scout and former star Twins pitcher Camilo Pascual at Estadio Universitario de Caracas, home field of the Leones. By the end of the workout, Alfonzo had developed swelling in his knee, making Pascual leery about signing him.9

Later that year, Edgar helped his brother again by talking to Gregorio Machado, a Mets scout in Venezuela. Edgardo went to the city of Valencia in November 1990 and tried out before another Mets scout, Julio Román. He made a good impression, and Román wanted to see him again. After the second tryout, Román signed Alfonzo in February 1991 for $10,000.10

It took Alfonzo four seasons to reach the top level. He hit .331 in rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League, earning team MVP honors.11 He followed by batting .350 in 78 games in Class A in 1992. As he rose through the Mets system, his primary position was shortstop, although he also played the other infield spots. As it developed, third base became his primary position in the majors, followed by second. At Double-A Binghamton in 1994, skipper John Tamargo called Alfonzo “a manager’s dream” in view of his all-around skills, approach to the game, and how he dealt with other people.12

Meanwhile, starting in the 1992-93 season, Alfonzo was also playing winter ball in Venezuela. His first team was Navegantes de Magallanes. At his brother’s suggestion, he went with Magallanes, archrival of Caracas, because it would have been harder to win a spot on the Leones roster.13 Alfonzo had a rough time in the field early on, once committing (by his count) 12 errors at shortstop in one week. Yet the atmosphere at home continued “a hardening process that made him unflappable.” John Tamargo, who also managed Magallanes in the 1990s, said, “It makes New York City look like Romper Room.”14

Going home also gave Alfonzo time with his sweetheart, Delia Campos, who had grown up down the street from him in Soapire.15 They were married the day after the 1994-95 Venezuelan winter season ended. Alfonzo had pondered for three straight winters, wondering whether the time was right and asking his agent, Peter Greenberg, for advice. He decided to wait until he had gained more stability in baseball. When the Mets placed him on their 40-man roster in November 1994, he felt he really had a future.16

At that time, however, Major League Baseball was in the midst of its most crippling strike. There was a side effect on players who weren’t U.S. citizens. When the Labor Department certified the strike, it authorized the Immigration and Naturalization Service to block any foreigner from getting the type of visa (typically the P-1 classification) needed to play in the majors. This kept the owners from importing strikebreakers, but Alfonzo and others couldn’t return to the United States until the strike was settled.17

The strike officially ended on April 2, 1995, and Alfonzo jumped from Binghamton to the majors (he didn’t play in Triple-A until an injury rehab assignment in 2001). Opening Day for the Mets that year, April 26, was in Colorado against the Rockies. Alfonzo’s most vivid memory of that day was the cold. It snowed before the game, and the groundskeepers had to shovel out the field.18

Alfonzo had begun to play second base in 1994 after flashy shortstop Rey Ordóñez was promoted, so he backed up Jeff Kent there. He had also been asked to play third base that winter so Bobby Bonilla could spend more time in left field. Bonilla was traded in late July, opening up more time for the rookie. However, Alfonzo missed most of August with a herniated disc in his back. He returned in early September and finished the year hitting .278 with 4 homers and 41 RBIs in 101 games.

Alfonzo posted very similar numbers (.261-4-40 in 123 games) in 1996. The Mets moved Jeff Kent to third that year and made José Vizcaino the regular second baseman, Alfonzo backing up both of them. On July 29, however, the Mets sent both Kent and Vizcaino to Cleveland in the deal that brought Carlos Baerga to New York. Baerga was a second baseman, but the Mets put him at first base and made Alfonzo the starter at second.

Edgardo and Delia also welcomed their first child, Eduardo Luis, that year. The second Alfonzo son, Daniel Antonio, arrived during the 1999 season.

Alfonzo began to emerge with the bat in 1997. He hit .315 in 518 at-bats, with 10 homers and 72 RBIs. Baerga was back at second base, and Alfonzo shifted to third. Back home in Venezuela that winter, he had become a celebrity, and longtime observers of the game there were already ranking him among the best third basemen in the nation’s history. Magallanes shortstop Álvaro Espinoza (a Mets teammate in 1996) said, “Hitting-wise, defense-wise. He’s the best player in this league right now.” His increased confidence was also visible in a greater role in the clubhouse.19

Alfonzo remained at the hot corner for New York in 1998, and though his average slipped to .278, his home run production climbed to 17. He also came in second in the NL Gold Glove voting for the second straight year.20 The Mets viewed him as a key part of their team and signed him to a four-year contract worth $18.4 million.21

Previously, the team had signed veteran star Robin Ventura to be their new third baseman. They’d also let the disappointing Baerga become a free agent, and Alfonzo moved back to second base. Rey Ordóñez was a Gold Glover at short, and first baseman John Olerud was also a superb fielder. The four of them in total committed just 31 errors in 1999. Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated called it “an infield that makes up in agility and surehandedness what it lacks in speed.”22 The quartet was pictured on the magazine’s cover that September 6, with the caption, “The Best Infield Ever?”

Not long before, the New York Times had compared Alfonzo to the other premier second basemen of the day. “Roberto Alomar is slicker, Craig Biggio is grittier. Jeff Kent possesses more power and Jay Bell is having a special season. However, Alfonzo might be the most complete player at his position this year.”23

Indeed, Alfonzo’s batting had also stepped up markedly. He set career highs in homers (27) and RBIs (108) while batting .304 and slugging .502. He won the NL’s Silver Slugger award for second basemen that year. On August 30 at the Houston Astrodome, he had the finest single game of his career, going 6-for-6 with three homers. He added a double and two singles for 16 total bases; he also scored six times.

Alfonzo had earned recognition as a clutch hitter, too. His average with runners on base was significantly higher than with the bases empty. Manager Bobby Valentine said, “He gets in an RBI situation and doesn’t worry about it, he just hits.”24 Looking back, Alfonzo cited his patience and selectivity at the plate. “My mentality was, try to go the other way…let the ball come to me and explode to it.”25

The Mets and Cincinnati Reds finished the 1999 regular season with identical records of 96-66, second in their respective divisions. There was only one wild-card playoff spot at that time, so the teams faced each other in a tiebreaker. Rickey Henderson led off the game at Cinergy Field with a single, and Alfonzo homered off Steve Parris. That was all Mets starter Al Leiter needed, as he threw a two-hit shutout.

New York advanced to the NL Division Series. Alfonzo was the hitting star of Game One with two homers: a first-inning solo shot off Arizona ace Randy Johnson and the game-winning grand slam in the top of the ninth off Bobby Chouinard. He also homered in the decisive Game Four, which sent New York into the NL Championship Series against Atlanta. Alfonzo went 6-for-27 with four doubles as the Mets lost to the Braves in six games.

Alfonzo made his only appearance in the All-Star game in 2000. Although his homer and RBI totals dipped slightly (25 and 94), he hit .324 and set career highs in slugging (.542) and on-base percentage (.425). That June, the New York Post quoted teammate Matt Franco on Alfonzo: “He’s just a model of consistency. He is a great teammate. He is on an even keel. He plays immaculate defense [though he never did win a Gold Glove]. He is a tremendous, tremendous hitter. He’s just the best player we have.”26

During the 2000 playoffs, a New York Times article said that Alfonzo, by clubhouse consensus, was the team’s leader in October. He burnished his reputation for clutch hitting that postseason, especially in Game Three of the NL Division Series against San Francisco. The Giants were four outs away from going ahead, two games to one. They brought in closer Robb Nen, who had not blown a save in four months. Alfonzo stroked a game-tying double, and the Mets won five innings later. Teammate Darryl Hamilton said, “When we get in a situation where we need a hit…everybody on this team wants Fonzie at the plate.”27

When the Mets defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to win the NL pennant in 2000, Alfonzo insisted that his brother Edgar be in the clubhouse to join in the celebration. They shared a bottle of champagne, hugging and crying joyfully together.28 The New York Yankees beat the Mets in five games in the World Series, though, and Alfonzo managed just 3 hits in 21 at-bats.

Coming off a career year, Alfonzo was shedding his “unheralded” and “underrated” labels. Alas, his batting fell off markedly in 2001. He hit just .243, with 17 homers and 49 RBIs. An injured back landed him on the disabled list from mid-June to early July but troubled him much of the season.29

Despite the down year, in spring 2002 the Mets offered Alfonzo a three-year contract extension worth $18 million, which he turned down.30 His average rebounded (.308), but his homer and RBI totals (16 and 56) were still well below his peak. His left hand bothered him for much of the early season after he dove for a ball.31 He also spent time on the disabled list again, this time with a strained oblique muscle in August. The 2002 season also featured a return to third base, since the Mets had traded Robin Ventura and acquired Roberto Alomar to play second.

Alfonzo became a free agent that fall. He very much wanted to stay in New York, which had become home, and would have for a two-year contract worth $17 million. However, the Mets’ best offer was two years for $11 million. As it turned out, he got a longer contract with bigger money from the San Francisco Giants: a four-year, $26 million deal, topping offers from the A’s and Padres.32 Meanwhile, the Mets unsuccessfully wooed Japanese third baseman Norihiro Nakamura (who flopped after signing with the Dodgers in 2005).

Alfonzo showed his appreciation of Mets fans by buying ad space on top of 30 New York City cabs for 30 days. The message read, “Fonzie NY / Edgardo Thanks You!” The ads hit the street on Valentine’s Day 2003.33

Alfonzo replaced departed free agent David Bell at third base in San Francisco.34 His first year there was solid but unspectacular: .259 with 13 homers and 81 RBIs in 142 games. He struggled in the first half but picked up as the season progressed. The Giants won the NL West that year but got knocked out in the Division Series by the eventual World Series champs, the Florida Marlins. Alfonzo, however, had an excellent NLDS: 9-for-17 with four doubles.

The 2004 season was fairly similar for Alfonzo, with a .289 average, 11 homers and 77 RBIs. Again he got off to a slow start, this time because of a hamstring pull in spring training.35 He warmed up in May, though, and hit more consistently throughout the year.

Alfonzo started well in his third year with San Francisco. He was hitting .306 when he strained his quadriceps in June. He returned a month later, but by then Pedro Feliz was getting most of the time at third base. Alfonzo hit .240 the rest of the season. He asked to be traded “somewhere where they can trust me, believe in me and have faith in me.”36

That December, the Giants granted the wish, trading Alfonzo to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for 40-year-old Steve Finley. In retrospect, both were labeled high-priced disappointments. San Francisco GM Brian Sabean speculated that among other factors, Alfonzo had some “culture shock” after leaving the Mets. He added, “He gave the effort, it’s just the performance didn’t turn out the way it could have.”37

In March 2006, Alfonzo represented his homeland in the World Baseball Classic. He hit 5-for-16 with a homer and two RBIs in five games, but Venezuela was eliminated in the second round.

After Alfonzo joined the Angels in camp, manager Mike Scioscia sought to maximize his playing time, saying, “This guy is a professional hitter when he’s right.”38 But when the regular season started, Alfonzo went ice-cold, going 5-for-50. He found his reserve role frustrating. Angels GM Bill Stoneman tried to trade Alfonzo but found no takers, even when he offered to absorb the veteran’s salary. Thus, the club released Fonzie on May 21. He was thankful, saying, “I didn’t want to be stuck here for the whole year.”39

Four days later, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Alfonzo to a minor-league contract and assigned him to New Hampshire in the Eastern League (Class AA). Jays manager John Gibbons knew him from his time as an instructor in the Mets farm system and recommended the signing to GM J.P. Ricciardi.40 Alfonzo got just six hits in 37 at-bats for Toronto, though, and was released on June 12. “The guys loved him,” said Gibbons, “But he’s slowed down a little bit. No question. It’s a business.”41

Alfonzo’s next stop was independent ball. He signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League. After just four games with the Bluefish, the Mets gave him another chance, assigning him to their top farm club, Norfolk in the International League. Mets special assistant Tony Bernazard said that Fonzie would play all over the infield and that bringing him back to New York was “part of the equation.”42 However, Alfonzo hit just .241 with 3 homers and 19 RBIs in 42 games and was not called up. He was granted free agency that October.

At this juncture in Alfonzo’s career, the Venezuelan league gained renewed importance for him. For much of his big-league prime, his action at home was minimal, first because the Mets were concerned about injury risk and later because he stayed in the U.S. for off-season training.43 He appeared in just eight games for Magallanes in the six seasons from 1998-99 through 2003-04, and 33 in the two winters after that. In 2006-07, though, he got into 32 games.

Alfonzo returned to the Atlantic League in the summer of 2007, joining the Long Island Ducks. That June, he noted that “a lot of factors” had led to his decline, even though in his own mind, he was still the player he used to be with the Mets. He added, “Last year, I…began developing some bad habits. I still need to get my timing and confidence back. But I think it’s coming around.” Ducks manager Dave LaPoint and co-owner/first base coach Bud Harrelson believed that Fonzie would get another shot in the majors. “He’s just too good,” said LaPoint. “He can help a lot of teams.”44

It didn’t work out that way, though, since Alfonzo’s play was reasonably solid but not eye-catching. He returned to his original position, playing 62 games at shortstop, as well as 25 at third. In 105 games overall, he hit .266 with 5 homers and 56 RBIs.

During the winter of 2007-08, Alfonzo played 54 games for Magallanes. He showed that he could still be productive, hitting .335 with 5 homers and 33 RBIs. That earned him a minor-league contract and an invitation to spring training from the Texas Rangers. However, the Rangers released him in late March. Alfonzo signed with Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Mexican League and played 55 games in that circuit. He returned to the Long Island Ducks in June and hit well (.329 with 8 homers and 27 RBIs in 59 games).

The 2008-09 season was Alfonzo’s best at home. He hit .320, and his 8 homers and 42 RBIs were both winter-career highs. As a result, Japan’s most prominent franchise, the Yomiuri Giants, gave him a tryout at their spring training camp. It went well enough that he signed a one-year contract for $380,000. Alfonzo called it an honor to be with the Giants and said he’d play his hardest to contribute.45 He remembered playing Opening Day 2000 with the Mets in Tokyo and was happy to return. Although he got into just 21 games for Yomiuri, with merely 6 hits in 41 at-bats, his experience was positive. He said Yomiuri treated him very well and politely, recognizing his work with the Mets.46 The Giants won the Japan Series in 2009, but if Alfonzo made it to the postseason roster, he did not appear in any games.

Alfonzo still thought he had two or three years of baseball left in him, and went back to Venezuela in hopes of getting another invitation to a big-league camp. His strong preference was for another chance with the Mets, since he still felt loyal toward the team and its fans.47 After 18 games with Magallanes in 2009-10, Alfonzo gave it a last shot in the Atlantic League in 2010. The Newark Bears, managed by Tim Raines, signed Alfonzo and his old Mets teammate Armando Benitez that March.48 In 26 games with the Bears, he went 12-for-78.

Following that stint, Alfonzo’s remaining playing days came at home. In the winter of 2011-12, after 15 seasons with Magallanes, he moved to a new club, Tigres de Aragua. He played his last 15 games for Aragua in the 2012-13 season. All told, he hit .293 in 594 regular-season games in his homeland, with 28 homers and 244 RBIs. He appeared 13 times in the Venezuelan postseason and was a member of five championship teams. Three of those were with Magallanes (1993-94, 1995-96, and 1996-97). The other two came with Aragua (2007-08, as a playoff reinforcement, and 2011-12).

Alfonzo rejoined the Mets as a club ambassador in 2013. He managed the World team in the All-Star Futures Game at Citi Field in New York on July 14. The following year, he was named to the coaching staff of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets farm team in the NY-Penn League (short season Class A). As bench coach, he learned from manager Tom Gamboa. He was also a minor-league special instructor. In addition, he worked closely with countryman Wilmer Flores (whom his brother Robert had helped sign) in spring training 2014. After Gamboa retired at the end of the 2016 season, Alfonzo became Cyclones skipper in January 2017.49

Not long before the Cyclones’ 2017 season began, the Mets selected Daniel Alfonzo with their 38th-round pick in the amateur draft. Daniel had played for Bayside High School in Queens, not far from where his father had starred. The young man went to college at Adelphi rather than turn pro.50

The Cyclones struggled to a 24-52 mark in 2017, the worst in franchise history since its inception in 2001 (when Edgar Alfonzo managed the team).51 That August, Alfonzo talked about learning how to develop young pitchers, especially with limited workloads. He also spoke about mental preparation; he emphasized teaching prospects to learn as much as possible about baseball.52

A few weeks earlier, Alfonzo was asked about becoming a big-league manager someday. He replied that he too was still in the process of learning and getting to know the game more.53 He reiterated in March 2018 that he didn’t have the mindset yet and that he needed more experience; coaching in the big leagues was an attractive prospect.54 In his second year, Brooklyn posted a much-improved record of 40-35.

Edgardo Alfonzo was still just 44 at the 2018 season’s end, so he should have many years in baseball to come. As for his future roles, he said it best himself: “Who knows? Time will tell.”55

Last revised: October 2, 2018

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Jan Finkel and fact-checked by Alan Cohen.

Sources

Online

http://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve (Venezuelan statistics)

http://npb.jp/eng/ (Nippon Professional Baseball site)

Notes

1 Jack Curry, “The Anonymous Alfonzo,” New York Times, August 27, 1999, D3.

2 Andrew Marchand, “Amazin’ Alfonzo a Pro’s Pro,” New York Post, June 8, 2000 (https://nypost.com/2000/06/08/amazin-alfonzo-a-pros-pro/).

3 Buster Olney, “Lessons of a Sibling Rivalry,” New York Times, January 14, 1998, C1. The mother’s name was shown as “Mercedes Porfiria” in Thomas Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz,” New York Daily News, January 18, 1998 (http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/serious-biz-fonz-mets-alfonzo-homeland-hero-venezuela-article-1.794431). Porfiria is most likely her middle name. The fourth Alfonzo sibling is confirmed to be a sister in Alexander Mendoza, “Javier Betancourt Valora la Experiencia con Leones,” LVBP.com, January 12, 2015 (https://www.lvbp.com/2062_javier-betancourt-valora-la-experiencia-con-leones). Research has not yet uncovered her name.

4 Henry Schulman, “Bond of brothers,” SFGate.com, March 2, 2003 (https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Bond-of-brothers-Giants-Alfonzo-shares-success-2666571.php).

5 Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz.”

6 Olney, “Lessons of a Sibling Rivalry.”

7 Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz.”

8 Jon Springer and Matthew Silverman, Mets by the Numbers, New York: Sports Publishing (2008).

9 Matthew Brownstein, “MMO Exclusive: Mets Great, Edgardo Alfonzo,” MetsMerizedOnline.com, April 20, 2018 (https://metsmerizedonline.com/2018/04/mmo-exclusive-mets-great-edgardo-alfonzo.html/).

10 Ibid.

11 Schulman, “Bond of brothers.”

12 Olney, “Lessons of a Sibling Rivalry.”

13 Ibid.

14 Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz.”

15 Ibid.

16 Jennifer Frey, “Mets Prospect Stuck on Long Honeymoon,” New York Times, February 22, 1995, B11.

17 Ibid.

18 Brownstein, “MMO Exclusive: Mets Great, Edgardo Alfonzo.”

19 Hill, “Serious Biz for Fonz.”

20 Marty Noble, “Fonzie: Voters Made Gold Glove Error,” Newsday (Melville, New York), November 10, 1999 (https://www.newsday.com/sports/fonzie-voters-made-gold-glove-error-1.314426). Ken Caminiti won the NL Gold Glove at third base in 1997 and Scott Rolen in 1998.

21 “Alfonzo Signs 4-Yrs with Mets,” CBSNews.com, February 5, 1999 (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alfonzo-signs-4-yrs-with-mets/).

22 Tom Verducci, “Glove Affair,” Sports Illustrated, September 6, 1999 (https://www.si.com/vault/1999/09/06/8110328/glove-affair-a-new-man-at-third-has-dressed-up-the-mets-infield-turning-a-good-defense-into-a-great-oneand-new-york-into-a-playoff-contender). The Mets gave up just 20 unearned runs overall in 1999.

23 Curry, “The Anonymous Alfonzo.”

24 David Waldstein, “Alfonzo Earning Title of ‘Mr. Clutch,’” New York Post, July 5, 1999 (https://nypost.com/1999/07/05/alfonzo-earning-title-of-mr-clutch/).

25 Brownstein, “MMO Exclusive: Mets Great, Edgardo Alfonzo.”

26 Marchand, “Amazin’ Alfonzo a Pro’s Pro.” Cincinnati’s Pokey Reese won the NL Gold Glove at second base in both 1999 and 2000.

27 Tyler Kepner, “When It Matters Most, Alfonzo Is the Mightiest Met,” New York Times, October 14, 2000, D1.

28 Schulman, “Bond of brothers.”

29 Tom Keegan, “Fonzie: I’ll Be a Star Again,” New York Post, August 22, 2001 (https://nypost.com/2001/08/22/fonzie-ill-be-a-star-again/).

30 John Harper, “The Art of the Deal,” New York Daily News, December 22, 2002 (http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/art-deal-edgardo-alfonzo-new-home-turns-giant-drama-article-1.504215).

31 Michael Morrissey, “Healthy Alfonzo Starting to Find Power,” New York Post, June 9, 2002 (https://nypost.com/2002/06/09/healthy-alfonzo-starting-to-find-power/).

32 Murray Chass, “With Sigh of Relief, Mets Trade Ordóñez,” New York Times, December 16, 2002, D7. Harper, “The Art of the Deal.”

33 “Fonzie’s Swan Song,” Adweek, February 20, 2003 (https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/fonzies-swan-song-61976/).

34 Jeff Kent, San Francisco’s star second baseman for the previous six years, had also left as a free agent. But the Giants signed Ray Durham to fill that hole, precluding another position switch for Alfonzo.

35 Glenn Reeves, “Alfonzo’s slump is a cause for concern,” East Bay Times, April 21, 2004 (https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2004/04/21/alfonzos-slump-is-a-cause-for-concern/).

36 Bill Shaikin, “Alfonzo Wants Regular Playing Time,” Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2006 (http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/20/sports/sp-angrep20).

37 Susan Slusser, “Giants Get Finley — Alfonzo to Angels,” SFGate.com, December 22, 2005 (https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Giants-get-Finley-Alfonzo-to-Angels-2556092.php).

38 Shaikin, “Alfonzo Wants Regular Playing Time.”

39 Bill Shaikin, “Alfonzo Is Released; Jason] Bulger Is Called Up,” Los Angeles Times, May 21, 2006 (http://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/21/sports/sp-angrep21).

40 “Blue Jays recall Alfonzo, place John] McDonald on DL,” ESPN.com, May 29, 2006 (http://www.espn.com.au/mlb/news/story?id=2462481)

41 “Blue Jays activate McDonald, recall Russ] Adams, release Alfonzo and outright Luis] Figueroa,” ESPN.com, June 12, 2006 (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:LvaPnyiIE84J:www.espn.com/espn/wire%3Fsection%3Dmlb%26id%3D2481108+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us).

42 Mark Hale, “Happy Days: Mets Welcome Back Fonzie,” New York Post, July 16, 2006 (https://nypost.com/2006/07/16/pedro-in-hospital-happy-days-mets-welcome-back-fonzie/).

43 Keegan, “Fonzie: I’ll Be a Star Again.”

44 Jeff Pearlman, “These Ducks are waiting for ‘the call,’” ESPN.com, June 22, 2007 (http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070621).

45 “Yomiuri Giants give Alfonzo 1-year deal,” ESPN.com, February 9, 2009 (http://www.espn.com.au/mlb/news/story?id=3894804).

46 Kevin Kernan, “Alfonzo yearns for one more Amazin’ shot,” New York Post, November 14, 2009 (https://nypost.com/2009/11/14/alfonzo-yearns-for-one-more-amazin-shot/).

47 Ibid.

48 Josh Levitt, “Armando Benitez and Edgardo Alfonzo Back Together Again,” BleacherReport.com, March 26, 2010 (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/369265-armando-benitez-and-edgardo-alfonzo-back-together-again).

49 Anthony DiComo, “Franchise favorite Alfonzo to manage Brooklyn,” MLB.com, January 5, 2017 (https://www.mlb.com/news/edgardo-alfonzo-to-manage-brooklyn-cyclones/c-212914644).

50 Laura Amato, “Commodores standout opting for college route,” TimesLedger (Queens, NY), June 23, 2017 (https://www.timesledger.com/stories/2017/24/alfonzobase_2017_06_23_q.html).

51 Edgar Alfonzo also managed the Cyclones in 2007 and 2008.

52 Matthew John, “Edgardo Alfonzo making most of first season as Cyclones skipper,” TimesLedger, August 19, 2017 (https://www.timesledger.com/stories/2017/33/edgardoalfonzo_2017_08_18_q.html).

53 Jordan Lauterbach, “Ex-Met Edgardo Alfonzo managing Brooklyn Cyclones,” Newsday, July 21, 2017 (https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ex-met-edgardo-alfonzo-managing-brooklyn-cyclones-1.13813081).

54 Brownstein, “MMO Exclusive: Mets Great, Edgardo Alfonzo.”

55 Ibid.

Roberto’s father, Sandy Alomar, spent 15 years as a major-league infielder, and Roberto and his brother, also Sandy, spent most summers in major-league locker rooms. It was during these times that the brothers learned the intricacies of the game from the best players in the world – Nolan Ryan taught 4-year-old Roberto how to pitch while Ryan was a teammate of Sandy, Sr.’s on the Angels.1 Perhaps just as important, they also learned how to handle themselves like major-league ballplayers. The offseason brought with it the Puerto Rican Winter League (in which his father and three of his uncles all starred) and the annual Caribbean World Series.2 Roberto frequently made the trek to games with his father, sometimes completing his homework in the dugout.3

Roberto Alomar was born on February 5, 1968, in Ponce, on Puerto Rico’s south coast, to Santos (Sandy) and Maria (Velasquez) Alomar. He had an older brother, Santos Jr. (Sandy), and a sister, Sandia. They grew up in Salinas, 20 miles from Ponce. Roberto’s baseball ability and instincts were evident even as a boy. When he was 6 a scout reportedly saw him playing pepper and inquired of his father (presumably tongue in cheek) if he could sign him.4 By the age of 7, Roberto was selected as an all-star for the Salinas little league, but was declared ineligible when it was discovered that he was too young to play in the league.5 The time for Roberto to sign his first professional contract came soon enough. When he was 16 he signed with Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League, where he was managed by Felipe Alou.6 Alou later said that Roberto “was the best I had ever seen. He was a natural and definitely had the instincts that you just don’t teach.”7

On February 16, 1985, shortly after he turned 17, Roberto signed with the San Diego Padres – the same club for which his father was a coach and with which Sandy Jr. had signed two years earlier. While other teams (most notably Toronto) had expressed interest in the middle infielder and made higher offers than the approximately $50,000 Roberto received, Sandy Sr. had given his word to family friend and Padres scout Luis Rosa that Roberto would sign with the Padres.8

Unlike many newly signed minor leaguers, Roberto did not have to adjust to living on his own for the first time. He was assigned to the same team, Class-A Charleston in the South Atlantic League, for which his father was a coach and to which Sandy Jr. was also assigned. His mother also made the trip and the family lived together and provided a stable foundation as Roberto’s professional career began to flourish.9 Roberto hit .293 and stole 36 bases for Charleston, and his manager Jim Skaalen recalled that “He was tearing up the league against older college players.”10

Skaalen moved up along with Roberto the next season to Reno in the Class-A California League.11 His brother and father, however, did not. Sandy Jr. was ticketed for Double-A Wichita (Texas League) and Sandy Sr. was promoted to coach with the Padres. Roberto later recounted the challenges of his time in Reno: “In the minor leagues everything is different. I was making $700 a month. I had to pay for rent, utilities, food, clubhouse dues. All I had in the house I rented was a mattress on the floor, not even a table. I had no car and had to walk everywhere.”12

Skaalen, though, saw him maturing on and off the field: “He seemed more relaxed away from his dad and brother. He got stronger and seemed to be enjoying every day. He was far ahead of the rest of the talent at that level, and I began to see the good, solid major-league player he was going to become.”13 Whatever the challenges off the field, Alomar’s play certainly did not suffer. He led the league after 90 games with a .346 average and 123 hits, earning him a promotion to Double-A Wichita (and a reunion with Sandy Jr.).14 Sharing a one-bedroom apartment with his brother, Roberto continued his torrid pace and finished the season hitting .319 with 12 home runs and 43 stolen bases.15

Roberto’s minor-league success provided real hope going into the spring of 1988 that he could break camp with the Padres. His performance did nothing to dampen that enthusiasm, as he hit .360 and put together a 10-game hitting streak.16 Padres manager Larry Bowa noted that “this kid is a finished product. All he has to do is go out there and play. He has all the tools; just turn him loose.”17 The Padres, though, had been burned each of the prior two seasons when they tried to promote second basemen (Bip Roberts and Joey Cora) from Double A to the big leagues, and Bowa was directed to give Roberto the bad news that his season would begin at Triple-A Las Vegas, not San Diego.18 The 20-year-old Roberto took the news hard, tearfully retreating to the training room, where he was consoled by his father along with several teammates.

For his part, Bowa had no explanation for the sentence he was ordered to deliver: “I told him he did everything I asked,” said Bowa. “I just told him to keep his head up, that it’s a long season. The chances of Robbie coming to the big leagues in 1988 are pretty good.”19 They were pretty good indeed, as Roberto made quick work of the Pacific Coast League and was leading the league with 14 runs batted in when he was called up to San Diego 2½ weeks into the season.20

On April 22, 1988, Roberto stepped into the batter’s box as a major leaguer for the first time. On the mound was none other than Nolan Ryan – the same Nolan Ryan who had helped teach him to pitch as a toddler. Unfazed, he beat out an infield single in his first major league at-bat.21 Roberto finished the season with 145 hits, a .266 batting average, and 24 stolen bases, finishing fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. He was even stronger the next season, his first full year in the big leagues, batting .295 with 42 stolen bases in 158 games.

Continuing his ascent onto the national radar, Roberto was selected for his first All-Star Game in 1990. What made the honor even more special was that Sandy Jr. (who had been traded to Cleveland), was also selected. The two became the first pair of brothers to be selected for an All-Star Game since Jim and Gaylord Perry in 1970.22 Sandy Sr. reflected on the accomplishments of his two sons: “People have to realize I’m very proud of my kids for the way they act as persons. And they have talent and know how to display that talent.”23

While it appeared that Roberto had established himself as a core piece of the Padres’ future, the Padres had other ideas. After the 1990 season the Padres and Blue Jays struck a blockbuster deal that sent Alomar and outfielder Joe Carter to Toronto in exchange for Fred McGriff and Gold Glove shortstop Tony Fernandez.24 Along with Alomar and Carter, Blue Jays general manager Pat Gillick had also added center fielder Devon White days earlier as Toronto worked to position itself in the competitive American League East.25 Padres’ general manager Joe McIlvaine said, “We just felt it was something we wanted to give a shot to. It was kind of a gutsy trade on both ends.”26 Roberto was shocked: “I didn’t expect it; I didn’t understand it,” he later recalled.27

Surprised or not, Roberto joined a collection of talented players in Toronto and paid immediate dividends north of the border, putting together an early six-game hitting streak as the Blue Jays streaked to the top of the American League East.28 In May, however, Roberto once again ran into the task of facing Nolan Ryan – now pitching for the Texas Rangers. With two outs in the top of the ninth, the 44-year-old Ryan was one out away from his seventh no-hitter when Roberto strode to the plate. As the Fort Worth Star Telegram put it 25 years later, “[T]he kid he’d once coached stood between Ryan and history.”29 Ryan had the last laugh; he struck out Alomar on a 2-and-2 fastball to end the game.30

Later in the season, Roberto was once again elected to the All-Star Game, this time as an American League teammate of Sandy Jr. The long ovation he received from the Toronto crowd served as confirmation of how the city had taken to him: “When I was introduced they gave me such a long, loud ovation, I never expected it,” Roberto said.31

As the season wore on, Alomar kept hitting and the Blue Jays kept winning, clinching the American League East. In his first postseason, Alomar’s.474 batting average could not keep Toronto from being eliminated in five games by the Minnesota Twins. Alomar won his first Gold Glove, and it was clear that the Blue Jays were set to contend in the years to come. The offseason brought with it new riches as well: a three-year, $14 million contract that was the highest at the time on three fronts – for a second baseman, for a player 24 or younger, and for a player with four years or less in the major leagues.32 The average annual value of $4,666,667 made Alomar the ninth-highest paid player in the game.33

Bolstered by the acquisition of Dave Winfield in the offseason and David Cone in August, the Blue Jays again clinched the American League East in 1992. At midseason Alomar returned to San Diego for the first time since being traded and participated in the All-Star Game – once again with Sandy Jr. as a teammate.34

Alomar was named the most valuable player in the ALCS, with the most memorable moment being his game-tying two run home run off A’s closer Dennis Eckersley in the ninth inning of Game Four. He relished the opportunity to be part of the first Blue Jays team to reach the World Series: “I wasn’t here when they didn’t win in the past. … I just want to be here in the present when we win the big one, so we won’t have to hear anymore about the past.35 Alomar continued his clutch hitting and superb defense in the World Series, and helped the Blue Jays defeat Atlanta for their first championship. Alomar’s contributions led Dave Winfield to comment that “You’re one of the best players I’ve ever seen.”36 Manager Cito Gaston agreed: “I could talk about Robbie for an hour,” he said.37

After a slow start in 1993, the Blue Jays took off yet again and Alomar had career highs in numerous categories, including 55 stolen bases and 17 home runs. In the ALCS against the Chicago White Sox, he stole four bases as the Blue Jays won, four games to two. In the World Series, against the Philadelphia Phillies, Alomar hit .480 and drove in six runs as the Blue Jays, on Joe Carter’s game-winning home run in Game Six, won the World Series for the second year in a row.38

With two World Series titles in his back pocket, it was hard to imagine things ever going wrong for Alomar in Toronto. But go wrong they did. After a strike-shortened 1994 season, the Blue Jays began to take a step back in 1995 and look toward the future. This included trading veteran David Cone in July – a move that Alomar protested by sitting out the next game.39 Alomar was also removed from a game in early July when a fan, Tricia Miller, walked into the Skydome hotel where he lived and told employees that she planned to kill him.40 Alomar said, “I wasn’t shaken by it. I never knew that person. I never really knew what was happening. Cito told me in the dugout. They took me out of the game, but they had caught her by then, so I don’t know why.”41

By the end of the season, with rumors swirling about his future, Alomar was unhappy with what he felt was unfair treatment by the Toronto front office and local media:

“I never said that I want to be traded. … They made it sound like I said, ‘Trade me now, I want out of here.’ And the fans believed what they read in the papers. When I stood out on the field in Toronto and heard them booing me, I knew they didn’t understand or know what the truth was. I hadn’t said anything like what the writers wrote. But I could do nothing about it, and I learned how the media is.”42

With no offer from the Blue Jays, Alomar was ready to hit free agency: “If [the Blue Jays] had offered me something before the All-Star break, then maybe I would’ve thought about it and gone for it. Now you’re in the last week of the season. … Now maybe it’s time for me to try the market.”43

At 27 years old and already a six-time All-Star, Alomar inked a three-year, $18 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles in December 1995.44 He was thrilled to team up with fellow All-Star Cal Ripken Jr.: “I never expected to play alongside one of the legends of baseball. … It’s going to be like a dream come true for me.”45

Alomar carried his winter-ball success (he led the league in hitting) over to Baltimore, going on a tear to begin the season, hitting .410 in the beginning part of June.46 Former teammate Tony Gwynn heaped praise on the player Alomar had become, saying, “He has the ability to hit a home run, or work the count and hit a double down the opposite line and do whatever he wants to do. He’s probably the best all-around player in the game.”47 Alomar went on to make his seventh consecutive All-Star Game, collect his sixth consecutive Gold Glove and set numerous career highs as the Orioles clinched the American League wild-card playoff spot.48

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the season, however, occurred during a late-September game in Toronto. After being called out on strikes in the top of the first, Alomar argued with home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck on his way back to the dugout. When Hirschbeck threw him out of the game, Alomar returned to the field. During the course of the argument, Alomar took offense to being called a derogatory name, and spit in Hirschbeck’s face.49

Alomar apologized and donated $50,000 toward research into Lou Gehrig’s disease, which Hirschbeck’s son had.50 This did nothing to prevent his being relentlessly booed for the remainder of the season and the playoffs, or from receiving a five-game suspension to be served at the start of the 1997 season.51

Alomar delivered a game-tying two-out single in the deciding Game Four of the Division Series against Cleveland, and then hit the game-winning home run in the 12th inning.52 Brother and Indians catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. said, “He’s my brother and with all the things that happened with this incident, I felt kind of sorry for him.”53 Roberto was ready to turn the page on the incident: “I’ve been going through a tough time. … Human beings make mistakes. I apologized to the umpire, his family, and all of baseball. It’s time to move on.”54 The Orioles did move on to the ALCS, but were eliminated in five games by the New York Yankees on their way to the World Series title.

The fact that Alomar was even allowed to play in the playoffs did not sit well with many, including major-league umpires. When it was announced that his suspension would be delayed until the next season, the umpires voted to not work the playoffs unless the suspension was changed to apply to the first round.55 The boycott was abandoned, however, when an agreement was worked out in a Philadelphia federal court.56

After he served his five-game suspension to start the 1997 season, Alomar helped the Orioles to 98 wins and the American League East crown. He also took the first step toward putting the spitting incident behind him, publicly shaking hands with Hirschbeck near first base in April before the first Orioles game Hirschbeck called since the incident.57 Several nagging injuries pestered Alomar throughout the season, including a nagging groin injury in late July that made him miss close to a month of playing time. Alomar said the injury “made me grow up. I now knew what it was like to be hurt and what you had to do to come back.”58 After defeating the Mariners in the Division Series, the Orioles came up short of the World Series yet again, this time losing to Sandy and the Cleveland Indians in six games.

The Orioles were nowhere near contention in 1998. The season was not without its highlights though, as Roberto collected three hits (one of them a home run) and the All-Star Game MVP award in Denver, making the Alomar brothers back-to-back winners of the award since Sandy had won the year before. As his three-year contract with the Orioles came to a close, Roberto once again found himself on the free-agent market.

It did not take long for Roberto to find a new home. He signed a four-year contract with the Indians, reuniting with Sandy.59 “It means a lot to be beside my brother, not only to me but to my family,” Roberto said.60 Indians general manager John Hart stated the obvious: “We are elated to have the Alomar brothers in the Indians family.”61 In addition to Sandy, the move to Cleveland also allowed Roberto to team with shortstop Omar Vizquel, who along with Roberto had also won six Gold Gloves. “It would be worth the price of a ticket just to watch Omar and Robbie turn a double play,” said Hart.62

Free from the injuries that plagued him in 1998, Alomar made an immediate impact on the Indians. “Robbie is one of the few players in the game that can make everybody around him better,” Indians manager Mike Hargrove said.63 The Indians had compiled an enviable offense that exploded out of the gates, and Alomar ended the year with what proved to be a career high 24 home runs. He finished third in the MVP voting (the highest he would ever finish). His hot hitting continued in the playoffs; he went 5-for-8 while the Indians surged to a 2-0 series lead over the Red Sox in the ALDS.64 The Tribe would not win again, however, and fell in five games.65

Although things did not turn out as hoped in October, a late-season meeting helped Alomar to finally turn the page on the spitting incident, which had continued to follow him through the jeers of fans around the country. On September 5, during a rain delay at Camden Yards, John Hirschbeck and family came knocking on the visitor’s clubhouse door, asking for Roberto. Hirschbeck’s 13-year-old son was a fan, and wanted to meet Roberto. The moment together allowed both families to heal. “I don’t see why he should be booed,” Hirschbeck said afterward. “If he and I can forgive and forget, why not everyone else?”66

The next two seasons also ended in disappointment for the Indians. In 2000 they missed the playoffs altogether despite winning 90 games. They charged back to the playoffs in 2001, but fell in five games in the ALDS to the Seattle Mariners. Alomar won Gold Gloves and was an All-Star in both seasons, and stole a combined 69 bases. He still looked to be in his prime with one year left on his contract. But another change of scenery was in store.

On December 11, 2001, the Indians traded Alomar, pitcher Mike Bacsik, and first baseman Danny Peoples to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielders Matt Lawton and Alex Escobar, relief pitcher Jerrod Riggan, and two players to be named later.67 While the move was designed to clear payroll and acquire younger talent, Indians general manager Mark Shapiro knew that the deal would not sit well with all fans. “I think I’ll need a flak jacket when I get off the plane [from the winter meetings], probably,” he said.68 Alomar said he was “kind of disappointed … I was real happy in Cleveland and thought I did a great job.”69 Mets General Manager Steve Phillips was elated: “We sit up in that room and all we do is dream all day about different scenarios,” he said, adding that “I have to admit that I thought this was a long shot.”70

But what had seemed like a dream scenario for Phillips at the Winter Meetings would soon turn into a nightmare. The Mets came nowhere near meeting expectations, finishing in last place in the National League East, 26½ games out of first place. Alomar also began to show the first sign of decline, hitting .266 and snapping his 12-year streak of appearances in the All-Star Game. The 2003 season began much the same way, with Alomar hitting.262 on July 1 when the Mets shipped him to the White Sox for three prospects.71

All told, Alomar played only 222 games for the Mets, and for his part understood that he did not perform at the high level that the Mets, and he himself, had expected. “Sometimes, you put too much pressure on yourself in New York, and maybe I did that,” he said.72 Along with providing a change of scenery, joining the White Sox allowed him to reunite again with Sandy.73 But Roberto hit only .253 down the stretch and the White Sox finished in second place in the American League Central, missing the playoffs.

A free agent once again, Alomar signed a one-year deal in the offseason with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the hopes of rejuvenating his career. “If I can get in good shape, I think I can play the way I used to play,” he said.74 Despite missing 56 games with a broken right hand suffered when he was hit by a pitch in late April, he did indeed experience a resurgence of sorts in his limited time on the field with Arizona, carrying a .309 batting average into early August.75 With the Diamondbacks hopelessly out of contention, Alomar was once again an attractive commodity for teams looking to add a veteran presence for the stretch run. So it was that the White Sox acquired him for the second consecutive season. Alomar struggled mightily in sporadic action, though, batting only .180 in 65 plate appearances as the White Sox once again missed the playoffs.

After multiple seasons of declining performance, Alomar made one last run at extending his career, this time with Tampa Bay, signing a one-year, $600,000 contract in January.76 When he committed multiple errors in one inning of a spring training game, however, he decided it was time to walk away. “I played a lot of games and I said I would never embarrass myself on the field,” he said, adding, “I had a long career, but I can’t play at the level I want to play, so it’s time to retire. I just can’t go anymore. My back, legs and eyes aren’t the same.”77 Alomar concluded his 17-year career with a .300 batting average, 2,724 hits, 210 home runs, and 474 stolen bases to go along with 12 All-Star Game selections and 10 Gold Glove awards.

There was no question that Cooperstown would be the final stop of Alomar’s career. With some Hall voters still holding the Hirschbeck incident against him, though, he came up eight votes short of admission in his first year of eligibility, in 2010. “I feel disappointed, but next year hopefully I make it in,” he said, adding that “at least I was close.”78 Some sportswriters were not as gracious in their assessment of the snub. The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers wrote, “If anybody didn’t vote for Robbie because of the spitting incident, then shame on them.”79

Whatever the concerns some Hall voters had in Alomar’s first year of eligibility, resistance to his election was all but nonexistent the next year. He was named on 90 percent of the ballots, far over the 75 percent needed for induction into the Hall of Fame.80 Even Alomar was surprised by the drastic increase in support from the previous year. “I didn’t expect to get that many votes,” he said.81

Alomar, who went into the Hall wearing a Blue Jays cap, opened his induction speech in Spanish and spoke fondly of his father’s and brother’s impact on his life and career.82 Sandy Jr. recounted the brothers’ year-long wager as teammates/roommates for Class-A Charleston: “We said whoever had the best game, would get the bed. I slept on the couch the whole year.”83 He added, “We didn’t win a championship together but we won this together. And this is a big one. In my heart, you are a Hall of Famer.”84

Statistics aside, it is the way Alomar’s former teammates describe him that truly tells the story of the player that he was. Toronto teammate Pat Hentgen, asked how he described Alomar to present-day players, said, “I tell them Robbie was a career .300 hitter, a clutch hitter, a guy who could hit for power, a great baserunner and basestealer … and (pause) his best asset of all was his glove.”85 The Orioles’ B.J. Surhoff perhaps best summed up Alomar’s baseball career: “Robbie could beat you with the bunt, with the extra base, with the homer. He could beat you with a stolen base. He could beat you by going from first to third, a baserunning move. He could beat you by making plays in the field. Robbie’s a baseball player. And a damn good one at that.”86

Alomar continued to be involved in baseball after his retirement. In January of 2016, he and his wife, Kim, launched Foundation 12, a Canadian charitable organization serving youth baseball players, though the organization does not appear to be currently active as of 2022. In 2021, Alomar was placed on the ineligible list by Major League Baseball following an investigation into a 2014 sexual assault allegation.87 Alomar stated that he was “disappointed, surprised, and upset” with the decision, and that he would “continue to spend my time helping kids pursue their baseball dreams.”88

Last revised: March 9, 2022

Notes

1 “25 Years Later, Nolan Ryan Remembers His Seventh No-Hitter,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 30, 2016, star-telegram.com/sports/mlb/texas-rangers/article74925477.html.

2 Norman L. Macht, Roberto Alomar (Childs, Maryland: Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc., 1999), 9-11.

3 Macht, 3.

4 Macht, 10.

5 “Like Father Like Son?: Padres Think Roberto Alomar Is a Bit More Than a Chip Off the Old Block,” Los Angeles Times, April 22, 1988, articles.latimes.com/1988-04-22/sports/sp-2096_1_roberto-alomar.

6 Macht, 15.

7 Macht, 15.

8 Macht, 16.

9 Macht, 16.

10 Macht, 17.

11 Macht, 18.

12 Macht, 18.

13 Macht, 19.

14 Macht, 19

15 Macht, 21.

16 “Padre Notebook: Few Except Feeney Appear Satisfied as Roberto Alomar Is Sent Down,” Los Angeles Times, March 26, 1988, articles.latimes.com/1988-03-26/sports/sp-354_1_roberto-alomar.

17 Macht, 23.

18 “Padre Notebook.”

19 “Padre Notebook.”

20 “Like Father Like Son?”

21 Macht, 25-26.

22 “Alomars an All-Star Family: Padres: Roberto Alomar, Along With Teammate Tony Gywnn, Is Named an NL Reserve. Brother Sandy Had Already Been Selected as The Starting AL Catcher for Tuesday’s Game,” Los Angeles Times, July 6, 1990, articles.latimes.com/1990-07-06/sports/sp-113_1_sandy-alomar-jr.

23 “Alomars an All-Star Family.”

24 “Blue Jays Land Carter, Alomar From Padres San Diego Gets Fernandez and McGriff in Deal,” Baltimore Sun, December 5, 1990, articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-12-06/sports/1990340005_1_blue-jays-fred-mcgriff-tony-fernandez.

25 “Blue Jays Land Carter, Alomar From Padres San Diego Gets Fernandez and McGriff in Deal.”

26 “Blue Jays Land Carter, Alomar From Padres San Diego Gets Fernandez and McGriff in Deal.”

27 Macht, 31.

28 “Padres Winning December Deal Looks Like Tie With Blue Jays in April,” Baltimore Sun, April 21, 1991, articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-04-21/sports/1991111135_1_blue-jays-roberto-alomar-deal.

29 “25 Years Later.”

30 “25 Years Later.”

31 Macht, 33.

32 “Cadaret and 8 Others Settle Contract,” New York Times, February 8, 1992, nytimes.com/1992/02/08/sports/baseball-cadaret-and-8-others-settle-contracts.html.

33 “Cadaret and 8 Others Settle Contract,”

34 Macht, 35.

35 “Blue Jays Eck Out a 7-6 Victory in 11: AL Game 4: Alomar’s Two-Run Homer Off Eckersley Ties It in Ninth as A’s Blow 6-1 Lead,” Los Angeles Times, October 12, 1992, articles.latimes.com/1992-10-12/sports/sp-138_1_blue-jays.

36 Macht, 37.

37 “Alomar’s MVP Play Points to New Star,” Baltimore Sun, October 15, 1992, articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-10-15/sports/1992289072_1_alomar-blue-jays-toronto.

38 Macht, 42.

39 Macht, 43-44.

40 “Orioles’ Multitalented Alomar Is Second to None,” Washington Post, March 31, 1996, washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1996/03/31/orioles-multitalented-alomar-is-second-to-none/b8cd697d-9630-464e-bcd9-84d6ba8db8cf/?utm_term=.9d34bd1c1107.

41 “Orioles’ Multitalented Alomar Is Second to None.”

42 Macht, 44.

43 “Jays’ Alomar in No Rush to Decide ’96 Destination He, Molitor Express Interest in Joining Ripken,” Baltimore Sun, September 27, 1995, articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-09-27/sports/1995270116_1_alomar-blue-jays-second-baseman.

44 “O’s Wave Money Wand Building Winner: Signing Six-Time All-Star Roberto Alomar Adds Exclamation Mark to New General Manager’s Swift Revamping of Orioles,” Baltimore Sun, December 22, 1995, articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-12-22/news/1995356066_1_gillick-orioles-roberto-alomar. New manager Davey Johnson was informed of the signing in the dentist’s chair when he answered a call from General Manager Pat Gillick who said, “Well, you’ve got yourself an All-Star second baseman.” Johnson claimed to not feel any pain for the remainder of the day. “Alomar finds O’s 2nd to none Six-time All-Star signs, three-year, $18 million deal,” Baltimore Sun, December 22, 1995, articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-12-22/sports/1995356093_1_roberto-alomar-cone-orioles.

45 Macht, 47.

46 Macht, 46, 51-52.

47 “Alomar Hitting His Prime at Plate,” Los Angeles Times, May 28, 1996, articles.latimes.com/1996-05-28/sports/sp-9201_1_alomar-hitting.

48 Macht, 51-52.

49 Macht, 52-53.

50 Macht, 54.

51 Macht, 54.

52 “Alomar Shows Some Spit and Polish,” Los Angeles Times, October 6, 1996, articles.latimes.com/1996-10-06/sports/sp-51279_1_sandy-alomar.

53 “Alomar Shows Some Spit and Polish.”

54 “Alomar Shows Some Spit and Polish.”

55 “Umpires Vote to Boycott Over Alomar,” New York Times, October 1, 1996, nytimes.com/1996/10/01/sports/umpires-vote-to-boycott-over-alomar.html.

56 “Umpires Abandon Boycott,” Los Angeles Times, October 2, 1996, articles.latimes.com/1996-10-02/sports/sp-49681_1_umpires-working-game.

57 Macht, 57.

58 Macht, 59.

59 Macht, 62.

60 “Cleveland Lures Roberto Alomar,” CBS News, November 23, 1998, cbsnews.com/news/cleveland-lures-roberto-alomar/.

61 “Cleveland Lures Roberto Alomar.”

62 “Cleveland Lures Roberto Alomar.”

63 “Alomar: Villain Turned Hero in Cleveland,” Los Angeles Times, June 27, 1999, articles.latimes.com/1999/jun/27/sports/sp-50609.

64 “Baines Goes Deep as Indians Move One Game From Sweep,” Baltimore Sun, October 8, 1999, articles.baltimoresun.com/1999-10-08/sports/9910080129_1_roberto-alomar-baines-cleveland.

65 “Red Sox Ace Out Indians,” Los Angeles Times, October 12, 1999, articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/12/sports/sp-22770/2.

66 “Score One for Friendship,” Baltimore Sun, October 27, 1999, articles.baltimoresun.com/1999-10-27/news/9910270108_1_roberto-alomar-john-hirschbeck-holy-water/3.

67 “Indians Trade Alomar to Mets,” Southeast Missourian (Cape Girardeau, Missouri), December 12, 2001, semissourian.com/story/54375.html.

68 “Indians Trade Alomar to Mets,” CBC Sports, December 11, 2001, cbc.ca/sports/baseball/indians-trade-alomar-to-mets-1.257404.

69 “Indians Trade Alomar to Mets,” CBC Sports.

70 “Indians trade Alomar to Mets,” Southeast Missourian, December 12, 2001, www.semissourian.com/story/54375.html.

71 “Mets Trade Roberto Alomar to White Sox,” New York Times, July 1, 2003, nytimes.com/2003/07/01/sports/baseball/mets-trade-roberto-alomar-to-white-sox.html.

72 “Mets Trade Roberto Alomar to White Sox.”

73 Sandy Alomar signed with Chicago prior to the 2003 season.

74 “Alomar Jr. Joins Diamondbacks, CBC Sports, January 7, 2004, cbc.ca/sports/baseball/alomar-jr-joins-diamondbacks-1.516620.

75 “Diamondbacks Trade Alomar to White Sox,” Orlando Sentinel, August 6, 2004, articles.orlandosentinel.com/2004-08-06/sports/0408060185_1_dominican-republic-clemens-white-sox.

76 “Notebook: Roberto Alomar: “It’s Time to Retire,” Seattle Times, March 20, 2005, seattletimes.com/sports/notebook-roberto-alomar-its-time-to-retire/.

77 “Notebook: Roberto Alomar: “It’s Time to Retire.”

78 “Hall Passes: Alomar 8 Short,” Baltimore Sun, January 7, 2010, articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-01-07/sports/1001060140_1_hall-s-veterans-committee-john-hirschbeck-roberto-alomar.

79 “Hall Passes: Alomar 8 Short.”

80 “Alomar, Blyleven Elected to Hall of Fame,” Baltimore Sun, January 5, 2011, articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-01-05/sports/bs-sp-hallofame-01-20110105_1_sandy-alomar-sr-pitcher-bert-blyleven-induction.

81 “Alomar, Blyleven Elected to Hall of Fame.”

82 “Alomar, Blyleven and Gillick Enter Baseball Hall of Fame,” USA Today, July 24, 2011, usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/hallfame/2011-07-24-hall-of-fame-alomar-blyleven_n.htm.

83 “Alomar, Blyleven and Gillick Enter Baseball Hall of Fame.”

84 “Alomar, Blyleven and Gillick Enter Baseball Hall of Fame.”

85 “Robbie Was Best of the Best,” Toronto Sun, July 16, 2011, torontosun.com/2011/07/16/robbie-was-best-of-the-best.

86 “Alomar Falls Just Short in First Bid for Hall of Fame,” Baltimore Sun, January 7, 2010, articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-01-07/sports/bal-sp.alomar07jan07_1_roberto-alomar-greatest-second-basemen-ballot/2.

87 Keegan Matheson, “MLB Puts Roberto Alomar on Ineligible List,” MLB.com, April 30, 2021. https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-puts-roberto-alomar-on-ineligible-list

88 “MLB puts Roberto Alomar on Ineligible List.”

Bronson Anthony Arroyo was born on February 24, 1977, in Key West, Florida, to Gus and Julie (Dopp) Arroyo, one of two children. (He has an older sister, Serenity.) He was named after the actor Charles Bronson. Arroyo’s father, who came to the US from Havana, worked in the roofing business with his father until they sold the business in 1986, then invested in real estate. The family moved to Brooksville, Florida, when Bronson was a youngster. As a 14-year-old, he played for the Northeast Pensacola team that won the Dixie League state title and was runner-up in the Dixie Boys (13- and 14-year-olds) World Series.1 He was 1-1 in World Series games that he pitched.

Arroyo starred in baseball and basketball at Hernando High School in Brooksville, Florida. As a sophomore he made the Tampa Bay Times All-North Suncoast all-star team as a second baseman. He hit .265 with 21 runs scored and was considered an outstanding defensive player for the district champions. He also was a starting guard on the varsity basketball team as a sophomore.

During the summer of 1993, Arroyo, at 16, pitched the Hernando Dixie-Majors to the summer-league state baseball championship. He pitched six innings in relief, giving up one run and striking out 11 to win the title game. “He’s the best player to come through Hernando County in a long time – 15, 20 years,” Hernando coach Tim Sims said.2 “From a mental standpoint in his approach to the game he’s years ahead of a 16-year-old. He’s more like a junior or senior in college, or a second-year pro player.3 Hernando was defeated in the ages 15-18 Dixie League World Series, but Arroyo recorded the team’s only victory.4

Arroyo suffered from tendinitis in his arm during much of his junior year, so his pitching was limited. He still managed to play shortstop, hit .380, and drive in 24 runs and make the Tampa Bay Times All-North Suncoast team as an infielder. His pitching line was 4-3 with a 1.08 ERA. Hernando finished 24-9 and repeated as Class 3A-District 7 champions, despite losing seven starters from the previous year – including two pitchers who were drafted. “At the start of the season, I don’t think anyone on the team thought we’d be in this position,” Arroyo said. “The second half of the season, we’ve just played together as a team. That’s why we’ve won.”5 Hernando went on to win one more game in the district tournament, a two-hit shutout by Arroyo, before its season ended with a loss. Arroyo also continued to play basketball and was Hernando’s leading scorer as a junior, averaging 15.4 points per game.

In the fall of his senior year Arroyo signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of South Florida, where he would concentrate on pitching. The first Hernando player to sign with a Division 1 baseball school, he was highly recruited by such baseball powers as Florida, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, and Mississippi State. Arroyo finished his high-school basketball career as one of the leading scorers in school history. He averaged 16.2 points per game and was named to the All-North Suncoast first team.

As a senior Arroyo for the third year in a row was named to the All-North Suncoast first team. He was voted the District Class 4A Player of the Year and was named to the all-state first team by the Tampa Bay Times. He finished his senior season with a 10-3 record, a 0.44 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 80 innings. He batted .308 from the leadoff spot for the 26-8 district champions, who lost in the semifinals of the state tournament.

Arroyo was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 1995 amateur draft. His high school coach, Sims, said of Arroyo, “Mentally, he’s prepared to play in the big leagues, he’s blessed with good size and he’s got such a fluid motion that he makes it look easy. As far as his potential, I think no one around here is as good.”6 “I wanted to go with the Pirates all along,” Arroyo said. “I’ve known the Pittsburgh scout since I was in ninth grade and he’s always been straight with me. I’ve got a good impression of the organization just from my contacts with him.”7 He was at the barbershop getting his hair cut when the Pirates called. When he returned home, his dad told him he had been drafted by Pittsburgh.

Arroyo decided to forgo college and signed his professional contract the day he was drafted. “We had an amount in mind and they more than exceeded that amount with their first offer,” Gus Arroyo said. “He would have been a fool to pass up that kind of opportunity, we took it right away.”8

Arroyo reported to the Bradenton Pirates of the Rookie Gulf Coast League, two days following his high-school graduation. He made his minor-league debut, pitching one inning and striking out two. He finished his first season of professional baseball with a 5-4 record and a 4.26 ERA in 61⅓ innings. “I have a lot of work ahead of me. It’s going to take a while,” said the 18-year-old hurler. “I realize I have to be patient. I also know anything could happen in the future. There is no guarantee and I never expected one. I just want to give it my best shot and if it’s in the cards, well, great.”9

With Augusta of the low Class-A Sally League in 1996, Arroyo began learning how to pitch and about the wear and tear on his arm. “I’m learning that you can’t just go out and try to strike everybody out,” he said. “You have to work on getting people to pop up, ground out, and concentrate more on saving your arm. It’s a long season.”10  With Augusta he posted an 8-6 record with a 3.52 ERA. (In his debut on April 5, he allowed just one hit in six innings.)

During spring training in 1997, Arroyo was asked by a reporter if he had fantasized about playing professional baseball as a kid. “I would have bet my life on it when I was 6 years old,” he said. “I always knew I’d play pro ball. I never thought about doing anything else.”11

With Lynchburg of the advanced Class-A Carolina League in 1997, Arroyo was 12-4 with a 3.31 ERA and helped lead the team to the league title. He pitched 166 innings, his highest season total in the minor leagues. In the playoffs he was 2-0 with a sparkling 0.52 ERA. Arroyo was selected to the midseason all-star team.

Arroyo continued his progression through the Pirates’ minor-league system in 1998, playing for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats (Raleigh, North Carolina). He finished with a 9-8 mark and his ERA ballooned to 5.46. Despite that, the Pirates remained high on the youngster. “He’s really developing on a good course,” said Mudcats manager Jeff Banister. “The way he’s advancing, he has a good chance to pitch in the big leagues someday in the near future.”12 Pittsburgh sent Arroyo to the Arizona Instructional league for two months that fall to further his development. He finished with a 2-4 record and a 6.51 ERA.

Arroyo was back in Double A in 1999 with the Altoona Curve. He put together his best minor-league season with a 15-4 record, tied for the Eastern League lead in wins, and a 3.65 ERA. He won eight of his first nine starts. Arroyo was promoted to Triple-A Nashville on August 20 and made three starts, losing two with one no-decision.

Arroyo began the 2000 season in Nashville and was 8-2 with a 3.65 ERA. The call he had been waiting and hoping for came, when he was informed by Sounds manager Richie Hebner on Sunday afternoon June 11, about an hour before he was scheduled to pitch. “Richie said, ‘Stop, you’re pitching against the Braves on Tuesday,’” Arroyo said. “I said, ‘Sweet!’”13

Arroyo had never attended a big-league game until he made his debut at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium on June 12, 2000. But it wasn’t as a pitcher. A decent hitter in the minor leagues, Arroyo batted for pitcher Scott Sauerbeck in the bottom of the sixth inning. He ran the count to 3-and-2 against Braves pitcher Bruce Chen, and then hit a groundball back to the mound.

Arroyo made his pitching debut the next night, June 13, against the Braves. He pitched five innings, allowed five runs and 10 hits, and got a no-decision as the Pirates rallied for a 7-6 10th-inning victory. Arroyo lost three starts before getting his first major-league victory on July 22 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Three Rivers Stadium. He surrendered two hits over seven scoreless innings. “I think I appreciate (the win) more because I didn’t win in my first or second outing,” Arroyo said. “I had to claw my way to get a win. If it had happened in my first outing, I probably wouldn’t appreciate it so much.”14 His second win came six days later, on July 28 in a 16-5 Pirates romp over San Diego. Arroyo allowed three earned runs in six innings and collected his first major-league hit, a double off Matt Clement. During his time with the Pirates, he made 20 big-league appearances – 12 starts and 8 relief appearances – while compiling a 2-6 record and a 6.40 ERA.

That fall Arroyo married his high-school sweetheart, Aimee Faught. They had dated since 1994 and were engaged in 1998. They divorced in 2008.

Arroyo made the Pirates’ Opening Day roster for the 2001 season. “Breaking camp with the team, it will be a little different experience than it was last year,” he said. “With us opening the new ballpark (PNC Park), I think it will not be overwhelming, but kind of like, ‘Wow, it’s coming together.’”15 He won his first start of the season, on April 7 at Houston, 5-3. He bounced between Pittsburgh and Nashville throughout the season. Arroyo made 24 appearances for the Pirates, 13 starts, and pitched his first complete game on October 2, a 10-1 win over the New York Yankees. He was 5-7 with the Pirates and made nine starts in Nashville, finishing with a 6-2 record. After the season he played winter ball in Puerto Rico with Santurce and had a strong season.16

Arroyo’s 2002 season was similar to 2001 except that he spent more time with Nashville than with Pittsburgh. He was disappointed that he did not make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster. “After the season I had in winter ball, I thought I definitely would make the team,” he said.17 In his eighth season in the Pittsburgh organization, he was 8-6 in Nashville with a career minor-league-low ERA of 2.96 in 22 games. With the Pirates he appeared in nine games with a 2-1 record, highlighted by a 4-1 victory over future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine of the Braves on August 29.

Pittsburgh surprisingly placed Arroyo on waivers after the season and the Red Sox claimed him on February 4, 2003. After signing pitcher Jeff Suppan, the Pirates felt they could do without Arroyo. “At this point in time we’re just not convinced by his performance,” general manager Dave Littlefield said of Arroyo. “He just falls off the list as far as our priorities”18 

Arroyo was out to prove that the Pirates made a mistake. In his first year in the Boston organization, he was named the Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year. He went 12-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 24 starts for Triple-A Pawtucket and was second in the International League in strikeouts with 155 in 149⅔ innings. On August 10 he pitched the fourth perfect game in the 120-year history of the International League, a 7-0 win over Buffalo. He struck out nine in the victory. “I didn’t feel especially great in the bullpen,” Arroyo said afterward. “But after you get through three or four innings of easy work and you haven’t thrown many pitches you kind of keep rolling and rolling.”19 

Twelve days later Arroyo was called up to the Red Sox in the heat of the pennant race. He pitched in six games in relief with no won-lost record but a good 2.08 ERA. He recorded his first major-league save in his Red Sox debut. He relieved Pedro Martínez on August 25 against Seattle and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Arroyo was on Boston’s 2003 postseason roster. He did not pitch in the Red Sox’ Division Series win over Oakland, but appeared three times against the Yankees in the ALCS, pitching 3⅓ and allowing one run.

In 2004 for the first time, Arroyo spent the entire season in the big leagues. He became a dependable fifth starter, making 29 starts in his 32 appearances. Arroyo finished with a 10-9 record and a 4.03 ERA. He was at his best down the stretch, going 5-0 in his last nine starts with a 3.78 ERA, all Red Sox wins. He led the major leagues with 20 hit batsmen, tying the Red Sox record set by Howard Ehmke in 1923.

On July 19 against the Seattle Mariners, Arroyo recorded 11 consecutive outs via strikeout in innings three through seven. (Seattle won the game in extra innings.) Five days later, on July 24, Arroyo triggered a bench-clearing brawl with the Yankees. In the top of the third inning with Boston trailing 3-0, he beaned Álex Rodríguez and then, in an effort to restrain the Yankee star, Jason Varitek pushed his catcher’s mitt into Rodríguez’s face and a melee ensued. New York went ahead of Boston, 9-4, but the Red Sox clawed their way back and Bill Mueller hit a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Mariano Rivera. That 11-10 win provided confidence to the team, especially later in the year in the playoff rematch with New York.

Arroyo also played an important role in the postseason that began with a start in Game Three of the Division Series in Anaheim against the Angels. He pitched six innings while allowing two runs and three hits with seven strikeouts. Arroyo left the game with the Red Sox leading 6-1 and the crowd gave the right-hander a standing ovation. “Unbelievable. You can’t describe it,” he said. “Walking off the field, knowing you’ve earned the respect of the fans and your teammates.”20 The Angels rallied to tie the score, only to have David Ortiz win the game with a walk-off two run homer for Boston in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Arroyo started Game Three of the ALCS against the Yankees but did not pitch well. He gave up six runs in two-plus innings and was tagged for home runs by Hideki Matsui and Rodríguez.  The Red Sox tied the game, 6-6, in the bottom of the third to get Arroyo off the hook, but they went on to lose the game 19-8 and trail in the series three games to none. He pitched a scoreless 10th inning of Game Five in the Red Sox’ come-from-behind 14-inning 5-4 victory, won on Ortiz’s game-winning single.

Arroyo was the center of controversy in Game Six of the ALCS in Yankee Stadium. Boston was leading 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth and the Yankees had Derek Jeter on first with one out and Arroyo pitching to Rodríguez. Rodríguez hit a groundball down the first-base line that Arroyo fielded. Arroyo went to tag Rodríguez but the Yankee third baseman slapped Arroyo’s glove. The ball bounded out of the glove and rolled into right field with Jeter scoring from first and Rodríguez getting to second. Initially the umpires ruled Rodríguez safe. Arroyo and Red Sox first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz argued with first-base umpire Randy Marsh, claiming interference. Boston manager Terry Francona joined the fray to argue the call. The six-man umpire crew stepped aside to discuss the ruling. Finally, the umpires reversed the call and ruled that Rodríguez had interfered and was out. He stood at second base in disbelief while Jeter was returned to first base. The 56,128 fans in Yankee Stadium booed relentlessly and threw baseballs and other objects onto the field. After a 10-minute delay to restore order, Arroyo induced Gary Sheffield to pop to catcher Jason Varitek to end the threat. The Red Sox retired New York in the ninth inning with no damage and held on for a 4-2 victory.

“I didn’t know what the rule was,” Arroyo said after the game. “I wasn’t sure what they were going to do. I was just putting the tag on him and he just chopped me across the arm. It was pretty obvious to me.”21 Umpire Marsh after the game said, “I did not see Alex wave at him and knock the ball out. In that situation (plate umpire) Joe West could see it clearly. He was the man who really helped us out. He had the best shot. He was sure of it.”22

Arroyo relieved Tim Wakefield in the fourth inning of Game One of the World Series at Fenway Park on October 23 with the Red Sox leading 7-5. There was a runner on first with two outs. After surrendering a single, Arroyo forced Albert Pujols to ground out and end the inning. Arroyo pitched a perfect fifth inning with two strikeouts. In the sixth he allowed back-to-back run-scoring doubles to Edgar Rentería and Larry Walker as the Cardinals tied the game, 7-7. The Red Sox continued to hit and went on to an 11-9 victory.

Arroyo made one more appearance in the World Series, relieving Derek Lowe in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game Four with Boston leading 3-0. He prompted Roger Cedeño to pop out to second baseman Mark Bellhorn and then walked Reggie Sanders. Francona replaced Arroyo with Alan Embree. Embree retired the Cardinals and Keith Foulke set St. Louis down in the ninth and the Red Sox had their first World Series championship in 86 years. Arroyo, reflecting on his first full big-league season, said, “I wanted to prove I could pitch in this league and I think I accomplished all that. Winning the World Series was a bonus.”23   

Arroyo was back with Boston in 2005 and posted a 14-10 record. He led the team with 20 quality starts and established personal career highs in wins (14), starts (32), and innings pitched (205⅓). He won nine consecutive decisions, five from 2004 and four in 2005, before losing to Toronto on May 25.

After the season Arroyo signed a new three-year contract with Boston, securing his spot on the club, or so he thought. Two months later, on March 20, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Wily Mo Peña. “I don’t know if there’s a moment in my life that’s probably been lower than the phone call Theo Epstein (Red Sox general manager) gave me,” Arroyo recalled years later. “I was three years in, you win a World Series in such a special place in Boston, I was really entrenched there. I was looking forward to doing that for six or seven years. For him to pull the plug on me was completely unexpected. It was a huge downer.”24  

Arroyo became a stalwart of the Reds’ pitching staff for the next eight years, chalking up 108 wins in 279 starts. It took him a little while to adapt to Cincinnati, but once he did, it was home. “I feel very fortunate that I got off to a good start to have people enjoy me and love me right out of the gate,” Arroyo said years later. “It started feeling like a place that I could be for a very long time. It felt like it was my speed. It didn’t feel like the town was too large to get your hands gripped around it. It was just a real hometown feel for me and it happened relatively quickly.”25

In 2006 Arroyo was an All-Star for the first time and was voted the winner of the Johnny Vander Meer Award as the Reds’ Most Outstanding Pitcher and the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award. He had a 14-11 record and led the majors with 240⅓ innings pitched. In February 2007 he signed a three-year contract extension and he re-upped again with Cincinnati in 2010 which kept him with the club though the 2013 season.

Arroyo was the Reds’ most reliable pitcher. In all eight seasons with Cincinnati, he made at least 32 starts and pitched over 200 innings except for one season when he pitched 199. Six times he had double-digit wins and in both of the two seasons he fell short he recorded nine. Arroyo had a high of 17 wins in 2010, twice he had 15 victories (2008, 2009), and twice 14 (2006, 2013). He led the team in starts seven times and innings pitched six times. From 2006 to 2013 he was among the major-league leaders in wins, starts, and innings pitched. He won the Vander Meer Award three times (2006, 2009, 2010) and the Joe Nuxhall Award four times (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012). Arroyo was only the second Reds pitcher to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award for fielding excellence when he won it in 2010.

Arroyo helped lead the Reds to three playoff appearances, in 2010, 2012, and 2013, the franchise’s only playoff seasons between 1996 and 2019. He was the Reds’ leader in wins in 2010 and tied for the team lead in 2013.

Arroyo started Game Two of the 2010 ALDS against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on October 8. He pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing one earned run on four hits. His defense, with back-to-back errors in the fifth inning, cost him two unearned runs. He left the game with a 4-2 lead, but the bullpen could not hold it as Philadelphia rallied for a 7-4 victory.

In the 2012 ALDS, Arroyo started and won Game Two over San Francisco, 9-0. He allowed just one hit and one walk in seven innings. However, the Reds lost the five-game series, dropping the final three games at home.

After the 2013 season, Arroyo opted for free agency and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He spent one season in Arizona where he made 14 starts and finished with a 7-4 record for the last-place Diamondbacks. Arroyo injured his arm in June and required Tommy John surgery. He sat out the rest of the 2014 season and all of 2015. He bounced around via a few trades and signed as a free agent twice, and at the age of 40 returned to the big leagues with the Reds in 2017, which was his final season. He made 14 starts and finished with a 3-6 record and a 7.35 ERA.

That was the end of the line for Arroyo after 16 major-league seasons and a 22-year professional baseball career. His final major-league statistics include 148 wins, 137 losses. with a 4.28 ERA. Arroyo dots the Reds all-time list in a few categories. He is sixth in strikeouts (1,157), seventh in starts (279) and 16th in wins (108).

Before ending his baseball career, Arroyo had a budding music career. He began playing the guitar when he was in Double A in 1999. While in Boston in 2004-05 he performed in the Hot Stove, Cool Music Show at the Paradise Rock Club to raise money for the Jimmy Fund, the Red Sox’ charity to fight cancer in children. He released a music CD, Covering the Bases, in 2005. The record debuted at No. 1 in Boston and several other cities across New England.26 After being traded to Cincinnati, Arroyo performed in concert with the Screaming Mimes to raise $35,000 for the Reds Community Fund in 2006. In addition, from 2006 to 2013 he performed at Redsfest each year. In 2020 he collaborated with classical pianist Harrison Sheckler to create a recording of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” He returned to Boston in 2021 to play the Hot Stove, Cool Music Show.

Arroyo married Nicole McNees in 2021 and as of 2023 the couple resided in the Cincinnati area.

Arroyo was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame on October 26, 2022, and was enshrined in the summer of 2023, becoming the 82nd Reds player so honored. “It’s something you work for your whole life,” he said upon hearing he had been elected. “You just want to play in the major leagues. You have no idea if you’re going to play long enough to leave your mark in any way, shape, or form. One of the things you don’t think about as a player a lot of times is sticking with the same team long enough to build up these types of numbers to be in their hall of fame.”27 

Arroyo and his band ’04 released an album, Some Might Say, on February 16, 2023. It was the first album for which he wrote all the music.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Ancestry.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, AZcentral.com, the Boston Red Sox Media Guides for 2004 and 2005, and the Cincinnati Reds 2013 Media Guide.

Notes

1 Staff reports, “Northeast Pensacola reaches Dixie Boys World Series,” Pensacola News Journal, August 16, 1991: Section C-1.

2 Tim Buckley, “Arroyo Shines for Dixie Team,” Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg), August 6, 1993: 4.

3 “Arroyo Shines for Dixie Team.”

4 Tim Buckley, “Hernando Boys Set Sights on World Series,” Tampa Bay Times, July 31, 1993: 1.

5  Gregg Doyel, “Hernando Seeks More Surprises,” Tampa Tribune, May 10, 1994: 4-Hernando.

6 Scott Danahy, “Arroyo Calm While Pitching Up a Storm,” Tampa Tribune, June 3, 1995: 6-Citrus.

7 Thomas White, “Majors Come Calling on Hernando Pitcher,” Tampa Bay Times, June 2, 1995: 1.

8 Scott Danahy, “USF Loses Arroyo to Lure of Pro Game,” Tampa Tribune, June 6, 1995: 5-North Tampa.

9  Thomas White, “Arroyo Nostalgic, but Happy with Present,” Tampa Bay Times, August 10, 1995: 4.

10  Mike Readling, “Arroyo Working on Fooling Hitters and Saving His Arm,” Tampa Bay Times, July 18, 1996: 4.

11  Rick Gershman, “At Home on the Mound,” Tampa Bay Times, March 30, 1997: 1.

12 Pete Young, “Arroyo Beating Numbers Game,” Tampa Bay Times, September 3, 1998: 4.

13  Brant James, “Hernando Native Steps Up to the Big Leagues,” Tampa Bay Times, June 13, 2000: 1.

14  Paul Meyer, “Arroyo Sparkles in 2-1 Victory,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 23, 2000: D-6.

15  Brant James, “Pirates’ Arroyo Is in ‘The Show,’” Tampa Bay Times, April 1, 2001: 6.

16 Associated Press, “Pirates finally ready to Play,” Latrobe Bulletin, February 26, 2002: 8.

17 Brant James, “Back to Nashville … Again,” Tampa Bay Times, March 31, 2002: 4.

18 Robert Dvorchak, “Paper Pirates Are Improved,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 1, 2003: C-2.

19 Associated Press, “PawSox’s Arroyo Perfect,” Lewiston (Maine) Sun-Journal, August 11, 2003: C3.

20 John Powers, “Emotions Bubbling Over for Arroyo,” Boston Globe, October 9, 2004: E3.

21  Peter May, “A-Rod a Bigger Villain in One Swipe,” Boston Globe, October 20, 2004: D2.

22 “A-Rod a Bigger Villain in One Swipe.”

23 John Schwarb, “Arroyo, Red Sox Prove Their Worth, Tampa Bay Times, December 12, 2004: 4.

24 Bobby Nightengale, “From Reluctance, Cincinnati Became Home for Arroyo,” Louisville Courier-Journal, October 30, 2022: B8.

25 “From reluctance, Cincinnati Became Home for Arroyo:” B8.

26 2013 Cincinnati Reds Media Guide, 54.

27  Bobby Nightengale, “Arroyo Voted into Reds Hall of Fame,” Cincinnati Enquirer, October 28, 2022: C3.

Batista’s batting stance was so extreme that the Batting Stance Guy, Gar Ryness, blew out his back imitating it stance for his book, Batting Stance Guy: A Love Letter to Baseball. Ryness wrote, “He stands with his front foot planted in the far back corner of the box, body facing the pitcher, bat in the clouds. If a kid in T-ball did that, any self-respecting coach would be on him in a flash, rearranging just about everything.”1

But that stance aided Batista during 11 major-league seasons spread among six teams, and one season in the Japanese Pacific League. Helped him make two All-Star Game appearances, and hit 221 career home runs. Batista split duties at third base, second base, shortstop, and DH; 807 out of his 1,188 games were played at third.

Leocadio Francisco Batista Hernandez was born on December 9, 1973, in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. According to Miguel Tejada, a friend, Batista’s parents lived in Mao Valverde Province in the Dominican Republic. Their occupation was raising animals like goats, pigs, and cattle.2

Batista graduated from Liceo Juan de Jesus high school. He became interested in baseball by watching his two older brothers, Ramirez and Vicente, who eventually turned pro, play the game. “I learned from them, they both were professional players in the states but they only got to Double A,” he said.3

In 1991, at the age of 17, Batista signed with the Oakland Athletics out of high school. His best season in the minors was 1994 for the Modesto A’s in the Class-A California League, when he slugged 17 home runs and hit .281/.359/.459 in 119 games. In 1996, batting .322 for Triple-A Edmonton (Pacific Coast League), the 22-year-old Batista earned a call-up to the Athletics on June 3. In his major-league debut that night, Batista, playing third base and batting ninth, went 0-for-3 against Kansas City’s Kevin Appier with two strikeouts. In 1996 and 1997, he bounced back and forth between Edmonton and Oakland.

Batista played some shortstop for the A’s, but was dogged by his poor defensive play at the position, and in 1997 Miguel Tejada took over the position. After the season Batista was unprotected by Oakland and was taken in the expansion draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 27th pick. Meanwhile, Batista, mired in a 0-for-28 hitless streak in the Dominican winter league, adopted his wide-open left-footed stance. He said he didn’t know why he chose such a bizarre, unique stance. “I tried to do something different,” he said. “And right away I got a hit with that kind of stance and it’s been working for me since that day.”4

The new stance gave him consistent major-league home run power. Batista slugged 18 home runs for the Diamondbacks in 1998. Defensively, he bounced between third base, shortstop, and second base in 106 games. He didn’t settle into a full-time role and hit .273 with those 18 home runs. In 1999 he settled in at shortstop, playing in 44 games (.257, 5 home runs) for the Diamondbacks. On June 11 he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays with right-handed pitcher John Frascatore for left-handed pitcher Dan Plesac. In 98 games for the Blue Jays he batted .285 with 26 homers.

With Toronto for the full 2000 season, Batista posted his best season, batting .263 with 41 home runs and 114 runs batted in. This earned Batista his first of two All-Star Game appearances. But in 2001 he regressed. Batting just .207 with 13 home runs in 72 games, Batista was sent to the Baltimore Orioles on waivers. This was Batista’s fourth big-league club in just five seasons. For the Orioles the rest of the season, Batista batted .266 with 12 home runs.

Batista played in 161 games for the Orioles in 2002, batted .244 with 31 homers, and earned his second All-Star Game selection.

In 2003 Batista again played in 161 games. His production fell off slightly: .235, with 26 home runs. After the season he opted for free agency. He signed with the Montreal Expos for one year at $1.5 million. The Expos became his fifth big-league team in seven major-league seasons. For the Expos he batted .241, slugged 32 home runs and drove in 110 runs, seventh highest in the National League.

Hitting 89 home runs and driving in 296 runs over three seasons should have been enough for Batista to earn another major-league contract. Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Houston reportedly offered him deals. But none came close to the two-year, $15 million contract he signed with the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks of the Japan Pacific League. The deal also included a $5 million signing bonus. The Hawks, were looking to splurge on a young major-league talent, offered him well over the $1.5 million the Expos had paid him. Batista, now 31 years old, took the offer and crossed the Pacific to play Japanese baseball.

In Japan Batista played in 135 out of the season’s 136 games, batted .263, and hit 27 home runs. Perhaps this should have been enough for him to deserve another shot in the JPL. But it was not to be. Possibly Batista was too laid-back in Japan and seemed lackadaisical. Perhaps, it was the adjustment to Japanese culture. He had some unusual behavior on the field in Japan. See, for instance, a video that turns up in a web search of “Tony Batista scares pitcher.”5 One Japanese beat writer dubbed Batista “Mr. Nonchalant.”6 But most likely it was the fact he was the highest-paid player on the team but didn’t produce the highest numbers. Although Batista finished a league leader in several statistical categories, apparently his numbers didn’t justify his salary and the Hawks wanted younger talent. Batista was 31. Rather than pay another $15 million, the Hawks bought out his contract for $4.5 million.

Two days after getting his release, on December 15, 2005, Batista inked another deal to return to the United States with a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Minnesota Twins. His bat was expected to fill a power void in the Twins lineup and he would serve in a needed role at third base and designated hitter.

The Twins’ hopes were not met. In 50 games, Batista batted just .236 with 5 home runs, and was released on June 14. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, “If you are not going to hit home runs, then you’ve got to be able to run. We were hoping that Tony would hit a few more home runs.”7

Batista played winter ball in the Dominican Republic in the 2006-2007 season for the first time in the eight years since he adopted his trademark batting stance. Batista needed the winter league to help market himself for another big-league contract at the age of 32. He batted only .213 in 18 games, and signed a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals with an invitation to spring training. Batista made the 2007 Nationals roster in spring training but had little power impact, hitting only two home runs in 80 games.

At the age of 34, Batista returned to play 16 games in the Dominican Winter League and again landed a minor-league deal with the Nationals. This time he didn’t make the major-league, and played only 17 games at Triple-A Columbus. He played winter ball again, but was unable to attract even a minor-league contract.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Batista made just shy of $40 million playing in the major leagues and Japan. He donated a large portion of his salary to charities and churches and saw himself as a Christian missionary.

When his team played on the road, Batista made it a practice to donate to local churches. He once asked his Kansas City taxi driver to take him to any church. The driver randomly selected Country Club Christian Church, where Batista asked to see the minister. The minster was tired after that Monday after officiating at three weddings and preaching three times the weekend before. Batista instructed her to open the Bible and turn to Malachi 3:10: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith salt the Lord of Hosts. If I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Batista then spoke a little bit in broken English and said, “I am convinced of this.” He gave her a thick white envelope with the Fairmont Hotel logo. Batista left and said something about the taxicab still waiting outside. Inside the envelope was $16,400. The church finance director said later, “It revives your faith in people. I still think players are paid too much but there are ones who are blessed.”8

Batista said to a reporter in 2006, “God uses me. Everywhere I go I talk about Him and the power he has.” Batista was almost always available before and after game for an autograph.9 But the memory of that awkward wide-open stance remains in the hearts of baseball fans.

Last revised: October 29, 2022

Sources

The author consulted Tony Batista’s player file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, and relied upon baseball-reference.com.

Notes

1 Gar Ryness and Dewart Caleb, Batting Stance Guy: A Love Letter to Baseball (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010), 36-41.

2 Miguel Tejada, email correspondence with Julio Rodriguez, July 23, 2018.

3 Steve Riach, Life Lessons From Baseball (Colorado Springs: Honor Books, 2004), 13-17.

4 Riach.

5 “Throwback Sports Clip Of The Week: Tony Batista Scares The Hell Out Of Asian Pitcher!,” YouTube.com, December 2, 2011. youtube.com/watch?v=lUiQlPzcm44.

6 Wayne Graczyk, “Batista’s Number Didn’t Justify His Massive Salary,” Japan Times, December 18, 2005.

7 Jayson Williams, “Line Up Redo Puts Batista out, Bartlett In,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 24, 2006.

8 Joe Capozzi, “Batista’s Gift to Church Exemplifies Generosity,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 5, 2002.

9 Jonathan Weeks, Latino Stars in Major League Baseball: From Bobby Abreu to Carlos Zambrano (New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 2017), 6-8.

After that fine rookie season in 2004, Bay had four more good-to-excellent years with the bat, with just one down year out of five. Alas, his career was cut short by two concussions suffered in collisions with the outfield wall in 2010 and 2012. He was out of baseball after 2013.

Jason Raymond Bay was born September 20, 1978, in Trail, British Columbia. His parents were David and Kelly Bay.1 David worked at Teck Cominco, a zinc smelting and gold mining company, while Kelly worked for the Canadian government.2 He also has a sister, Lauren Bay (b. 1981), a former professional softball player who pitched for Canada in the 2004 Summer Olympics.34 “My sister got the arm in the family,” Bay said. “How about that? She’s a world-class left-handed pitcher.”5

As one article from 2004 noted, “The Bay children benefited from excellent bloodlines. Their great uncle on their mother’s side, Gerry Moro, represented Canada in the 1964 and 1972 Olympics as a pole vaulter and decathlete. A great uncle on their father’s side played minor league baseball in the 1950s.”6

Young Jason grew up playing hockey — little surprise for a Canadian — but eventually quit in order to focus on baseball. At 12, he represented Canada by playing for the Trail Little League team in the 1990 Little League World Series, which finished in third place.7

Bay played college baseball at Gonzaga University, not too far over the border from his hometown in British Columbia. He earned first-team All-West Coast Conference honors as a junior and senior, and led the West Coast Conference in batting in 2000 with a .388 average.89 During his summers in college, he played for the Chatham A’s of the Cape Cod Baseball League.10

Bay was chosen in the 2000 amateur draft by the Montreal Expos with the fifth pick of the 22nd round, No. 645 overall. “You could stream [the draft] from the internet,” Bay said. “That was like one of the first years that they had done it. I was listening pick by pick. My dad took the day off work and we listened together. It wasn’t like it is a lot more today with the parties and hoopla, for me anyway… Coming from a small town in Canada, it was big news. Whether it was the first round or last round, just getting drafted was big news.”11

Over two minor-league seasons split among Class A Short Season, Class A, and High A, he hit .312 with 180 hits, 16 home runs, and 83 runs batted in. He won the Low-A Midwest League batting title in 2001 after hitting .362 in 87 games.12 Prior to the 2002 season he was traded along with Jimmy Serrano to the New York Mets for Lou Collier. He was traded again in July, this time going to the San Diego Padres along with Josh Reynolds and Bobby Jones in exchange for Jason Middlebrook and Steve Reed. He finished the season with the Padres’ Double-A affiliate, the Mobile BayBears, racking up 17 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 127 hits in 126 games.

Bay started the 2003 season with the Triple-A Portland Beavers, but got called up to make his major-league debut on May 23 against the Arizona Diamondbacks after Mark Kotsay got injured.13 Bay started the game in center field, batted seventh, and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run.

His first big-league stint did not last long, however. In just his third game with the Padres, he was hit by a pitch from Elmer Dessens of the Arizona Diamondbacks,14 fracturing his right wrist. When his injury healed he was back in the minors, and in August he was traded with Oliver Perez and a player to be named later (which became Cory Stewart) to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Brian Giles. He joined the Pirates’ big-league club immediately and stayed with them for the rest of the year, hitting .291 over 27 games.

Bay had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in the offseason and did not take the field for the Pirates until May 2004, but he quickly began to make a difference in the Pittsburgh lineup.15 He hit .300 in the month of May on his way to a .282 overall mark for the season, with 26 home runs, 82 RBI, 24 doubles, and 116 hits. Those numbers earned him the 2004 Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award, beating out Khalil Greene and Akinori Otsuka. “It means the world to me,” Bay said. Asked about how it felt to be the first Pirate to win the award, a team with past players such as Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Barry Bonds, he said: “You walk into the locker room and you see all those jerseys hanging up, it’s kind of amazing it never happened.”16

That was not the only milestone Bay celebrated that month. Two days before winning Rookie of the Year, he married his college sweetheart, Kristen Beaulaurier, in Seattle. “I never got down on one knee,” he said about how his proposal went down. “And she still busts my chops to this day. I was looking around for something in my luggage. I said, ‘I think you know what I’m doing. I think she said, ‘About time’ instead of ‘Yes.’”17

There was no sophomore slump for Bay the following year, 2005. He played in all 162 games and slashed .306/.402/.559. His batting average fell below .250 only once all season; after April 20, it never dipped below .273. On top of all that he had 32 homers, 101 RBIs, and a career high 183 hits, making him by far the Pirates’ most productive hitter.

“I’ve finally had an opportunity to come to the park and be able to play every day, to get into a routine, to be in one spot the entire year,” said Bay. “I’m pleased that it’s gone well so fast. Rookie of the Year. All-Star Game. It’s been gratifying, knowing you can do it when maybe some people didn’t think you could do it. It’s been gratifying for me to show that my rookie year wasn’t just one great year. I hope there are even better ones to come.”18

Bay earned his first All-Star Game selection that year and also appeared in the Home Run Derby, but was eliminated after failing to hit any homers in the first round. That winter, Bay and the Pirates agreed on a four-year contract worth $18.25 million.19

“The Pirates have been burned in the past by some contracts that didn’t pan out, and they were probably a little more apprehensive than some teams to do this,” Bay said. “I think that’s why I’m so grateful — to know this is the first long-term deal that’s been done by the Pirates in quite a few years. They didn’t have to do anything, but I think the way I was going gave them the confidence that, hopefully, I was going to get better and that, in the long run, it was going to be a little bit cheaper. I still don’t really fully comprehend it.”20

In March of 2006, Bay represented his native Canada in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. “I’m standing on the railing, watching, watching, watching — I rarely get emotional, and I jumped the railing like a Little Leaguer,” Bay said. “I went, ‘Wow, it’s March 8, and it’s too early for this.’ But you can’t simulate it, you can’t prepare someone for that, and I just want to experience that here [in Pittsburgh].”21

Bay went 5-for-11 with five runs in the first round, with Canada going 2-1, but they were eliminated by a tiebreaker. He carried that offensive production into the regular season, hitting 35 home runs and 109 RBIs on his way to earning his second-straight All-Star Game appearance. That November, he had surgery to fix a problem in his left knee that had nagged him throughout the season.22 The procedure took 10 minutes and he was able to walk out of the hospital.23

When the 2007 season started, Bay struggled a bit out of the gate with only five home runs and 29 RBIs through May 24, well below his pace from previous years. “It’s not like I feel overmatched,” Bay said. “It’s more like a feeling where you’re 0-2 before you get in the box, where there’s no rhythm with the count or anything about the at-bat. Even from game to game … I go out there and get three hits and think, ‘Oh, I’m back.’ And I go out the next day feeling like I haven’t gotten a hit in two months.”24

He managed to get things back on the right track for a while — staying above .300 from May 27 through June 7 — but by July 20, he was at .246. “I want to turn it around,” Bay said. “I’d love to see it happen. But everyone’s looking for some overnight answer. How do you do that? How do you just flip the wall switch? That’s the tough part. Here we are, after all this time, still trying to find that.”25 Unfortunately, the rest of the season went no better for Bay. Following the All-Star break he hit eight home runs and had just 28 RBIs. He finished the year with a .247 average and a .418 slugging percentage, the first time in his career he failed to slug at least .500.

Bay experienced a bit of a turnaround at the beginning of 2008, hitting .284 with 16 home runs at the end of June. But his time with the Pirates was running out. At the July 31 trade deadline, “3:59 and seconds,” as Pirates general manager Neal Huntington called it, Bay was traded to the Boston Red Sox as part of a three-team deal involving the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates received four prospects — Andy LaRoche, Brandon Moss, Craig Hansen, and Bryan Morris — while the Dodgers obtained Manny Ramirez from Boston.26

Upon joining the Red Sox, Bay hit .293 with nine homers and 37 RBIs over 49 games. He also got his first taste of the playoffs and did not disappoint. He batted .412 with a pair of home runs in the ALDS, in which Boston defeated the Los Angeles Angels, followed by a .292 average in the ALCS, in which the Tampa Bay Rays eliminated the Red Sox in seven games. “I come from Pittsburgh after six years, and all of a sudden there’s no grace period. Overnight, I’m in a pennant race,” Bay said. “And getting traded for Manny didn’t make it any easier, although I was so engulfed in everything else, it wasn’t even an issue. That first week is a blur. There was definitely a 24-hour culture shock.”27 Bay finished 2008 with a combined slash of .286/.373/.522 with 31 home runs and 101 RBI over 155 games.

In March 2009, Bay again represented Canada in the World Baseball Classic. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs over two games, but Canada went winless and was eliminated during round play. When the big-league season started, his first full season in the American League, it turned out to be a strong year for Bay. He had a team-best 36 home runs and 119 RBIs, earning him his third All-Star Game selection and his first Silver Slugger Award. “People always ask, ‘Is it tough to play here?’” Bay said about playing in Boston. “In some aspects, with the external stuff, it’s a little different, but what people don’t realize is that all that stuff aside, it’s a fairly easy environment hitting-wise to thrive in. You look up and down that lineup, I don’t think I’m the guy, I’m just one of the guys and I think that helps me out a little bit.”28

In addition to the awards he received for his play on the field, he also had a reason to celebrate off the field. On July 2, he was naturalized as an American citizen during a ceremony at Boston’s Faneuil Hall.29 He helped lead the Red Sox to 95 wins that season, good for second place in the AL East and a wild card berth, but they were swept in the ALDS by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

In November 2009, Bay became a free agent for the first time in his career. He was among the most coveted outfielders on the market that offseason, with the others being Matt Holliday, Mike Cameron, and Marlon Byrd.30 A number of teams were interested in Bay, including the Red Sox, who offered him $60 million over four years, but he turned it down because Boston wouldn’t add a fifth year to the deal. He ultimately agreed to a four-year contract for $66 million with the New York Mets, which included a vesting option for the fifth year with the potential for him to earn $80 million in total. The move was seen as a major offensive gain for the Mets, a team that had hit the fewest home runs in the National League in 2009.31

“I like the camaraderie,” Bay said about joining the Mets clubhouse. “A lot of people tried to paint a grim picture. I haven’t seen any of it.”32

“He’s just a guy that goes out and quietly plays like a superstar,” said David Wright, Mets third baseman and future captain, about Bay. “He goes about his business without a lot of flash, but he’s one of the best run producers in the game.”33

Regarding his role with the Mets, Bay said, “My job is to drive in runs and get on base. That’s what I was brought in for, and what I’d like to do.”34 Unfortunately, those numbers just weren’t there for Bay. He started slowly and through June, he was on pace for just 12 home runs and 75 RBIs for the year, which would’ve been the worst stats of his career. Granted, the Mets offense as a whole wasn’t making much noise; they would finish the season in the bottom five in the NL for batting average, hits, home runs, and RBIs.

Still, at the end of June they found themselves 10 games above .500 and just 1½ games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. Nearly a month later, however, on July 27, the Mets found themselves 6½ games back — and suddenly without Bay, who had suffered a devastating injury against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

On Friday, July 23, on the bottom of the second inning, Bay collided with the outfield wall after catching a fly ball hit by the Dodgers’ Jamey Carroll. He was slow to get up, but remained in the game, and later hit a bases-clearing double in the top of the eighth to extend the Mets’ lead to 6-1, the final score. He also played the final two games in the series on Saturday and Sunday, going 2-for-9 with a walk and a run.

Bay first reported possible concussion symptoms to team doctors on the plane ride back to New York on Sunday night.35 The Mets were off on Monday and he saw a doctor on Tuesday as the team was starting a home series against the St. Louis Cardinals, at which point manager Jerry Manuel was informed of the situation.36 Bay was taken out of the lineup for a couple of days to see if the symptoms would subside.37 “This has never happened; this is uncharted for me,” Bay said about the injury.38

The symptoms persisted, however, and Bay was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 30. A couple of weeks later he was still experiencing headaches, and he ended up being sidelined for the rest of the year.39 His final stat line for the season was a .259 average, six home runs, and 47 RBIs over 95 games. “I just had a bad year. I was the first to admit it as I was living it, and I’ll be the first to admit it looking back on it,” Bay said about his struggles in 2010. “For whatever reason, I never got in a rhythm at the plate, and I felt like I was swimming upstream all year trying to catch up. The next thing you know it’s July and you’re like, ‘Wow, I haven’t been able to piece anything together.’ The question is, what did you learn from it? I feel like I learned a lot.”40

Going into 2011, having recovered from his concussion, Bay had a positive outlook. “I’m back to doing what I’ve always done. But I’m focusing on doing it better,” he said.41 He hit another snag, however, when he injured his ribcage during batting practice on March 29, causing him to start the season on the disabled list. He finally made it to the lineup on April 21, going 1-for-4 with a double and two runs in a 9-1 victory over the Houston Astros.42

However, 2011 was another lackluster season for Bay. He hit 12 home runs and drove in 57, both career lows for seasons in which he played in at least 100 games. Those numbers also included a 29-game stretch without a homer and just 10 multi-RBI games. He slashed .245/.329/.374, only his second time batting below .250 and his first year slugging below .400. “All those years I did well, I never worried about what I was doing,” Bay said. “There were good days, and there were bad days, and that was that. But I never analyzed. [The past two years], I over-analyzed everything. I was trying to make everything perfect. My hands here, my feet here; I wasn’t really a hitter. I was trying to make myself into a robot.”43

Teammate David Wright said the pressure of playing in New York may have had an impact on Bay’s performance. “It’s tough when you sign as a big free agent, and the town you happen to come to is New York,” Wright observed. “In Jason’s case, the team was struggling. We signed him, and all of a sudden he is supposed to come in and be a difference maker. So he put an incredible amount of pressure on himself.”44

It was also a lost year for the Mets overall. They went 77-85 and finished fourth in the NL East.

Bay spent the following offseason working on his hitting with his former Pirates coach Don Long. “I’m scrapping everything, and I’m just going to swing. I’m just going to stand up there, hold the bat and swing,” Bay said about his new mindset at the plate. “Can I hit 30 home runs? I 100% think it’s possible. No question.”45

Over his first 15 games to start the 2012 season, Bay hit .240 (12-for-50), with 3 homers, 5 RBIs, and 17 strikeouts. During the 15th game, on April 23, he got hurt while trying to field a fly ball from the San Francisco Giants’ Gregor Blanco. The ball fell out of Bay’s glove and he landed hard on the ground. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day after an MRI confirmed he had a broken rib.46 “It’s extremely frustrating,” Bay said. “There’s really no other way to put it… All I can do is try and look forward and try and build off of the momentum.”47

He ended up missing 42 games, not returning to the lineup until June 8. He went 2-for-25 over the next seven games, and got injured again on June 15. This time, it was a second concussion he sustained after crashing into the outfield wall during a game against the Cincinnati Reds.

“I know how he feels,” said Mets catcher Josh Thole, who also suffered multiple concussions throughout his career. “I know exactly what he’s doing right now. He’s probably passed out in his bed, just in the dark. Any time the light shines in your eyes, the noise, you get that — it’s the worst. I feel for him.”48

“Jason Bay is a fine baseball player,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “Jason Bay is one of the finest people I’ve ever had on one of my teams. And I just hope he gets out of this and recovers, because I’m pretty concerned about it right now.”49

It was another 24 games before Bay was back on the field. By the time he finally returned on July 17, the Mets were seven games back in the division, a margin they would never reduce. They would finish the season 74-88, in fourth place once again. Over his final 48 games, Bay hit just .151 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

In November, Bay and the Mets reached an agreement to terminate his contract a year early, but the team would still pay him the $21 million owed to him over the next two years. “Jason has a tremendous work ethic. There was never any question about it. Unfortunately, the results weren’t there and we are in a results-oriented business,” general manager Sandy Alderson said in a statement.50

“I still feel I have plenty to give to this game and that I can play baseball at a high level. But after serious consideration, both sides agree that we would benefit from a fresh start,” Bay said in a statement. “I’m excited to keep playing and have no intention of just walking away… I enjoyed my time in New York. I have no regrets in signing with the Mets, other than that I wasn’t able to play to the level that the team, the fans and I all expected and that we weren’t able to win more games. I move on with nothing but an appreciation for the organization and its fans and best wishes to all my teammates there.”51

Bay was not without a team for long, signing a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners in December. “Wherever I ended up was going to be a fresh start and the chance to do it here in my backyard, so to speak, will be nice,” said Bay, alluding to his origins in nearby British Columbia. “That’s all I was looking for. It didn’t work out for whatever reason and it was kind of a mutual split. I want to start fresh and wipe the slate clean and that’s what I get to do here.”52

As a result of his past injury history, the Mariners had Bay examined by two team doctors and neurosurgeon to confirm that he had fully recovered from his previous concussions.53 At 34 years old, he was the third-oldest player on the Mariners’ Opening Day roster, with only Raul Ibañez and Endy Chavez born before him. “I don’t feel like I’m that old, but I guess I am around here,” Bay said.54

Bay started the 2013 season as the Mariners’ primary left fielder, but he hit just .204 with 11 homers and 20 RBIs over 68 games. He was designated for assignment on July 29 and released on August 6. He retired that offseason, ending his career in the major leagues. He finished with a lifetime batting average of .266 with 222 home runs and 1,200 hits.

In 2015, Bay was inducted into the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor for his play at Gonzaga from 1999 to 2000. He was the first Bulldogs baseball player inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor. “Without Gonzaga, I wouldn’t be here,” Bay said during his acceptance speech at the ceremony. “I’m a quintessential example of what college athletics can do for a person. I’m extremely proud of where I’m from and I’m extremely proud to be a part of the Gonzaga community, which is the highest compliment I can get.”55

In 2019, Bay was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame along with former pitcher Ryan Dempster, coach Rob Thomson, and executive Gord Ash. His 222 career homers are fifth-most among Canadian-born players and he is one of 13 Canadians with at least 1,000 hits in the majors. He also remains the only Canadian to win the Rookie of the Year Award. “It was a very pleasant and somewhat unexpected surprise to get that call from the Canadian Hall of Fame,” said Bay. “I’m proud and honored to be recognized with great people who have helped build baseball in Canada in various ways, to the elite level it has become.”56

Also in 2019, residents of Bay’s hometown of Trail, British Columbia, began efforts to name the baseball field at local Butler Park after him. “He was absolutely flattered to have his name added to Butler Park,” said Lou DeRosa, one of the project leaders. “He’s very appreciative and very humble.”57 However, the Jason Bay Field Project was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a 2021 wind storm that downed trees and light standards in the park.58 After a five-year wait, the project was completed on April 5, 2024, when a maroon sign with “Jason Bay Field” in cursive script was installed atop the scoreboard.59

Bay and his wife Kristen live in Seattle with their three children: Addison (b. 2006), Evelyn (b. 2008), and Garrett (b. 2011).60, 61 Since his playing days, he spends time coaching his kids in baseball and soccer. “I’m just a dad with some time on his hands,” said Bay.62

Unfortunately for Bay, many baseball fans, and Mets fans in particular, will remember him as a player who got injured too often and didn’t produce enough when he was actually on the field. “I got banged up a little bit,” Bay said. “Not an excuse, just the reality and that didn’t help. I don’t think that was the No. 1 reason, I just think I couldn’t really get on track. I couldn’t just move forward. I was always stuck in one gear and I couldn’t get going.”63

Looking back on his career as a whole, Bay said: “In baseball, the window is so short. I would just hate to have a mark on me for my effort. It would irk me to no end if someone said, ‘Yeah he was decent, but he was lazy.’ Or, ‘He didn’t respect the game.’ Because I can control that. … My motivation was never status. It was never money. My motivation was just progressing in life. … If you find the answer to that mystery, let me know. And then I’ll know.”64

Last revised: February 4, 2021

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Joe DeSantis and fact-checked by Mark Sternman.

Notes

1 Jim Bailey, “Jason Bay returns to Trail, baseball card signing at Smokies game,” BC Local News, December 31, 2019.

2 Joe Starkey, “Tough love helped Pirates’ Bay travel unlikely ‘Trail’ from British Columbia to major leagues,” TribLive.com, August 1, 2004.

3 https://okstate.com/news/2003/4/19/Lauren_Bay.aspx

4 Porter, 2008.

5 Dejan Kovacevic, “Bay’s backward step a multi-part mystery,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 6, 2007.

6 Joe Starkey, “Tough love helped Pirates’ Bay travel unlikely ‘Trail’ from British Columbia to major leagues,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, August 1, 2004.

7 Matt Porter, “The Jason Bay file: (More than) 30 things to know about the newest Sox slugger,” Boston.com, July 31, 2008.

8 Porter, “The Jason Bay file.”

9 John Sickels, “Pirates prospect Jason Bay,” ESPN.com, January 30, 2004.

10 Porter, 2008.

11 Mark Fischer, “Ex-Met bust Jason Bay recalls his draft experience in return to New York,” New York Daily News, June 10, 2016.

12 USA Today Sports Weekly, June 4-10, 2003.

13 USA Today Sports Weekly, June 4-10, 2003.

14 Albany Times Union, May 27, 2003.

15 Sickels, 2004.

16 Chuck Johnson, “Pirates’ Bay, Athletics’ Crosby receive rookie of year honors,” USA Today, November 9, 2004.

17 Steve Serby, “Serby’s Sunday Q&A With Jason Bay,” New York Post, March 28, 2010.

18 Dejan Kovacevic, “No sophomore jinx for Pirates’ Bay,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 16, 2005.

19 Jason Meyer, “Pirates intend to use Bay as franchise’s cornerstone,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 18, 2005.

20 Meyer, 2005.

21 “Bay has admirer in Gretzky,” Associated Press, March 28, 2006.

22 Kovacevic, 2007.

23 Porter, 2008.

24 Kovacevic, 2007.

25 Kovacevic, 2007.

26 Dejan Kovacevic, “Pirates wait until final minute to trade Bay,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 1, 2008.

27 John Tomase, “Recalling Jason Bay’s best days,” Boston Herald, July 9, 2013.

28 Shi Davidi, “A hot bat in Boston; Jason Bay thrives on high expectations with Red Sox,” The Canadian Press, June 1, 2019.

29 “Bay to become U.S. citizen,” Associated Press, July 2, 2009.

30 Tim Dierkes, “2010 Top 50 Free Agents,” MLB Trade Rumors, November 9, 2009.

31 David Waldstein, “Mets and Bay Agree on a Contract,” New York Times, December 29, 2009.

32 Serby, 2010.

33 David Waldstein, “A Standout Player Who Is Happy Blending In,” New York Times, March 29, 2010.

34 Serby, 2010.

35 Joe Lapointe, “Concussion Symptoms Developed Late for Bay,” New York Times, July 27, 2010.

36 Lapointe, 2010.

37 Lapointe, 2010.

38 Lapointe, 2010.

39 Bob Klapisch, “Bay is poster child for Mets’ downfall,” FOX Sports, August 9, 2010.

40 Jerry Crasnick, “Jason Bay Eyeing Far Better Times in ’11,” ESPN.com, January 31, 2011.

41 Crasnick, 2011.

42 “Mets’ Bay Scratched With Injury, Could Land On DL,” Associated Press, March 29, 2011.

43 Andy Martino, “Bay: I Ain’t Done… Yet,” New York Daily News, February 12, 2012.

44 Martino, 2012.

45 Martino, 2012.

46 Brendan Prunty, “Mets place Jason Bay on 15-day disabled list with fractured rib,” NJ.com, April 24, 2012.

47 Prunty, 2012.

48 Tim Rohan, “Jason Bay Hurt as Mets Fall to Reds,” New York Times, June 15, 2012.

49 Rohan, 2012.

50 “Mets, Jason Bay terminate contract a year early,” Associated Press, November 7, 2012.

51 Associated Press, 2012.

52 Tim Booth, “Jason Bay hoping for a fresh start in Seattle,” Associated Press, December 10, 2012.

53 Booth, 2012.

54 Booth, 2012.

55 “Jason Bay inducted into WCC Hall of Honor,” GoZags.com, March 7, 2015.

56 http://baseballhalloffame.ca/blog/2019/02/05/bay-dempster-thomson-and-ash-to-be-inducted-into-canadian-baseball-hall-of-fame/

57 Bailey, 2019.

58 https://www.trail.ca/en/play/jason-bay-field-project.asp

59 Jim Bailey, “Jason Bay’s baseball legacy lives on at East Trail park,” Trail Times, April 18, 2024, https://www.trailtimes.ca/news/jason-bays-baseball-legacy-lives-on-at-east-trail-park-7346533

60 Bailey, 2019.

61 David Waldstein, “Jason Bay Returns to Mets After Birth of Third Child,” New York Times, May 5, 2011.

62 Ryan Collingwood, “Gonzaga alum and MLB All-Star Jason Bay enjoying retirement,” The Spokesman Review, July 4, 2018.

63 Booth, 2012.

64 Martino, 2012.

Former All-Star Heath Bell uttered these words in March 2015 as he made one final attempt to extend his career with the Washington Nationals. He’d shed 30 pounds after a poor showing for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014, but the Nationals ultimately decided the 37-year-old from Oceanside, California, didn’t fit in their plans and released him just before Opening Day.

Bell retired knowing he gave it his all and was able to hold his head high, teaching his four children an important lesson in the process. And although in a perfect world he would have left the game on a higher note, he could at least point back to past successes in a league and a sport where failure is far more common.

Born on September 29, 1977, to Jimmie and Edwina Bell, Heath Justin Bell grew up in Tustin, in Southern California, about 50 miles northwest of his birthplace.2 At Tustin High School, which also produced former big leaguers Mark Grace and Shawn Green, Bell lettered in football, basketball, and baseball.3 It was there that he developed habits that would last a lifetime.

Bell credited his father, a former Marine and auto mechanic whose busy schedule wasn’t always conducive to raising a family but who found ways to make it work, for setting a good example. Despite Jimmie’s long hours, hae always made time for Heath: “My father worked his butt off. But if I wanted to go play catch, he could be half-asleep on the couch and he’d go play catch.”4

Following his father’s lead, Bell decided to be present for his own children despite whatever else might be going on in his life. For example, while with the Padres, he biked to school with them. As he told the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2011, “I saw how my dad was, and I thought he was absolutely the coolest father.”5

Jimmie’s work ethic also passed from father to son, serving Heath well as he defied coach after coach who told him he probably wouldn’t reach the next level. Undrafted out of high school, Bell attended nearby Santa Ana College (known briefly as Rancho Santiago College during his time there), which also produced entertainers Steve Martin and Diane Keaton.6

Bell went 8-0 with a 2.17 ERA and nine saves for the Dons as a freshman en route to being named the Orange Empire Conference Co-Pitcher of the Year in 1997.7 He added 12 saves as a sophomore. Although those two seasons would eventually lead to his 2010 induction into the Santa Ana College Hall of Fame, his junior-college success guaranteed nothing in terms of a professional career.8

Again defying his doubters, Bell was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 69th round of the 1997 draft. The 1,583rd of 1,607 players taken that year, he did not sign, later recalling that when the Devil Rays made an offer, “I actually forgot I got drafted.”9 Instead he signed with the New York Mets as a free agent the following summer, starting his career at Kingsport of the Appalachian League, where he posted a 2.54 ERA and led his team with eight saves.

Bell was promoted to Capital City of the South Atlantic League in 1999 and enjoyed another strong campaign, again leading his team in saves, this time with 25. A year later and a level higher, it was more of the same: 23 saves for St. Lucie of the Florida State League. By this point Bell had played three professional seasons, finishing with an ERA under 3.00 and leading his team in saves each year.

But baseball wouldn’t prove to be so easy in 2001. Bell struggled, posting a 6.02 ERA and earning only four saves with Binghamton of the Eastern League.

Meanwhile, Bell’s life changed in other ways. He married his wife, Nicole, and adopted her young daughter, Jasmyne. Heath and Nicole had three children of their own: Jordyn, born with Down syndrome (“our blessing in disguise”10), Reece, and Rhett.

Back on the field, Bell responded with a stellar return to Binghamton, notching a 1.18 ERA and six saves before a midseason promotion to Triple-A Norfolk. He enjoyed less success at the higher level and again posted pedestrian numbers in a 2003 encore but now found himself just one step away from the big leagues.

From 2004 to 2006, Bell rode the proverbial shuttle between New York and Norfolk, often needed for stretches but never quite able to stick. And while his Triple-A performances dazzled, his stints with the Mets — with irregular roles and usage — didn’t go so well. In 81 appearances with the Mets, he posted a 4.92 ERA and zero saves.

By the end of his tenure in New York he was already 28 years old, an age when most players have either established themselves or started preparing for their next career. As Bell later noted, even his family was ready for him to move on: “At that time, my wife was telling me to quit.”11 But, as usual, he persevered despite the odds against him.

Bell might not have endeared himself to Mets management by riding Rollerblades to spring training in an attempt to get into better shape. As Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson told the New York Times in 2005, “How many times do you hear about someone falling off? You can’t motorcycle or sky-drive or go cliff-jumping in Mexico, and you shouldn’t do this, either.”12 (Years later Bell recalled Peterson’s displeasure and conceded that his training methods weren’t necessarily the best.)13

Bell received a new lease on life when the Mets traded him and fellow reliever Royce Ring to the San Diego Padres for reliever Jon Adkins and outfielder Ben Johnson. Returning to the West Coast, Bell immediately thrived as Trevor Hoffman’s set-up man in 2007, posting a 2.02 ERA in 81 appearances and fanning 102 batters.

Bell also became a legend in the Padres clubhouse, known as much for his zany antics (he was fond of flying remote-control helicopters in the clubhouse) as for his prowess on the mound. As then-teammate Jake Peavy said, “He is in his own world. And it is going to get worse because Heath is really good.”14

Bell slipped a bit the following year in the same role, but when Hoffman departed for Milwaukee via free agency after the season, Bell filled the Hall of Fame closer’s shoes with aplomb, leading the National League with 42 saves and being named to the All-Star team. Perhaps not coincidentally, he’d lost 30 pounds before the season. This time, instead of using Rollerblades to get himself into shape, he used a Nintendo game called Wii Fit that his children had been playing.

Bell cleared the 40-save mark again in 2010 and 2011, making the All-Star team each time. At the 2010 midsummer classic, in Anaheim, Bell brought his father — then fighting lung cancer — to sit with him during media appearances and share the experience. It was the least he could for someone who had always made time for him: “He says he’s a proud father. I’m a proud son.”15

In his third and final All-Star Game appearance, Bell sprinted in from the bullpen as usual before sliding into the pitcher’s mound and retiring the only batter he faced. When asked about the slide, Bell said, “I wanted the fans to have fun with this. The fans are really what matters. They’re the ones that show up. They’re the ones who pay our salary.”16

After the season Bell became a free agent and signed a three-year contract with the Florida Marlins.17 He got off to a rough start with his new team, blowing three of five save opportunities in April 2012, and never recovered. He lost his job as closer after the All-Star break18 and found himself publicly locking horns with manager Ozzie Guillen.19 During his struggles Nicole reminded him how much he had already overcome in life and that he would get through this difficult time as well.20

The Marlins traded Bell to Arizona in October 2012 and he again stumbled with his new team, allowing two home runs in his Diamondbacks debut before posting a 2.22 ERA over his next 25 appearances, notching 11 saves along the way. He held onto the closer role for another month before blowing his fifth save on July 10 and losing his ninth-inning job. Bell finished the season on a fairly strong note, albeit in a lesser role.

In December 2013 Bell found himself on the move once more, this time to Tampa Bay, the team that had originally drafted him. Bell’s Rays career lasted 13 games; he was released on May 10, 2014, a week after allowing three runs in what proved to be his final big-league inning.

The Orioles signed Bell on May 18 but released him less than a month later after just 10 appearances at Triple-A Norfolk. He then spent 11 days in the Yankees organization, again at Triple-A, before being released on June 24 and sitting out the rest of the season. The Washington Nationals signed Bell in December 2014 but released him at the end of 2015 spring training. Even during his brief time with the Nationals, Bell had become known for his free-spirited nature, from making his own smoothies because “I don’t like eating my vegetables” to wearing Star Wars sneakers around camp.21

By this time Bell had spent 11 seasons in the major leagues and made three All-Star teams. He’d led the National League with 42 saves in 2009 and finished with 168 in a career that included 590 appearances (all in relief) and a 3.49 ERA — not bad for a guy who repeatedly wasn’t supposed to reach the next level but did it anyway.

Although it seems this could be where the story ends, it isn’t. In 2016 and 2017 Bell pitched for the independent league Kansas Stars, playing alongside several other former major leaguers. As he told the Wichita Eagle, “I’m just here having a good time. I came here last year and had a great time talking with fans. This year I’m a little more comfortable. I want to be a personable player, not a big leaguer, I guess you could say.”22

In 2018 Bell played with more former big leaguers for the Louisville Stars in a week-long tournament called the Bluegrass World Series.23 As he told San Diego radio station Mighty 1090, his arm felt good: “I don’t pitch as much, but last year I was still throwing 92-94, so I can crank it up for a little bit here and there.”24

These days, Bell saves most of his fastballs for his older son: “He’s 14 now, so for the last three years I’ve been throwing batting practice three times a week to his whole team.”25 When he isn’t coaching his kids or playing in the occasional game himself, Bell is co-owner of 7 Cold Brew, a San Diego company that delivers specialty coffee to local offices, restaurants, and bars.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author also relied on Baseball-Reference.com.

Notes

1 Anthony Rieber, “Heath Bell? Name Rings a Bell,” Newsday, March 14, 2015, newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/heath-bell-name-rings-a-bell-1.9988298.

2 HeathBell21.com. web.archive.org/web/20120328125620/http://www.heathbell21.com/?page_id=2.

3 Bob Keisser, “Which Tustin Baseball Players Made It in the Pros?” Orange County Register Anaheim, California), February 19, 2015, ocregister.com/2015/02/19/which-tustin-baseball-players-made-it-in-the-pros/.

4  “For Bell, Every Day Is Father’s Day,” San Diego Union-Tribune, June 18, 2011, sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sdut-heath-bell-its-father-son-2011jun18-htmlstory.html.

5 Ibid.

6 “Famous Santa Ana College Alumni,” Ranker.com, ranker.com/list/famous-santa-ana-college-alumni-and-students/reference.

7 “Fullerton, Cypress Split Post-Season Softball Honors,” Los Angeles Times, May 8, 1997, articles.latimes.com/1997-05-08/sports/sp-56861_1_orange-empire-conference.

8 sacdons.com/hof/members/members/bell.

9 David Brown, “Answer Man: Padres’ Heath Bell Talks Toys, Conspiracies and Pez,” Yahoo.com, March 25, 2010, sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-david-brown/answer-man-padres-heath-bell-talks-toys-conspiracies–mlb.html.

10 Seth Livingstone, “Padres Reliever Shares First All-Star Game with Family,” USA Today, July 13, 2009, https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/allstar/2009-07-13-bell-day-with_N.htm

11 Scott Allen, “Heath Bell, Who Once Compared Himself to Han Solo, Wears Star Wars Sneakers at Nationals Spring Training,” Washington Post, March 5, 2015, washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/03/05/heath-bell-who-once-compared-himself-to-han-solo-wears-star-wars-sneakers-at-nationals-spring-training/.

12 Lee Jenkins, “By Skate or Scooter, Mets’ Bell Has Arrived,” New York Times, February 21, 2005, nytimes.com/2005/02/21/sports/baseball/by-skate-or-scooter-mets-bell-has-arrived.html.

13 James Wagner, “Heath Bell Dropped 40 Pounds This Offseason, Hopes to Compete for Bullpen Spot,” Washington Post, February 18, 2015, washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2015/02/18/heath-bell-dropped-40-pounds-this-offseason-hopes-to-compete-for-bullpen-spot/.

14 Tim Kurkjian, “Fun-Loving Bell Finally Has His Dream Job,” ESPN.com, April 17, 2009, espn.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=4073444.

15 Bill Center, “This All-Star Game Special for Padres’ Bell, Ill Father,” San Diego Union-Tribune, July 12, 2010, sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-all-star-game-special-padres-bell-ill-father-2010jul12-htmlstory.html.

16 Kevin Baxter and Bill Shaikin, “Heath Bell Doesn’t Let Opportunity Slide By at All-Star Game,” Los Angeles Times, July 12, 2011, articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/12/sports/la-sp-0713-all-star-notes-20110713.

17 Bill Center, “Bell, Marlins Agree on 3-Year Contract,” San Diego Union-Tribune, December 1, 2011, sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sdut-bell-believes-his-future-will-be-decided-next-10-d-2011dec01-story.html.

18 Joe Frisaro, “Marlins Likely Headed to Closer by Committee,” MLB.com, July 10, 2012, joefrisaro.mlblogs.com/marlins-likely-headed-to-closer-by-committee-e80d1cd85f3b.

19 “Heath Bell-Ozzie Guillen Rift Widens as Teammates Support Manager,” The Sporting News, September 26, 2012, sportingnews.com/mlb/news/4167961-heath-bell-ozzie-guillen-fight-rift-radio-fire-trade-miami-marlins.

20 Clark Spencer, “Bell’s Wife Soothes His Soul with Facebook Note,” Miami Herald, April 17, 2012, miamiherald.typepad.com/fish_bytes/2012/04/bells-wife-soothes-his-soul-with-facebook-note.html.

21 Allen, “Heath Bell, Who Once Compared Himself to Han Solo, Wears Star Wars Sneakers at Nationals Spring Training.”

22 Jeffrey Lutz, “Kansas Stars’ Heath Bell Has Major Fun Interacting with Fans,” Wichita Eagle, August 5, 2017, kansas.com/sports/other-sports/nbc-baseball/article165680952.html.

23 bluegrassworldseries.com/roster/

24 Heath Bell, interview with Ben and Woods, May 22, 2018, mighty1090.com/episode/heath-bell-i-really-just-miss-the-guys-we-didnt-always-talk-baseball-we-would-just-talk-about-life/

25 Ibid.

Possessing a rare combination of power and speed, Beltrán is one of only five players to date to exceed 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases.1 Across his 20-year career, during which he played for seven different teams, Beltrán was a nine-time All-Star. He also won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. At the time he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2026, his 435 home runs ranked fourth all-time among switch-hitters.2

Despite a confrontation or two with the front office, Beltrán was highly regarded by both teammates and management. He was a student of the game, helpful to younger players, and thought to have a future as a manager. But in his final season, Beltrán led the Houston Astros in an illicit sign-stealing scheme that helped them win the 2017 World Series and, at least temporarily, branded Beltrán and his teammates as cheaters.

*****

Carlos Iván Beltrán Valdés was born on April 24, 1977, in Manatí, a city west of San Juan on Puerto Rico’s north shore. He grew up there with his father, Wilfredo, who worked at a pharmaceutical company, and his mother, Carmen (nicknamed “Mimín”). The family also included older brother Nino and younger twin sisters Marie Liz and Liz Marie, who both became volleyball stars.3

After distinguishing himself at Fernando Callejo High School, Beltrán was taken in the second round of the 1995 draft by the Kansas City Royals. He reminded their scouts of former Royals center fielder Amos Otis, who won three Gold Gloves in the early 1970s.4

That summer, the Royals sent Beltrán to the Gulf Coast League (Rookie), where he won the Rookie of the Year Award despite an unimpressive .660 OPS5 and no home runs. Hitting coach Jeff Garber said, “[Beltrán] started slowly …, but at the end of the year he was one of two players who could have been MVP.”6

During the winter of 1995-96, Beltrán played in the Puerto Rican Winter League, getting into three games for the Arecibo Lobos. He played in five more seasons at home, from 1997-98 through 2001-02, batting .270 with 23 homers in 161 games.

In the summer of 1996 Beltrán played with the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts (Midwest League) and Spokane Indians (Northwest League). While at Lansing, Beltrán collided with a teammate, causing a right-knee injury that required surgery.7 The knee would hamper Beltrán his entire career.

Before the season, Beltrán – a natural right-handed batter (and thrower) – and the Royals agreed that he should try switch-hitting. At Spokane, he hit three homers in one day – all while batting lefthanded. His power, though still modest, had improved.8

In 1997, while he was playing for Class A+ Wilmington (Delaware) in the Carolina League, the News Journal called Beltrán the best center fielder in the league.9 He hit 11 home runs but batted only .229. Though Beltrán had started to show flashes of power, he was still a weak enough hitter to be called “an outright disappointment.”10

After starting the 1998 season at Wilmington, Beltrán was promoted to the Double-A Wichita Wranglers of the Texas League. In a flash, he became a better hitter. He batted .352, had an OPS of 1.114, and hit 14 home runs in 47 games. “It takes time for players to develop,” said Royals general manager Herk Robinson. “But then, for some of them, a light just turns on.”11 Consequently, Beltrán was named Royals minor league player of the year.12 Skipping Triple A, he debuted with Kansas City on September 14 and started their final 13 games in center field.

Early in the 1999 season, to relieve pressure on Beltrán, Royals manager Tony Muser told him not to worry about his hitting as long as he played great defense and hustled.13 That, Beltrán did. He played 156 graceful games in center field and led AL centerfielders in assists with 16. In one game Beltrán made two leaping catches, one of which saved a home run, and threw out a runner at home.14

His offense wasn’t bad either. Beltrán became only the second rookie (after Fred Lynn, 1975) in nearly 50 years to score and drive in at least 100 runs. Like Lynn, Beltrán won the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

On November 6, 1999, Beltrán married Jessica Lugo, with whom he had attended high school.15

Beltrán had a great spring training in 2000, hitting .386 with five homers.16 But he aimed to further improve his defense. Although he’d played well the previous season, saving 20 runs above the average fielder, he’d also made 12 errors. “My goal this year is [to win] a Gold Glove,” said Beltrán. “I know I can get better.”17

However, Beltrán hurt his right knee while stretching before the game on July 3. When the injury was diagnosed as a bone bruise, he was expected to miss only two games.18 Instead, he missed two months, during which he refused the Royals’ request to go to their rehabilitation center in St. Petersburg, Florida.19 Beltrán didn’t want to leave his family and thought he could rehab just as well in Kansas City. Consequently, the team tried to suspend him without pay, only to reverse their decision after the players association filed a grievance which could have led to Beltrán being declared a free agent.   Beltrán’s antics caused clubhouse problems, as catcher Gregg Zaun complained, “I did my time on the DL and I went to Florida like I was told… If you’re going to be a team member, you’ve got to follow the rules like everybody else.”20

Before he was injured, Beltrán was batting .247 with only 6 homers in 76 games. His OPS of .694 was almost 100 points below the American League average and he was called the most disappointing player in the AL.21 When he returned he was even worse, hitting only one home run with an OPS of .600 in 22 September games.

Writers portrayed Beltrán as having shaky confidence – the slightest slump would have him terrified of losing his job, muttering that he’d be demoted, and falling into a downward spiral of self-doubt.22

In 2001 Beltrán left behind the negativity and insecurity of the previous season. He had played his way back into form – both physically and mentally – in winter ball, which included a trip to the 2001 Caribbean Series.23 Although a natural introvert, he came to spring training more relaxed and outgoing.24 Muser asked Beltrán what he would change after his struggles the previous season. “If I get off to a bad start,” Beltrán said, “I won’t panic.”25

Entering 2001, Beltrán set lofty goals: a .300 batting average, 100 runs scored, 100 RBIs, 20 home runs, and 30 stolen bases. Before the last game of the season, he had reached all but one. Three RBIs short of 100 with two outs in the ninth inning, Beltrán hit a grand slam, raising his total to 101.26 He would exceed all those milestones – except batting average – in each of the next three seasons.

The next year, when Beltrán was thrown out on May 18, 2002, it ended a streak of 27 consecutive successful steals – part of a longer run of 60 stolen bases in 61 attempts.27

With two years between their young star and free agency, the Royals offered him a three-year contract for between $25 and $30 million. Beltrán’s agent, Scott Boras, countered by proposing an eight-year deal for $120-160 million.28 Another sticking point was Beltrán’s desire to play on a winning team, and having finished 107 games below .500 through his five full seasons, the Royals were certainly not winners.29 With money and winning standing in the way, the Royals and Beltrán were unlikely to strike a deal. “The Royals need to do what’s best for the organization,” Beltrán commented. “If trading me is best, that’s what they need to do.”30

In 2003 Beltrán stole 40 bases for the first time and became only the seventh player31 to bat at least .300 with at least 20 homers, 100 runs scored, 100 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases in a season. By then, he was considered by some the most complete player in baseball.32

Beltrán showed off his baserunning ability in his team’s September 4 game against Arizona. The Royals were trailing 5-4 with the bases empty and one out in the ninth when Beltrán walked and stole both second and third base. Then, on a fly ball to shallow right, he tagged and scored. Royals general manager Allard Baird observed, “You know how when your big brother comes to play baseball in the backyard and does whatever he wants? That’s how Carlos looked. Like he was playing with boys.”33

Beltrán started 2004 with a bang, winning the AL Player of the Month Award for April and continuing to price himself out of the Royals’ market. He made it clear he wouldn’t give Kansas City a home-town discount. “Would you take less money?” he asked and answered. “Me neither.”34 Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star lamented the Royals’ status as a small-market team: “Baseball’s economics virtually exclude the Royals, limited by small market realities, from making a competitive bid to sign the player who might be the best all-around talent in franchise history.”35

On June 24, the Royals took Beltrán’s advice and traded him to the Houston Astros. In the three-way deal, the Royals got John Buck from the Astros, and Mark Teahen and Mike Wood from the Oakland A’s.

Excited about his fresh start, Beltrán reported to Houston the next day. In 90 games for the Astros, he hit 23 homers and stole 28 bases without being caught. In fifth place in the NL Central when Beltrán was acquired, the Astros won 28 of their final 35 games and made the playoffs as the wild card team.

The Astros beat Atlanta in the NLDS, then lost to St. Louis in the NLCS. In one of the most spectacular postseasons ever, Beltrán went 20-for-46 (.435), had eight home runs (as of 2024, still tied for second-most ever in a single postseason),36 21 runs scored (still tied for most ever), and an OPS of 1.557 (still the third-highest ever with 30 or more plate appearances).37 Hall-of-Fame teammate Craig Biggio said, “Every ball he hit was hard … It was one of the most incredible hitting experiences I’ve seen in my life for that time of year.”38

Overall, Beltrán hit 38 home runs and stole 42 bases in the regular season, just two homers shy of becoming only the fourth player (along with José Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez) to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a season.39

On January 13, 2005, Beltrán parlayed his heroics into a seven-year contract from the New York Mets worth $119 million. The Astros reportedly offered five years plus an option, totaling up to $84 million,40 but would not give Beltrán the no-trade clause he desired.41 His first choice was reportedly the New York Yankees, but they refused to match the Mets’ offer.42

Beltrán started the 2005 season well and was hitting .302/.819 (batting average/OPS)43 on May 21. But that same day he aggravated his right quadriceps,44 and in his next 28 games, batted just .189/.615. He was better in July, but after going 0-for-6 on August 2, Beltrán’s overall numbers dropped to .263/.740 with just 12 homers and 56 RBIs. Consequently, he was booed by fans who, after his fabulous playoff run, expected more.45 Referring to a previous Mets free-agent failure, Mike Lupica of the Daily News called Beltrán “a thinner Mo Vaughn.”46

But he bounced back in 2006 with the best season of his entire career, setting career highs in runs scored (127), RBIs (116), homers (41), OPS (.982), walks (95), and WAR47 (8.2) – second-most in the majors behind Albert Pujols (8.5). He made the All-Star team, won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, and finished fourth in voting for MVP.48

Helped by the addition of Carlos Delgado’s 38 home runs and 114 RBIs, the Mets won 97 games and the NL East title – the only time Beltrán reached the playoffs as a Met. After sweeping the Dodgers in the NLDS, the Mets met the Cardinals in the NLCS. Beltrán was terrific in that series, with an OPS of 1.054 and three homers, including a two-run shot which accounted for the only runs of Game One, and two homers in the Game Four win.

In Game Seven, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Mets down by two, Beltrán came to bat with the bases loaded. With the team’s best player at the plate, fans’ and teammates’ hopes were high. But hopes were dashed when Adam Wainwright snapped off a two-strike curve and Beltrán struck out looking. Unfairly, that is probably how most Mets fans remember him.49 George Vecsey of the New York Times later wrote, “The poor man has become the symbol of failed expectations.”50

The 2007 and 2008 seasons were similar for Beltrán personally and the Mets as a team. Both years he drove in 112 runs, won a Gold Glove Award, and had nearly the same OPS+51. In 2007 the Mets suffered an epic September collapse, blowing a seven-game lead by losing 12 of their final 17 games. In 2008 they blew a 3½-game lead by losing 10 of their final 17. Later in his career Beltrán said, “After [2006], I thought we would be in the playoffs many more times. Unfortunately, something that I have no explanation for happened… It was terrible.”52

Following the games of May 5, 2009, Beltrán led the NL in batting average (.404) and on-base percentage (.504). The next day he said, “I think this is the first year I’ve been here that I’ve been completely healthy … nothing hurts.”53

He should have knocked on wood. Over the next few weeks, Beltrán again developed pain in his troublesome right knee. An MRI revealed a deep bone bruise.54 A cortisone shot made the knee temporarily feel better, but over the next month it worsened, and Beltrán went on the disabled list on June 22.55 It was thought he would miss two weeks, but it turned out to be more than two months. He played only 81 games in 2009, but was terrific when healthy, posting a batting average and OPS of .325 and .915, respectively.

While sidelined, Beltrán traveled to Toronto to be treated by Dr. Tony Galea, who had performed legal platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for high-profile athletes such as Tiger Woods. Galea was later charged with five felonies, but pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of transporting human growth hormone (HGH) into the US.56 After being questioned by FBI agents, Beltrán said, “[Galea] didn’t inject anything [into me] with HGH or anything like that. I have nothing to worry about, nothing to hide.”57 But, why Beltrán felt the need to see a Canadian doctor, let alone a shady one, for a common procedure like PRP remains mysterious.58

After experiencing setbacks during offseason workouts, on January 13, 2010, Beltrán underwent arthroscopic surgery59 on his right knee. Mets brass was left “stunned and furious” after finding out.60 The Mets claimed Beltrán ignored the team’s request for a second opinion. Beltrán said he informed general manager Omar Minaya of the planned surgery and that Minaya said nothing about postponing it and wished him well.61 The incident caused no contractual repercussions, but left strained feelings on both sides.

Initial reports indicated that Beltrán would be able to start “baseball activities” in about three months, though one uninvolved doctor said the recovery for a professional athlete from arthroscopic surgery could be as little as three to four weeks.62 But Beltrán did not return until July 15, six months after the operation, missing the Mets’ first 88 games. After the surgery, Beltrán began wearing a knee brace and stole only 26 bases in his final eight seasons. 

After playing only center field since 2010, Beltrán switched to right in 2011. In a New Yorker magazine article in May, Mets owner Fred Wilpon said of himself, “We had some schmuck in New York who paid [Beltrán $119 million] based on that one series (2004 playoffs). [Now] he’s 65 to 70 percent of what he once was.”63 Wilpon later apologized. Asked if he felt appreciated, Beltrán said, “From my teammates, I have to say yes. From other people, I don’t know.” 64

Through July 26, 2011, Beltrán was hitting .289/.904 with 30 doubles and 15 home runs, had played in all but five games, and made the All-Star Team. But the Mets apparently thought the 179 games he missed the previous two years were more relevant. With no plans to retain Beltrán after his contract expired at season’s end, on July 28, the Mets traded the balky-kneed 34-year-old, along with cash, to the San Francisco Giants for Zack Wheeler.

Management and players alike were disappointed the productive and popular Beltrán was traded. Rookie manager Terry Collins, grateful for Beltrán’s work with young players, said, “He made life simple.” “He’s just a complete individual,” said R.A. Dickey. “Not only on the field, but off.”65

Since Beltrán’s contract contained a no-trade clause, he was able to force a deal to a contending team.66 The Giants, leading the NL West by three games, fit the criterion. Beltrán batted

.323/.920, but the team went 26-32 after he arrived and failed to make the playoffs.

The Giants did not offer Beltrán a second contract, citing a lack of funds.67 (Though strapped for cash, San Francisco won the following year’s World Series.) On December 23, Beltrán signed a two-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals for $13 million per year.

Also in 2011, Beltrán established a baseball academy in Puerto Rico to help high school students develop their baseball and academic skills and make it easier for Latino players to transition to America. Beltrán spoke no English when he arrived in the U.S. in 1995. He said, “Imagine – how can you communicate with a coach? It was hard. If a kid is not prepared mentally, [he] is not going to make it.”68 Proud of his school, he beamed, “knowing I’m going to impact so many kids in a positive way. It feels like winning the lottery.”69 As of 2024, the school was still helping young players develop and assimilate.

Beltrán had remarkably similar seasons in 2012 and 2013, with nearly the same on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+. He had more home runs, RBIs, and walks in 2012, but a higher batting average in 2013. Both seasons, he led the Cardinals in home runs and was named to the All-Star team.

After the games of June 25, 2012, Beltrán was batting .313/.992 and leading the NL in home runs and RBIs. He was the main cog in a humming Cardinals offense, and the great Pujols, who left via free agency the previous fall, was hardly missed.70

The Cardinals won 12 of their last 16 to finish 88-74 and reach the playoffs as the second wild card. They beat the Braves in the wild-card game and the Nationals in the NLDS, but lost to the eventual World Series champion Giants in the NLCS. Typically excellent, Beltrán batted .357 with an OPS of 1.154.

In 2013 the Cardinals won 97 games, won the NL Central, and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL playoffs, but lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Beltrán wasn’t his usual fantastic playoff self, but wasn’t bad either. He may have been hampered as he played through an injury suffered in Game One of the World Series when he banged into the right-field wall in Boston while robbing David Ortiz of a grand slam.71

“There’s not one person in the clubhouse – position players and pitchers – that doesn’t look up to [Beltrán],” said teammate Joe Kelly. “Someday … he might be a manager. I think he’d be very, very, very good at that.”72

Beltrán and his wife started a scholarship fund for college-bound Hispanic students in the St. Louis area. For that and other philanthropy, Beltrán received the 2013 Roberto Clemente Award, “bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”73

With younger players needing playing time, the Cardinals offered Beltrán a contract for just one year at $14 million. He rejected it, signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Yankees – the team for which he’d wanted to play after leaving Houston nine years earlier.

Beltrán had a poor season (for him) in 2014 (OPS .703) but improved each year with the Yankees. He saved his best for last in 2016, when he hit .304/.890, led the team in home runs – though he played only 99 games – and was probably the Yankees’ best player.74

Unluckily for Beltrán, he was a Yankee during one of the team’s poorest three-year spans since the early 1990s. They made the playoffs only once (2015) and then were shut out by the Astros in the Wild Card Game.

On August 1, 2016, the Yankees traded Beltrán to the Texas Rangers for Nick Green, Erik Swanson, and Dillon Tate. The Rangers led the AL West and looked to bolster themselves for the stretch run. Beltrán endured an 0-for-32 slump in late August but bounced back to hit .333 with 20 RBIs in his final 30 games as he transitioned from right field to DH. The Rangers won the West with an AL-high 99 wins but were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.

On December 5, Beltrán was signed by the Astros to a one-year contract worth $16 million. He played 129 games in 2017, mostly as DH. Houston took the lead in the AL West on April 14 and never relinquished it, winning the division by 21 games. The Astros defeated the Red Sox and Yankees in the ALDS and ALCS, respectively, and the Dodgers in the World Series, the first championship for both Beltrán and the club.

After a regular season during which he was poor offensively (OPS+ 81), Beltrán was little help in the postseason, going 3-for-20 with no homers and one RBI. Seeing the end of the road, Beltrán retired on November 13.75 Shortly thereafter, he interviewed for the job as Yankees manager for 2018 but lost out to Aaron Boone.76

In 2019 Beltrán served as special advisor to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. Some thought the move was made to enhance the team’s chances of signing free agent Manny Machado, who was represented by the same agent as Beltrán.77  That December, Beltrán was hired as manager of the Mets.78

The month before, November 2019, in an article in The Athletic, former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers claimed the 2017 Astros had illicitly stolen signs between the opposition’s catchers and pitchers.79 On January 14, 2020, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a report that verified Fiers’ allegations, and led to the suspensions of Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch, along with Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who had been an Astros coach in 2017.

Beltrán, the only player named in Manfred’s report, was found to be one of the “driving force[s]” behind the sign-stealing scheme. 80 Because of his status as a 20-year veteran and potential Hall of Famer, Beltrán had become the team’s dominant voice in the clubhouse and earned the nickname El Jefe (The Boss). When teammates asked Beltrán to end the spying, one player lamented, “He disregarded [our requests] and steamrolled everybody.”81

Fans and opponents, particularly the Yankees and Dodgers, whom the Astros had defeated in the ALCS and World Series, felt the Astros had cheated to become World Champions.

Although their title was not taken away, it was severely tarnished. Cashman later said, “The only thing that stopped us was something ugly and horrific.”82

Beltrán was subsequently fired by the Mets without ever managing a game.83

Beltrán spent two years away from baseball before landing a job in 2022 as a game analyst on the Yankees’ YES network (evidently the team had sufficiently forgiven him).84 However, poor reviews led to the inexperienced Beltrán being pulled from telecasts and relegated to the studio.85 In February 2023 he became special assistant to the Mets general manager and, as of 2025, to their president of baseball operations David Stearns.

*****

Beltrán’s skills were well above average in all facets of the game. He was an excellent baserunner and, before he hurt his knee, a prolific base stealer. He stole 312 in all, and, as of 2024, was the all-time leader in stolen base percentage (86.4%) among players with at least 200 attempts.86 A terrific defender with an exceptional arm, Beltrán gunned down 10 or more baserunners in eight seasons, and prevented the third-most runs (72) of any outfielder from 1999-2008, behind only Andruw Jones (170) and Ichiro Suzuki (92). That 10-year period culminated in Beltrán winning three consecutive Gold Glove Awards.

Beltrán’s main blemish was that he was not an all-time great hitter, though he was superb in the postseason. A career .279 hitter in the regular season, he achieved a .300 or better batting average only three times.87 His lifetime OPS+ (119) ranked number 19288  as of 2024 – the same as Richie Hebner, Sal Bando, and Mark Grace.

However, by combining speed, power, and a long career, Beltrán put himself in elite company. He is one of only four players to accumulate more than 1,500 runs, 1,500 RBIs, 400 home runs, and 300 stolen bases.89 The others are Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Willie Mays.

Among center fielders, Beltrán ranks eighth in career WAR (70). All those ahead of him – and several behind – are in the Hall of Fame. In 2026, in his fourth year of eligibility, Beltrán joined their ranks after receiving 84.2% of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. 

Last revised: January 20, 2026

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and David Bilmes and fact-checked by Steve Ferenchick.

Photo credits: MLB.com, SABR-Rucker Archive.

Sources 

In addition to sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted baseball-reference.com. Thanks also to SABR member Jorge Colón Delgado for Puerto Rican statistics.

Notes

1 The other four are Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, and Andre Dawson.

2 Mickey Mantle had 536, Eddie Murray, 504, and Chipper Jones, 468.

3 Dick Kaegel, “Home Base,” Kansas City Star, February 3, 2002: C1.

4 Joe Posnanski, “Royals Hope Beltrán is Overnight Sensation,” Kansas City Star, April 4, 1999: J11.

5 OPS is short for On-base percentage Plus Slugging percentage (OBP+SLG). It has become a popular statistic for evaluating batting performance because it correlates well with team runs scored and is easy to calculate. So, .700 to.799 would be below average to above average, .800 to .899, above average to excellent, greater than .900, excellent to elite. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/ops-baseball-meaning-stat-slugging-base- percentage/889639770cdb3b2ac7316521.

6 Chris Derrick, “Indians Are Well-Armed, But Lacking in Catchers,” Spokesman Review (Spokane, Washington), June 15, 1996: C1.

7 Derrick, “Beltrán, Spokane Put Clamps on Everett,” Spokesman-Review, June 21, 1996: C1.

8 La Velle E. Neal III, “Beltrán Switches on the Power,” Kansas City Star, July 28, 1996: B-5.

9 Jack Ireland, “Blue Rocks Report Card,” News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware), September 3, 1997: C5.

10 Posnanski, “Royals Hope Beltrán is Overnight Sensation,” Kansas City Star, April 4, 1999: J11.

11 Posnanski, “Royals Hope Beltrán is Overnight Sensation.”

12 Randy Covitz, “Dos Carlos,” Kansas City Star, May 25, 1999: C1.

13 Posnanski, “Royals Hope Beltrán is Overnight Sensation.”

14 Dutton, “Monty Injured in Return,” Kansas City Star, August 11, 1999: D4.

15 Dick Kaegel, “Dissatisfied, With a Smile,” Kansas City Star, March 11, 2000: C1.

16 Kaegel, “Beltrán Takes the Burden off His Back,” Kansas City Star, February 25, 2001: C1.

17 Kaegel, “Dissatisfied, With a Smile.”

18 Steve Rock, “Suppan Sent to Bullpen,” Kansas City Star, July 4, 2000: C4.

19 Dutton, “Beltrán Returns to Rehab,” Kansas City Star, August 25, 2000: D6.

20 Kaegel, “Players to Meet Beltrán,” Kansas City Star, August 7, 2000: D6.

21 Rock, “Extra Innings: In the Doghouse,” Kansas City Star, July 13, 2000: D5.

22 Posnanski, “Right Can Still Be Wrong in Beltrán’s Situation,” Kansas City Star, August 6, 2000: C1.

23 Javier Maymi, “Beltrán spent winter playing with Puerto Rican club,” ESPN.com, February 3, 2001. https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2001/0202/1058778.html

24 Kaegel, “Beltrán Takes the Burden off His Back,” Kansas City Star, February 25, 2001: C1.

25 Kaegel, “Home Base,” Kansas City Star, February 3, 2002: C1.

26 Kaegel, “Home Base.”

27 Dutton, “Beltrán Streak Ends,” Kansas City Star, May 19, 2002: C4.

28 Dutton, “Contract Talks Prompt KC to Consider Trade,” Kansas City Star, December 13, 2002: C1.

29 Wright Thompson, “Winning Over Beltrán,” Kansas City Star, May 20, 2003: C1.

30 Posnanski, “Beltrán Set on Short Term,” Kansas City Star, January 22, 2003: D1.

31 The other six were Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Vlad Guerrero, Alphonso Soriano, and Joe Morgan.

32 Posnanski, “Our Glimpse at Greatness,” Kansas City Star, September 24, 2003: D1.

33 Posnanski, “Our Glimpse at Greatness.”

34 Dutton, “Over & Out,” Kansas City Star, April 4, 2004: G8.

35 Dutton, “Over & Out.”

36 Andrew Simon, “Players With the Most HR in a Postseason,” MLB.com, October 30, 2024. https://www.mlb.com/news/record-for-most-home-runs-in-a-single-postseason Last accessed December 4, 2024.

37 Thirty or more plate appearances.

38 https://www.mlb.com/news/carlos-Beltrán-s-2004-october-still-a-wonder-c212093354 Last accessed November 17, 2023.

39 The 40-40 Club has since welcomed three more members, Alfonso Soriano (2006), Ronald Acuña, Jr. (2023), and Shohei Ohtani (2024), who is also the inaugural member of the 50-50 Club.

40 Peter Botte, “The Bel of the Ball,” Daily News, (New York, New York), January 2, 2005: 61.

41 Mike Lupica, “Met Run Begins,” Daily News, January 10, 2005: 50.

42 Ebenezer Samuel, “Beltrán Subway Switch,” Daily News, May 20, 2011: 66.

43 For readers more comfortable with traditional batting average and those who prefer the more descriptive OPS.

44 Rubin, “Strains Pain Kaz & Carlos,” Daily News, May 22, 2005: 66.

45 Darren Everson, “Boobirds Back for More,” Daily News, August 4, 2005: 70.

46 Lupica, “Shooting from the Lip,” Daily News, September 11, 2005: 63.

47 WAR measures a player’s value in all facets of the game by deciphering how many more wins he’s worth than a player just good enough to play in the majors. Piper Slowinski, “What Is WAR,” February 15, 2010. Last accessed April 30, 2024. https://library.fangraphs.com/misc/war/

48 Ryan Howard won the NL MVP in 2006 on the strength of 58 home runs and 149 RBIs, despite accumulating 3 fewer WAR (5.2) than Pujols and Beltrán.

49 Andy Martino, “Meet Beltrán in St. Louis,” Daily News, December 23, 2011: 74.

50 Derrick Goold, “Curve in the Road,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1, 2011: S26.

51 OPS+ is defined by baseball-reference.com as 100*(OBP/league OBP + SLG/league SLG -1) adjusted to the player’s ballpark. (It is NOT 100 times the ratio of a player’s OPS to league OPS (100*OPS/league OPS)). OPS+ is a more meaningful statistic than OPS because it correlates well to runs produced per plate appearance (PA) and, as such, indicates the player’s percentage of runs produced per PA above or below league average (an OPS+ of 150 indicates 50 percent above average, 90 indicates 10 percent below). Because OPS+ is normalized to the particular season’s league average, there is no advantage gained in high-scoring eras or vice-versa, so it can be used to compare players from different eras. It also removes the advantage of playing in a hitter’s park and vice versa. https://library.fangraphs.com/offense/ops/

52 Martino, “The Last Stand,” Daily News, March 6, 2011: 46.

53 Botte, “Free of Knee and Leg Troubles, Carlos Tears up NL Pitching,” Daily News, May 7, 2009: 62.

54 Adam Rubin, “Santos Brings Home a Winner,” Daily News, May 30, 2009: 35.

55 Rubin, “Put Beltrán on DL, Deck Cards,” Daily News, May 26, 2009: 42.

56 Mike Fish, “Anthony Galea Receives No Jail Time,” ESPN, December 16, 2011.https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/7360176/anthony-galea-canadian-doctor-gets-no-jail-time-1-year-supervised- release (last accessed December 9, 2023).

57 Teri Thompson, et al, “Carlos World in Spin,” Daily News, March 3, 2010: 52.

58 Christian Red, “Expert: Procedure is Nothing Bloody Special,” Daily News, March 3, 2010: 54.

59 Anthony McCarron, “Set to Miss Opener after Knee Scope,” Daily News, January 14, 2010: 63.

60 Peter Botte and Anthony McCarron, “Carlos Says GM Knew in Advance,” Daily News, January 15, 2010: 73.

61 Jon Harper, “Sudden Move Another Shock to Met System,” Daily News, January 14, 2010: 63.

62 McCarron, “Plans Might Not Center on Fill-In,” Daily News, January 15, 2010: 72.

63 Martino, “Fred Dances on His Stars,” Daily News, May 24, 2011: 52.

64 Martino, “Wilpon Apologizes to Beltrán, Reyes,” Daily News, May 25, 2011: 60.

65 Martino, “Sandy Agrees to get Minor-League Hurler,” Daily News, July 28, 2011: 61.

66 Jesse Spector, “Beltrán Contends Giants Are Good Fit,” Daily News, June 29, 2011: 68.

67 Andrew Baggerly, “’Ironclad’ Budget Forces Sabean to Stop,” Oakland Tribune, December 8, 2011: C5.

68 Martino, “The Last Stand,” Daily News, March 6, 2011: 46.

69 Goold, “Beltrán Steps Up,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 20, 2012: A01.

70 Bernie Miklasz, “Birds Could Use Beltrán Revival,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 2, 2012: C1.

71 Joe Strauss, “Hard Knocks,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 24, 2013: W4.

72 Mark Feinsand, “Nothing Will Stop Beltrán from Ring,” Daily News, October 26, 2013: 39.

73 2024 Roberto Clemente Award, MLB.com. https://www.mlb.com/community/roberto-clemente-award Last accessed December 14, 2024.

74 Feinsand, “Yanks Clean House,” Daily News, August 2, 2016: 41.

75 Jose de Jesus Ortiz, “Beltrán Made Big Difference,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 15, 2019: B1.

76 Mike Mazzeo, “Passing on Beltrán a Mistake Yankees May Come to Regret,” Daily News, December 2, 2017: 33.

77 Staff, “Report: Beltrán to Yanks as Advisor,” Daily News, December 19, 2018: 39.

78 Deesha Thosar, “Players Kinda Guy,” Daily News, November 5, 2019: 55.

79 Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, “The Astros Stole Signs Electronically in 2017 – Part of a Much Broader Issue for MLB,” The Athletic, November 12, 2019. https://theathletic.com/1363451/2019/11/12/the-astros-stole-signs- electronically-in-2017-part-of-a-much-broader-issue-for-major-league-baseball/

80 Rosenthal and Drellich, “Details Emerge About Carlos Beltrán’s Role in the 2017 Astros Clubhouse and Sign Stealing Scheme,” The Athletic, February 11, 2020. https://theathletic.com/1600638/2020/02/11/details- emerge-about-carlos-Beltráns-role-in-the-2017-astros-clubhouse-and-the-teams-sign-stealing-scheme/

81 Rosenthal and Drellich, “Details Emerge About Carlos Beltrán’s Role in the 2017 Astros Clubhouse and Sign Stealing Scheme.”

82 Neil Best, “Beltrán Can’t Shake Off Sign-Stealing Scandal,” Newsday, April 4, 2022: A42.

83 Thosar, “Beltrán and Mets Part Ways Over His Role in Houston’s Sign-Stealing Scandal,” Daily News, January 17, 2020: 41.

84 Best, “Beltrán Can’t Shake Off Sign-Stealing Scandal.”

85 Bob Raissman, “Selling the Stench,” Daily News, (New York, New York), February 26, 2023: 63.

86 Career Leaders & Records for SB%, BaseballReference.com. At least 200 attempts from 1901 through 2024. https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/stolen_base_perc_career.shtml

87 Seasons in which he qualified for the batting title (502 or more plate appearances).

88 Among those who played the bulk of their careers after 1901.

89 While interesting and informative, such statistics come with a caveat: Beltrán just exceeds the chosen minimums; whereas each of the other three players amassed more than 600 home runs, 1,900 runs, and 2,000 RBIs.

Born February 10, 1976, in Waco, Texas, William Lance Berkman is best known as one of the Houston Astros “Killer B’s.” From 1999 through 2005, Berkman teamed with Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio to form one of the best offensive trios in the National League.

Berkman was one of the greatest switch-hitters of all time, second only to Mickey Mantle in lifetime on-base percentage, slugging percentage, On Base Plus Slugging (OPS),1 and OPS+.2
In the 10 seasons from 2000 through 2009, Berkman hit 309 home runs and produced a slash line of .300/.413/.559/.972.3 His totals during that span placed him in the top 10 in the majors in walks, doubles, home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, and OPS. Berkman was named to the National League All-Star Team six times and finished in the top 10 in voting for Most Valuable Player six times. His career OPS of .943 ranks 22nd all-time,4 just behind Ty Cobb and just ahead of Willie Mays.

A switch-hitter and left-handed thrower, Berkman spent 15 years in the major leagues, from 1999 through 2013. He played parts of 12 seasons with the Astros before finishing his career with the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers. His primary positions were outfield, where he played all three spots, and first base.

Berkman’s parents are Cynthia, an elementary school teacher, and Larry Berkman, an attorney. Both had athletic backgrounds. Cynthia was a high-school sprinter on the varsity track team and Larry played baseball at the University of Texas.5 The Berkmans also had two daughters, Jennifer and Brooke. He married Cara, the sister of a college teammate. They have four daughters.6

One of Larry’s priorities was teaching Lance to hit. Lance said, “Ever since I could walk, I’ve had a bat in my hand.”7 From the time Lance played in his first youth league, Larry insisted that he switch-hit. (He was a natural right-handed hitter.) Until Lance reached high school, Larry required him to alternate at-bats from each side of the plate, regardless of the pitcher or game situation. “When things were tight and my team needed a run, my teammates used to beg me to hit right-handed,” Lance said. “But my dad wouldn’t allow it. He made sure I learned to switch-hit.”8

Berkman spent most of his youth in Austin, Texas, and attended Austin High in 1991 and 1992.9 When he was a junior, his family moved to New Braunfels, Texas, where Berkman was an honor student and a star for the Canyon High School baseball team.10 As a senior in 1994, Berkman batted .539 with a slugging percentage of .974. He banged eight homers, drove in 30 runs and made the 28-4A All District First Team.11 Canyon High retired his number in 2002.12

When Rice University offered Berkman a scholarship early in his senior year, he agreed based on his father’s advice. “I wanted Lance to be able to relax and enjoy his senior season in high school,” said Larry.13

As a freshman at Rice, Berkman hit .328, set the national record for doubles in a season, and was named Southwest Conference Newcomer of the Year.14 Later that summer, he was voted Most Valuable Player of the 61st National Baseball Congress World Series, in which he tied the tournament record with 25 RBIs in eight games.15

In 1996, his sophomore season, Berkman hit six homers in a doubleheader and nine in one week. Lou Pavailich, editor of Collegiate Baseball magazine, reported that in 26 years of keeping statistics, he had never heard of a player hitting that many home runs in a week.16

That same year Berkman set Rice single-season records for home runs, RBIs, total bases, and slugging percentage. His .398 batting average was the third-highest in school history.17 He also ranked in the top 10 in the conference in runs scored, walks, and on-base percentage.18 He was chosen to the All-SWC First Team.19 Berkman spent his summer in Massachusetts, where he led the Cape Cod League with a batting average of .358.20

In 1996 Rice joined the Western Athletic Conference and in 1997, Berkman’s junior year, the Owls finished 47-14 overall and 20-9 in the WAC. The team again went to the NCAA Division I Tournament and won the Central Regional title.21 Berkman was named the tournament MVP.22 That earned the Owls their first-ever trip to the College World Series,23 where they were eliminated in the first round.

Berkman led the NCAA with 41 home runs and 134 RBIs and batted .431. At the time, the 41 homers were third in NCAA history and the 134 RBIs, second. He averaged 2.13 RBIs per game, breaking an NCAA record that had stood since 1959.24 He also set Rice records for career batting average, doubles, RBIs, home runs, total bases, and slugging percentage.25 He capped his dream season by being named NCAA Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.26

Berkman’s commitment to religion solidified while he was in college. “I had a buddy who was a strong Christian and lived his life in accordance with that,” he said. “This guy was different, and the more that I was around him, I realized that I was a guy who claimed to be a Christian, yet my life didn’t look any different from someone who didn’t. That was my Damascus road experience, where God said either you’re in or you’re out. If you’re going to claim to be a Christian, you’d better demonstrate that. Otherwise, don’t even bother.”27

In 2015 Berkman’s conservative, Christian beliefs stirred controversy in the LGBTQ community when he opposed a Houston proposition that would have made it legal for transgender people to use public restrooms the opposite of their biological sex.28, 29

Berkman had long felt society’s morals were decaying. In 2008, he said, “There’s no absolute truth in our society anymore. Whatever you feel is right, well, do it. Well, that’s no way to live. Some say it’s fine to have premarital sex, it’s fine to get drunk, it’s fine to abuse women, it’s fine to cheat on your wife or on tests, it’s fine to live alternative lifestyles. There’s stuff that comes up with society all the time that’s eroding our moral fiber. And if you don’t take a stand now, you never will.”30

Berkman decided to forgo his senior year at Rice and, on June 3, 1997, the Houston Astros chose him with the 16th pick in the first round of the amateur draft. Soon after, he agreed to a contract that included a signing bonus of $1 million.31 “He is the best hitting prospect we have drafted in some time,” said Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker. “A switch-hitter with power is a rare commodity you just can’t pass up.”32

The Astros assigned Berkman to the Class A Kissimmee Cobras (Florida State League).33 Although he usually played first base at Rice, the Astros switched Berkman to the outfield because they had future Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell at first.34

Kissimmee manager John Tamargo said, “(Berkman)’s always at the park early; he works late. To him, it’s a job. They pay him to play, and he is trying to get the most out of it.”35 Berkman batted .293 for Kissimmee in 53 games, cracked 12 home runs, and had an OPS of .961.

In 1998 the Astros promoted Berkman to the Double-A Jackson (Mississippi) Generals for whom he belted 24 home runs, batted .306,36 and made the Texas League All-Star team.37 Late in the season Berkman was called up to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs. He burst into the league, hitting three home runs in his first game.38 When New Orleans won the Triple-A World Series at season’s end, Berkman was named MVP.39

Berkman started the 1999 season in Triple A and on April 12 tore the meniscus in his left knee.40 After recovering from surgery, he was back in the lineup on May 14.41 Hitting .303 with eight home runs in 58 games, Berkman was called up to the major leagues on July 16, to replace the injured Carl Everett.42 Berkman said, “Ever since I was six years old, I wanted to be a professional ballplayer. Now, here I am in the big leagues. We’ll see how long it lasts.”43

Not very. When Everett recovered, Berkman was sent back to New Orleans,44 but he returned to Houston on August 13 and finished the season there. His major-league average was .237 with an OPS of .708 and four home runs in 34 games.

Although Berkman led the Astros with seven home runs in spring training of 2000, again he began the season at Triple A. A hot start, including a game in which he went 4-for-5 with three homers, and an injury to Moises Alou got Berkman promoted to Houston in late April.45 But after hitting only .222 in his first dozen games, he was sent down. Two weeks later, when Roger Cedeño went on the disabled list, he returned to the Astros permanently.46

In 114 games, Berkman hit .297 with 21 homers. Although he was denied rookie status due to a technicality,47 Berkman received one vote for Rookie of the Year, and his .949 OPS led all rookies who had 400 or more plate appearances.

In 2001 Berkman again tore up spring training, hitting .350 with three homers.48 “I don’t ever take anything for granted,” he said. “I wanted to come in this spring and prove that I belonged out there.”49

Belong he did and he showed it with a breakout year. He led the major leagues with 55 doubles; since 1940, only two National Leaguers have hit more.50 Berkman finished in the top 10 in the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, total bases, and extra-base hits. He had the highest batting average (.331) and OPS (1.051) of his career, drove in 126 runs, and scored 110. He cracked 34 home runs, becoming the first switch-hitter and 15th player to hit at least 50 doubles and 30 home runs in a major-league season.51 He made the All-Star Team and ranked fifth in voting for the NL MVP Award.

“Maybe five times this year, Lance has had what you’d call a bad at-bat,” said Astros manager
Larry Dierker. “Quite simply, he understands the art of hitting.”52

Even though the Astros lost nine of their final 12 games, they eked out the National League Central Division title with a record of 93-69. But they were swept in the Division Series by the Braves. Berkman’s performance was lackluster: He went 2-for-12, with two singles, and no walks, runs scored, or RBIs.

It was the fourth time in five years that the Astros won the division, but in the playoff series they won only two games. Dierker, the manager of each of those teams, was fired that offseason.53

In January of 2002, the Astros signed Berkman to a three-year contract worth $10.5 million even though he was not yet eligible for arbitration. General manager Hunsicker and owner Drayton McLane made the unusual move not only because of Berkman’s ability, but also because they were impressed by his contributions to the community. He established Berkman’s Bunch, which helped area children attend Astros games, and was a nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for community service.54

Berkman justified his new contract by leading the NL with 128 RBIs and batting .292 with an on-base percentage of .405 and an OPS of .982. He hit 42 home runs and tied for third in the NL in total bases. He finished third in MVP voting and again was selected to the NL All-Star Team.

Berkman got off to a slow start in 2003. At the end of April he was batting only .208 with two home runs and four RBIs. That presaged a season in which Berkman underperformed by his standards. His OPS was the lowest since 1999, he hit only 25 home runs, and drove in fewer than 100 runs (93).

“This is the biggest struggle I’ve had in terms of driving in runs,” Berkman said. “I’m not hitting as many home runs this year and even though I’m swinging the bat good, especially in the second half, for whatever reason, I just can’t drive in runs.”55

The Astros held a 1½-game division lead on September 19. In Houston’s final nine games, Berkman hit .357 with an OPS of 1.149. Despite his hot streak, the Astros lost six of the nine and finished one game behind the Cubs and four games behind the Marlins for the wild card.

In his first three seasons, Berkman was a much better hitter from the left side than the right. That pattern would continue for his entire career. In 2003 Berkman briefly considered giving up batting right-handed and said that if he were to start his major-league career over, he would not switch-hit.56

In 2004 Berkman started the season 0-for-9, but from that point through the end of May, he batted .370 with an OPS of 1.248, hit 14 home runs, and drove in 42 runs. His torrid spring set the stage for a bounceback year, in which Berkman made his third All-Star Team, finished seventh in voting for the MVP, and had the highest on-base percentage of his career, .450.

That summer, the All-Star Game was played in Houston and Berkman entered the Home Run Derby. Although his home-run rate was much better batting left-handed, Berkman batted right-handed in the Derby. He felt he had more power from the right side and wanted to take advantage of the short left field in Minute Maid Park. He reached the finals, but lost to Miguel Tejada.57

On August 26 the Astros’ record was 64-63, seven games behind the Cubs for the wild card. From that point on, Houston went 28-7. The onslaught began with a 12-game winning streak, during which the Astros scored 109 runs. When they won 9 of their final 10 games, they earned the wild card by one game over the Giants.

In the Division Series, Houston beat Atlanta three games to two. The teams alternated wins before the Astros routed the Braves 12-3 in the deciding game. In the League Championship Series, the Astros led the Cardinals three games to two, but their season ended when they lost Games Six and Seven. In the two series, Berkman batted a combined .348, had an OPS of 1.110, hit four homers and drove in 12 runs.

On October 28, 2004, Berkman tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing flag football. He underwent surgery to repair the torn cartilage and reconstruct his ACL.58 Doctors estimated that Berkman could resume playing baseball in five to six months. He said, “I had no business being out there [playing football]. There’s no doubt about that. At the same time, we play football all the time in the offseason. I use that as part of just staying in shape.”59 Berkman was not under contract when he was injured.

To avoid arbitration, in January of 2005 Berkman signed a one-year contract worth $10.5 million. Less than two months later, he and the Astros agreed on a six-year deal that paid $10.5 million in 2005 and $14.5 million per year for the remaining five years. Berkman pledged $100,000 each season to the Astros in Action Foundation, which supports nonprofits and programs related to literacy, education, health issues, religious organizations, and reviving baseball in the inner city.60

Berkman returned from his knee injury on May 6. After 15 games, he was batting .173, with one home run and three RBIs. Berkman said, “I don’t have the same balance I’m used to having. I’ve hit a certain way for years and years, and now it’s a little weaker, and it’s throwing me off. Hopefully, it’ll improve the more I’m out there.”61

The knee did improve, and Berkman went on a two-month tear in which he batted .337 with an OPS of 1.034 and 40 RBIs and led the Astros to a record of 38-16 (.704). “I feel stronger,” Berkman said. “You always hear the term ‘midseason form.’ I feel like I’m getting into that. You’re not worried about your swing or your timing. You’re only worried about seeing the ball and hitting it.”62

After losing their seventh straight game on May 24, the Astros had a record of 15-30 (.333). They were in last place in the division and had the second-worst record in the league. But Houston evidently experienced an epiphany, winning 74 and losing only 43 (.632) the rest of the season. The streak was highlighted by a 15-2 run from July 18 through August 3. Still, on September 13 the Astros remained behind the Marlins and Phillies for the wild card. Houston finished the season with a 13-5 run and beat the Phillies by one game. During the streak, Berkman batted .310 with an OPS of 1.074, hit five homers and drove in 16 runs.

After Game Three of the LDS, Houston led Atlanta two games to one. In the fourth game, with the Astros behind 6-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Berkman hit a grand slam. The Astros tied the game in the ninth, when Brad Ausmus homered with two outs, and finally won on Chris Burke‘s homer in the 18th inning.

Although the Cardinals beat the Astros for the division title by 11 games, Houston got revenge by eliminating St. Louis four games to two in the League Championship Series. In the Astros’ 44th season, they had reached their first World Series. They were swept by the White Sox. The Series was closer than the outcome indicated: Two games were decided by two runs and two by one run.

On January 23, 2006, Berkman had surgery on his right knee to remove scar tissue that had built up after the operation in November 2004. Though there had been some concern whether he would be ready, he was in the lineup on Opening Day.63

The surgery seemed to help as Berkman had one of his best seasons. He batted .315 with an OPS of 1.041 and reached career highs with 45 home runs (fourth in the NL) and 136 RBIs (third). He was again named to the All-Star Team and finished third in voting for the MVP. Berkman also ranked in the top 10 in the majors in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, home runs, RBIs, and WAR.

Berkman was often a comedian in the clubhouse, a guy who didn’t seem to take the game too seriously. To some, he didn’t take the game seriously enough. He didn’t have the body of a conditioned athlete; Gerry Hunsicker, by then the former general manager, described him as “lumpy.” Manager Phil Garner said, “Comparing him to some guys, he wasn’t (the hardest worker).”64

“I think (that perception) just comes from the fact that a lot of guys show up at two o’clock for a seven o’clock game,” Berkman said. “I don’t feel the need to do that. I get dressed right before (batting practice). To me, there’s no sense in getting loose before batting practice, then sit around for an hour and then get ready for the game.”65 “It works for him,” Garner said of Berkman’s approach. “You can’t argue with it. He’s totally off the wall. You can’t put a square peg in a round hole.”66

Berkman followed his excellent 2006 season with a 2007 season in which he posted his lowest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS since his rookie year of 1999. He did establish one career high, but that was in strikeouts.

“Everybody has a worst year of their career,” Berkman said. “Whether you realize it when you’re going through it or not, you can always look back at anybody’s career and pick out their worst year. I’m not conceding defeat and saying I’m not going to be able to rectify this year and finish up strong. That’s certainly going to be my ambition.”

“I’m frustrated when I come to the ballpark,” he said. “I want to win as badly as anybody, and I want to do well to help this team win and I care about it. I don’t want people to think I don’t care and have an `Oh well, whatever’ attitude. It can drive you crazy if you let it. You have to keep some perspective to stay sane.”67

The bright spot was that he finished the season well. In August and September, Berkman hit .311 with an OPS of 1.028 and 17 homers. “I felt pretty good the last two months of the season,” he said.68

Since 2002, Berkman had hit better in even-numbered years.69 In 2008 he stuck to the script — at least early in the season. He got off to a good start in April, then exploded. In May, he hit .471 with an OPS of 1.409, 9 homers and 22 RBIs. At one point in the streak, Berkman became just the second player in 50 years to get 19 hits in 25 consecutive at-bats.70 In the Astros’ first 81 games, he was batting .366 and on pace for a monster full-season of 54 doubles, 42 home runs, 140 runs scored, 212 hits, and 132 RBIs.

But such dreams, more often than not, wither in the heat of summer and Berkman’s were no different. From July 1 through August 9, he went 33 games and 111 at-bats without a home run. The nightmare continued in September, as Berkman suffered one streak of 0-for-17 and another of 0-for-22.

Still, the torrid start helped him earn him his fifth All-Star selection and finish fifth in voting for MVP. He hung on to lead the NL with 46 doubles, scored 114 runs, and drove in 106. Berkman said, “The name of the game for a guy like me is scoring runs and driving guys in. Those are two stats that are very important for me personally. That’s really my job. That’s what I’m supposed to do to help this team win.”71

Berkman was voted the Astros’ Most Valuable Player Award for 2008 by the Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. It was his fifth team MVP award. Only Jeff Bagwell won more.

In February 2009 Alex Rodriguez admitted he had taken steroids, adding his name to the list of players implicated in the drug scandal. Berkman, who adamantly denied ever taking steroids, was frustrated that the cheats made all players look bad. He lamented, “The problem with this whole sordid mess (is) now everybody (is questioned). Even today, all of a sudden my name gets brought up in an article about steroids, and I’ve never even been anywhere close to that. But who’s going to believe me? The point’s well made, because we’re all guilty by association. One side of me is glad that these guys are getting outed.”72

Late in spring training that year, Berkman was diagnosed with tendinitis in his left biceps.73 The injury didn’t keep him from playing any early-season games, but on May 12 his batting average was only .187. He got turned around and, from that point on, he slashed .300/.421/.538/.960. But injuries allowed him to play only 136 games, causing unusually low totals in home runs, runs scored, and RBIs.

In 2010 Berkman entered the final season of his contract. After suffering a contusion in his left knee early in spring training, he needed surgery to remove associated cartilage debris.74 The injury caused him to miss the first 12 games of the season. Upon returning, he collected only 10 hits in his first 57 at-bats and on May 8 was batting only .175 with an OPS of .621.

With the Astros at 9-18 and having not made the playoffs since 2005, Berkman acknowledged that it was tough to play on a losing team, especially at his age. (He was 34.) He said, “This organization has been great to me. I love the Houston Astros. No matter what happens, I’m always going to be an Astro at heart. But as you get older, you definitely start to look at (being on a losing team), and you say, ‘How many sub-.500 seasons do you want to play?’”75

On July 31, the trading deadline, with Berkman having the worst year of his career and the Astros going nowhere, he was dealt to the New York Yankees for Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes. Berkman said, “I’m excited for a new challenge. Coming to a first-place team and a team that’s expected to go deep into the postseason is a great opportunity and one that I really felt like I couldn’t pass up.”76

Berkman started slowly with the Yankees, hitting only .200 and slugging .314 in August. In September, his batting average improved to .299, but his power did not return. After failing to hit any homers in August, he hit only one in September.

The Yankees lost the AL East title by one game but with a record of 95-67 easily qualified for the wild card. In the LDS, they swept Minnesota in three games, then lost in the LCS to the Rangers, four games to two. Berkman started five of the nine games, all but one against a right-hander, and batted .313 with a double, triple, homer, and four RBIs.

Berkman hoped to return to the Astros in 2011, but during a phone call, the team said it wasn’t interested. “It wasn’t a long conversation,” said a disappointed Berkman.77

His career with the Astros now over, Berkman ranked first in team history in on-base percentage (.410), slugging percentage (.549) and OPS (.959), second in home runs and OPS+, third in doubles, runs scored, and RBIs, fourth in batting average, and fifth in hits and WAR. The previous winter, Berkman had been inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame.78

On December 4, Berkman agreed to an $8 million, one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 2011 Berkman regained his old form. He rode hot opening and closing months to a batting average of .301 and an OPS of .959 (sixth in the majors) with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs. He earned All-Star honors, finished seventh in MVP voting, and won the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Because Berkman played much better in 2011 than he had the previous year and was in better physical shape, fans and people in the Astros organization criticized him. Astros radio announcer Milo Hamilton said, “If he had (dedicated himself to training) the last couple years he was here, he could have finished out a really fine career in Houston.”79 But trainer Danny Arnold, who worked with Berkman for several years, disagreed. Arnold said, “It’s ludicrous to say he didn’t work. He was always conscientious.”80

On September 5 the Cardinals’ record was 74-67. It seemed they were out of playoff contention, 10½ games behind the division-leading Brewers in the NL Central and 8½ behind the Braves for the wild card. But from then until the end of the season, the Cardinals went 16-5 while the Braves went 7-15. During the 21-game streak, Berkman batted .413 and the Cardinals won the wild card by one game. They beat the Phillies in the LDS and the Brewers in the LCS and advanced to the World Series to face the Texas Rangers.

With St. Louis behind three games to two in the Series and losing 7-5 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game Six, Berkman scored the tying run when David Freese hit a two-run triple. In the 10th, after the Rangers regained the lead at 9-7, Berkman drove in the tying run with a two-out single. The Cards won in the 11th when Freese led off with a home run. ESPN’s Buster Olney called it the greatest game in baseball history.81 Berkman went 3-for-5, scored four runs, and drove in three.

The next day, the Cardinals won Game Seven and Berkman, who went 1-for-3 and scored two runs, had his first and only World Series championship. In the seven games, Berkman collected 11 hits in 26 at-bats for a batting average of .423 and an OPS of 1.093.

Berkman played two more seasons — 2012 with the Cardinals and 2013 with the Rangers. In both, he was plagued by injuries and played just 32 games the first year and 73 the second. On January 29, 2014, Berkman announced his retirement82 and on April 5 he and good friend Roy Oswalt signed one-day contracts to retire as Astros. To honor the two, the team held a pregame ceremony during which fans showed their appreciation with several standing ovations. Berkman said, “We all kind of felt like we were all part of the Astros family.”83

In 2016 Berkman became head baseball coach at Second Baptist High School in Houston. That year, with former teammate Andy Pettitte as pitching coach, Berkman led the team to a state championship.84

But Berkman really wanted to be the head coach of his alma mater, Rice University. When Berkman’s coach at Rice, Wayne Graham, announced he was retiring after 2018, Berkman told him, “I’d love to follow in your footsteps.”85 However, he was passed over for the Rice job and thereafter resigned from Second Baptist in 2019, saying, “I was really coaching (at Second Baptist) to put myself in position to get the Rice job. When that didn’t work out, it took the wind out of my sails a little bit. I never intended to be a high-school coach for the rest of my life.”86

Looking back at his career, Berkman said, “Whether or not I’m a Hall of Fame-caliber player, I feel like in my decade-plus, from a percentage standpoint I stack up against anybody. I may not retire with what some people think are enough home runs and RBIs to merit induction, but in my mind I can hit with anybody in that building.”87

Berkman was right, if percentage statistics were all that mattered. He would be arguably among the 30 best offensive players of all time. His on-base percentage (.406) and slugging percentage (.537) would place in him the top 25 of Hall of Famers and his OPS (.943) would be number 18 for players in the Hall (as of January 2020).

However, Berkman was also right on his second point. He did not accumulate enough hits, home runs, or RBIs necessary to impress traditional Hall of Fame voters. He finished his career with 1,905 hits and 1,234 RBIs. Outstanding totals, but 1,905 hits are not among the top 300 of all time and 1,234 RBIs not among the top 100. He hit 366 home runs, impressive in 1960, but not in 2020. Also, he had no home-run or batting titles on which to hang his hat. The only high-profile category in which he led the league was RBIs, and then only once. In 2019 Berkman’s first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, he got only 1.2 percent of the vote. Since that is less than the 5 percent minimum to remain on the ballot, Berkman will not appear on future ballots.

But if making the Hall were solely based on character, Berkman would be a lock. After he was traded from the Astros, columnist Richard Justice wrote, “He is … smart, funny and thoroughly decent, a voracious reader and a devoted husband to his wife and a doting father to his four daughters. We’ve been blessed.”88

Even though he had been fired by Berkman, sports agent Brian Peters gushed, “He’s the sweetest kid in baseball. He is absolutely the most genuine young man I’ve ever been around and the kindest, most pure human being I’ve ever met. My association with Lance has made me a better person.”89

In 2010 Lance and Cara donated over $2 million to The Lord’s Fund, a foundation they established. It placed them seventh on Forbes magazine’s 2012 list of most generous celebrities.90

Last revised: September 9, 2020

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Paul Doutrich and Len Levin and fact-checked by Chris Rainey.

Sources

Unless otherwise noted, statistics come from baseball-reference.com.

Notes

1 On-base Plus Slugging is a statistic which, as its name suggests, is the sum of a player’s on-base percentage and slugging percentage. It correlates very well with more complex methods that evaluate the runs for which a batter is responsible.

2 http://m.mlb.com/glossary/advanced-stats/on-base-plus-slugging-plus.

3 http://m.mlb.com/glossary/miscellaneous/slash-line. Accessed December 11, 2019. A batter’s slash line consists of batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and on-base percentage plus slugging percentage. These four simple rate statistics combine to rather accurately describe a player’s offensive ability.

4 Unless otherwise stated, all rankings are from the Play Index of baseball-reference.com. Search criteria are retired players who had 5,000 or more plate appearances after 1901. I chose 1901 because that was the first year of the AL, it is the start of a century, and baseball was just too different in the 1800s.

5 Thomas Godley, “Berkman Swings into SWC Spotlight,” New Braunfels (Texas) Herald-Zeitung, April 16, 1995: 10A.

6 https://playerwives.com/mlb/texas-rangers/lance-berkmans-wife-cara-berkman/. Accessed December 18, 2001.

7 Sean Burgess, “Berkman a Big Hit on the Canyon Diamond,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, May 18, 1994: 10A.

8 https://si.com/vault/2001/08/06/308493/the-story-of-his-life-lance-berkman-loves-a-good-yarn-but-the-best-one-yet-is-about-his-stunning-rise-as-an-offensive-force-for-the-astros. Accessed December 18, 2019.

9 Olin Buchanan, “Breakthrough Season Could Make Berkman,” Austin American-Statesman, June 19, 2001: C1.

10 “Canyon High School Lists Academic ‘All-Stars’ on 1st Six Weeks Honor Roll,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, November 7, 1993: 5B.

11 Burgess.

12 Kirk Bohls, “Berkman’s More Than Mr. Nice Guy,” Austin American-Statesman, April 28, 2002: C1.

13 Richard Justice, “A Job Well Done,” Houston Chronicle, September 27, 2002: Sports 1.

14 Thomas Godley, “Former Canyon Baseball Standout Sets SWC Mark,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, March 14, 1996: 5.

15 “Berkman Adds to Stellar 1995 Season,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, August 20, 1995: 6A.

16 Godley, “Former Canyon Baseball Standout Sets SWC Mark.”

17 David Dekunder, “Berkman Makes His Mark,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, March 23, 1997: 1B.

18 “Southwest Conference Baseball Statistics,” Austin American-Statesman, May 9, 1996: D6.

19 “Berkman Keys Rice in SWC Tourney,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, May 17, 1996: 5.

20 David Dekunder, “Berkman Makes His Mark.”

21 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_NCAA_Division_I_Baseball_Tournament#All-Tournament_Team.

22 Rick Cantu, “Rice Slides Into 1st World Series,” Austin American-Statesman, May 26, 1997: C1.

23 Cantu.

24 Associated Press, “Rice Draftees Head Rich Crop of Texans,” Victoria (Texas) Advocate, June 5, 1997: 2B.

25 “Berkman a Finalist for Smith Award,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, June 25, 1997: 1B.

26 “Berkman, Astros Agree on Minor-League Deal,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, June 22, 1997: 1B.

27 David Barron, “Anniversary Day,” Houston Chronicle, July 16, 2009: Sports 1.

28 https://redbirdrants.com/2017/07/31/st-louis-cardinals-christian-day-2/.

29 https://stltoday.com/news/local/lance-berkmans-comments-upset-transgender-supporters/article_64e3cfb3-4f0d-5723-be76-0b6aa5cb0463.html.

30 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “Stepping Up to the Plate,” Houston Chronicle, January 26, 2007: Sports 1.

31 Tom Erickson, “Batting a Thousand,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, July 14, 1998: 1.

32 Tom Erickson, “Berkman Waits for Deal,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, June 8, 1997: 1B.

33 “The Berkman Line,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, August 15, 1997: 1.

34 Rex Hoggard, “Cobras’ Berkman Makes the Effort,” Orlando Sentinel, August 17, 1997: C-12.

35 Hoggard.

36 “The Berkman Line,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, September 6, 1998: 3B.

37 Tom Erickson, “The View from Left Field,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, July 17, 1998: 1B.

38 Mike Christensen, “Booster Club Gives MVP to Sanchez,” Jackson (Mississippi) Clarion-Ledger, August 24, 1998: 3C.

39 Tom Erickson, “Berkman’s Fan Club meets for First Time,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, November 25, 1998: 9A.

40 Peter Brown, “Berkman Recovering Well from Surgery on Left Knee,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, April 20, 1999: 10.

41 “Lance Is Back,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, May 27, 1999: 10.

42 Neil Hohlfeld, “Berkman’s Back in Town as Big-Leaguer,” Houston Chronicle, July 17, 1999: Sports 1.

43 Peter Brown, “Rising Star,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, July 20, 1999: 8.

44 Joseph Duarte, “Astros Activate Everett,” Houston Chronicle, August 6, 1999: Sports 2.

45 Carlton Thompson, “Astros Summary,” Houston Chronicle, April 17, 2000: Sports 4.

46 Neil Hohlfeld, “Berkman’s Having a Blast,” Houston Chronicle, July 10, 2000: Sports 9.

47 To be considered a rookie, a player cannot have spent 45 or more days on a major-league roster prior to September 1. In 2009 Berkman spent only 41 days available to the Astros because he had been sent to New Orleans for six days from August 7 to 12. But because his stay in the minors was less than 20 days, he continued to accumulate major-league service time, making his total time on the major-league roster 47 days, thus taking away his rookie status.

48 Joseph Duarte, “Bests and Worsts of Camp,” Houston Chronicle, March 29, 2001: Sports 7.

49 John P. Lopez, “Berkman Proving Just Right in Left,” Houston Chronicle, March 3, 2001: Sports 1.

50 Six of the top 10 NL seasons for doubles came in the 1930s. Three others, including Berkman’s, occurred from 1999 through 2001.

51 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “Coming of Age,” Houston Chronicle, October 9, 2001: Special 4.

52 https://si.com/vault/2001/08/06/308493/the-story-of-his-life-lance-berkman-loves-a-good-yarn-but-the-best-one-yet-is-about-his-stunning-rise-as-an-offensive-force-for-the-astros. Accessed December 18, 2019.

53 Carlton Thompson, “Year in Review 2001,” Houston Chronicle, December 30, 2001: Sports 1.

54 Joseph Duarte, “A Meeting of the Minds,” Houston Chronicle, January 30, 2002: Sports 1.

55 Neil Hohlfield, “Berkman Strives for Production,” Houston Chronicle, August 9, 2003: Sports 3.

56 Dale Robertson, “Berkman Dismisses One-Sided Thinking,” Houston Chronicle, February 26, 2003: Sports 1.

57 “Home Run Derby,” Houston Chronicle, July 13, 2004: Special 7.

58 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “Surgery Repairs Berkman’s Knee,” Houston Chronicle, November 13, 2004: Sports 13.

59 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “Astros, Berkman Sacked,” Houston Chronicle, November 6, 2004: Sports 1.

60 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “Berkman a Long-term Astro,” Houston Chronicle, March 20, 2005: Sports 1.

61 Neil Hohlfeld, “Want to Win? More Power to You,” Houston Chronicle, May 15, 2005: Sports 8.

62 Neil Hohlfeld, “Slugger Revels in Joys of Summer,” Houston Chronicle, July 30, 2005: Sports 14.

63 Brian McTaggart, “Berkman Won’t Miss Much Time,” Houston Chronicle, January 27, 2006: Sports 10.

64 John P. Lopez, “Berkman Definitely Is the Answer,” Houston Chronicle, April 19, 2006: Sports 1.

65 Lopez, “Berkman Definitely Is the Answer.”

66 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “TV Fanatic Berkman Switches Off Royals,” Houston Chronicle, June 18, 2006: Sports 1.

67 Brian McTaggart, “What’s Eating Big Puma,” Houston Chronicle, June 10, 2007: Sports 1.

68 Joseph Duarte, “Berkman’s Back in Zone,” Houston Chronicle, March 16, 2008: Sports 1.

69 From 2002 through 2009, Berkman’s average OPS+ in even years was 158, while in odd years it was 138.

70 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “The Big Puma Is on the Prowl,” Houston Chronicle, May 13, 2008: Sports 1.

71 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “A Happy Landing,” Houston Chronicle, September 10, 2008: Sports 1.

72 Jose De Jesus Ortiz, “Berkman: Presumption of Innocence Gone for All,” Houston Chronicle, February 10, 2009: Sports 1.

73 Brian McTaggart, “Berkman Sidelined by Injury,” Houston Chronicle, March 30, 2009: Sports 1.

74 Zachary Levine, “Slugger’s Surgery Smooth Sailing,” Houston Chronicle, March 14, 2010: Sports 9.

75 Jerome Soloman, “Berkman Open to a Trade if Team Isn’t a Contender,” Houston Chronicle, May 6, 2010: Sports 1.

76 Zachary Levine, “The Berkman Trade in a New York State of Mind,” Houston Chronicle, August 1, 2010: 1.

77 Richard Justice, “Jilted by Astros, Berkman Eagerly Anticipates Offers,” Houston Chronicle, November 28, 2010: Sports 1.

78 Chandler Rome, “Killer B’s Reunited in Team’s Hall of Fame,” Houston Chronicle, January 19, 2010: C7.

79 Zachary Levine, “Fans Envelop Berkman in Group Hug,” Houston Chronicle, April 27, 2011: 7.

80 Richard Justice, “No Apologies, but a Renewed Career and Sense of Responsibility,” Houston Chronicle, April 27, 2011: 1.

81 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_World_Series. Accessed December 28, 2019.

82 Associated Press, “Former Astro, Ranger Berkman Retires from Baseball,” Longview (Texas) News-Journal, January 30, 2014: 2B.

83 Associated Press, “Berkman, Oswalt Sign One-Day Deal with Astros,” Brownsville (Texas) Herald, April 6, 2014: B6.

84 Brian T. Smith, “Like Old Times,” Houston Chronicle, May 26, 2016: C1

85 Joseph Duarte, “Rice Baseball,” Houston Chronicle, May 12, 2018: C005

86 https://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/lance-berkman-steps-down-second-baptist-coach/498957. Accessed December 9, 2019.

87 Joe Strauss, “Nearing the End?” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 25, 2012: B1.

88 Richard Justice, “The Berkman Trade,” Houston Chronicle, July 31, 2010: Sports 1.

89 Bohls.

90 forbes.com/sites/andersonantunes/2012/01/11/the-30-most-generous-celebrities/#1478845e4994. Accessed April 12, 2020.

Barry Lamar Bonds was born on July 24, 1964, in Riverside, California, to Bobby Bonds and Patricia Howard. The teenagers had grown up next door to each other, Bobby the star athlete and Pat the beauty, and married at 17. Bobby came from a very successful sporting family; his sister, Rosie, competed in the 1964 Olympics as a hurdler, and his brother, Robert, was drafted by both the National Football League and the American Football League before their merger. A year after Bobby and Pat’s wedding, Barry was born, and two weeks after that Bobby signed a professional contract with the San Francisco Giants. He went on to a prolific major-league career, showing both power and speed while playing for eight teams in a 14-year career.

While Bobby was in the minor leagues, Barry lived with his mother in Riverside, where they welcomed a second son, Ricky, a year after Barry, and a few years later a third boy, Bobby Jr. The family also adopted a girl, Cheryl. The children were raised by the metaphorical village, their mother being helped by friends and family around town while Bobby was away playing baseball.

In 1968 Bobby was called up to the major leagues, making his debut with the Giants in June. He quickly established himself, and soon his family came visiting, Barry making his first appearance in a major-league locker room. Bobby and teammate Willie Mays had become close, and Bobby asked Mays to be Barry’s godfather.

In 1969 Bobby moved his family to San Francisco, to the almost exclusively white area of San Carlos. Barry was usually one of few black children where he lived and at the schools he attended. Later in life he referred to himself as having come from Los Angeles, in an attempt to gain some credibility, but black players who had grown up in the inner city would ridicule him for it.

In school Barry was an average student, but his athletic ability dominated people’s perception of him. Some people considered him a bully on the sports fields, although one of his teachers said that wasn’t the case, but rather that “whatever he was playing – Four Squares or dodgeball – he played to win.”1

Bobby was traded to the New York Yankees at the end of the 1974 season, just as Barry was beginning his own baseball career. As a 10-year-old, Barry awed the adults in the San Carlos Little League, where he played for the Lions Club Yankees under coach Lloyd Skjerdal. “It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere – just showed up one day, ready to be a star,” said Skjerdal.2 Barry hit over .400 each season in Little League, showing both the talent and cockiness that would follow him throughout his career.

In 1978 Barry entered Junipero Serra High School, which was well known for its athletic program, producing a number of future MLB and NFL stars, like Jim Fregosi and Tom Brady. Barry’s high-school coach, Tim Walsh, said, “He wanted to be great. A lot of kids just wanted to play. That wasn’t enough for him.”3 Bonds played basketball and football in high school for a couple of seasons, and played well in both, but it was clear that baseball was his preferred sport. He led the league in home runs, and in his senior year he hit .467 with14 homers and 42 RBIs. But he never studied, he was late for practice, and showed up other teams on the field (watching his home runs, for example, something he would continue to do in the major leagues). As scouts came sniffing around, this behavior began damaging his reputation, with scouts noting his arrogance, one even writing “Asshole” under “Attitude/Personality” in his report.4

Bobby had retired from professional baseball, his career derailed by alcoholism, which had turned a number of teams away. Thus the news that he would act as Barry’s adviser in the coming 1982 draft caused Barry’s stock to drop. An expected first-rounder, he fell to the Giants in the second round. They offered Barry $70,000 to sign, but when Bobby said he wanted $5,000 more, the Giants said no thanks, and Barry headed to college.

Barry attended Arizona State, one of the powerhouses of college baseball. A starter as a freshman, he led the team with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs, and dominated the College World Series, though the team finished third. Barry didn’t make friends easily; his college coach, Jim Brock, said: “I don’t think he ever figured out what to do to get people to like him.”5 Bonds in fact made enemies with his attitude, skipping or being late for practice, ignoring team rules, and generally acting as the big man on campus. Brock, trying to settle things in 1984, told the team to vote on whether Bonds should stay on the team. Almost all the players voted against Bonds, which surprised Brock since he had expected them to want to keep his playing ability. Switching his plan, he told them that he wouldn’t remove Bonds since their vote had not been unanimous.6 The team went back to the College World Series, where it lost again, but Bonds set a College World Series record with hits in seven straight at-bats.

Bonds spent a short period in Alaska in the summer of 1983 after signing with the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks. Because of school commitments, he never played a game in Alaska. He suited up but did not play in the Alaska Baseball League tournament, then played six games for the Goldpanners in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas, where he went 4-for-18 with no home runs.

In 1985 Arizona State suffered severe penalties for NCAA violations; some players were suspended and the team was banned from postseason play. While the team struggled, Bonds got even better, hitting .368-23-66 and being named a second-team All-American. He decided he would turn pro after his junior year. In June 1985 Bonds was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he signed a couple of days later for a bonus of $150,000. The Pirates sent him to play for Prince William in the Class A Carolina League, where Bonds performed well, hitting .299 with 13 home runs. This earned him a promotion to the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League the next season. Bonds enjoyed his time in Hawaii, spending days on the beaches and nights in the ballpark, but he wasn’t there long, hitting .311 with 7 home runs in 44 games.

With the Pirates struggling at 17-24, Bonds was called up and made his major-league debut on May 30, 1986, against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Three Rivers Stadium. Looking to use his speed, manager Jim Leyland inserted Bonds into the leadoff spot, where he remained for the next four years. His debut was a day to forget for Bonds, as he went 0-for-5 with a walk and three strikeouts, and the Pirates lost in 11 innings. Bonds got his first hit the next day, leading off the first inning with a double off Rick Honeycutt – and was then immediately picked off second by Honeycutt.

In one of those scheduling oddities, Bonds ended up with a hit before his major-league debut. The Pirates and Cubs had played on April 20, but the game was suspended in the 14th inning with the score tied. The game was made up on August 11, and Bonds, now with the Pirates, pinch-hit in the 17th inning, hitting a single that scored two runs (one of them on an outfield error), which proved to be the difference in the score. Because major-league rules consider the date of a suspended game to be the date on which it began, Bonds is credited with a hit and an RBI on a date more than a month before his official debut on May 30.

It didn’t take Bonds long to show his power, his first major-league home run coming on June 4 in Atlanta off Craig McMurtry, a day that ended with four hits and four RBIs. It took a few more days to get a stolen base, when on June 7 Bonds stole twice against Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets.

Bonds ended the season hitting just .223 and striking out 102 times. But he showed flashes of his future self, with 16 home runs and 36 steals. This was enough for Bonds to finish sixth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Bonds kept improving with the Pirates, and the team followed. Leading off and running wild, he continued to show the combination of power and speed that he had shown in his rookie year. In 1987 the team traded for Andy Van Slyke to play center field, pushing Bonds to left. This was an acknowledgment that Bonds had not been a good center fielder in his rookie season, seemingly ignoring coaching and playing shallow, trying not to show how weak his throwing arm was. The problem with that was that balls hit over his head could roll forever.

Van Slyke won his first Gold Glove after the 1988 season, and Bonds admired the trophy Van Slyke received. “Next year I’m gonna win me one of these,” he said. It actually took him two years, but in 1990 he began a streak of winning eight Gold Gloves in nine seasons. Van Slyke said that Bonds had felt he hadn’t needed to be a good outfielder, but once he decided to, “he willed himself to become great.”7

In June 1987 the Pirates traveled to Montreal for a series with the Expos, and Bonds went to a local strip club, where he met the bartender, Susann “Sun” Branco. After a telephone courtship for the rest of the season, Sun moved to Phoenix to live with Barry at the end of the year, and in February 1988 they were married in Las Vegas.

Leading off for the Pirates, Bonds got better and better each year. He was hitting for power, he was stealing regularly, and was showing all-round ability in everything he did. He wasn’t liked, though, the working-class city of Pittsburgh occasionally seeing him making little effort, while players like Van Slyke busted on every play. Bonds was almost traded a couple of times, the Pirates making it clear that if they got a good package they would make him available. But he stayed, eventually moving in 1990 to fifth in the batting order, behind Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla, where the three would spearhead a powerful middle of the order and bring success to the Pirates. “He’s maturing as a player and he’s coming of age,” said Leyland.8

Bonds’ success gleaned personal rewards as well: his first of 14 All-Star games, and his first MVP award for a 1990 season in which he hit .301-33-114. “I decided this year was time for me to get the respect I deserved for myself,” he said.9 He finished a close second in the MVP race to Terry Pendleton of the Braves the next year, many speculating that Bonds’ personality and relationship with the media cost him enough votes for him to lose the race. He made sure that wouldn’t matter the following year, winning the MVP again in 1992 with another dominant season.

Bonds led the Pirates to three postseasons in a row in 1990-92. In those three playoff series Bonds hit just .191 in 20 games, with one home run, coming in a 13-4 win. In one of the iconic moments in postseason history, the Atlanta Braves beat the Pirates in the 1992 NLCS, the final play of the series being Francisco Cabrera’s hit to left field that scored Sid Bream with the winning run, Bonds’ throw home just too late.

In high school, in college, and in the major leagues, Bonds’ performance when the season was on the line was nowhere near his regular-season performance. This was because the opponents were much tougher, and because those teams, recognizing that Bonds was the biggest threat, generally pitched around him. His postseason mediocrity led Pirates fans to say good riddance when he left, using anything to mask their disappointment at their star player leaving.

As his time in Pittsburgh wore down, it became clear that the small-market Pirates would not be able to re-sign Bonds to the big contract the market could give him. He entered free agency as the premier player on the market, but found himself not as wanted as he thought he would be. His personality and his disdain for both fans and media led some teams to think he would be more trouble than he was worth. They were wrong, of course; it has been shown many times in history that performance on the field can far outweigh actions off it. But still, Bonds’ agent, Dennis Gilbert, had to call around and beg teams to make an offer. Their lukewarm response bothered Bonds, but his agent mentioned any kind of contact to the media, telling journalists how many teams were interested in his player. This ended up becoming somewhat of a joke within baseball circles.

Bonds’ demands to be the highest paid player in baseball were more than even the Yankees could afford. But there was a new owner in San Francisco, and as many new owners do, Peter Magowan wanted to make a splash. Splash he did, signing Bonds to what was then the biggest contract in baseball, for six years and $43 million. Bonds was returning to his childhood home. “Every time I step on that field … I know my godfather’s in center field and my dad’s in right field,” he said.10

Immediately Bonds alienated Giants fans, though, being given Mays’ retired uniform number 24. (He quickly changed to 25 when there was an outcry.) That alienation didn’t last long, as he won the fans over with his performance on the field.

For the rest of his career, even when it seemed as if the rest of the baseball world had turned against him, Bonds was loved in San Francisco. He was theirs and they were his, whether he returned their love or not.

Bonds started with a bang in San Francisco, leading the league with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs (his only RBI title) in 1993, and finishing fourth with a .336 batting average, establishing himself as a legitimate Triple Crown contender. He won his second MVP in a row. But then things changed. Bonds still performed at an outstanding level, but he had set the bar so high that when he didn’t reach those heights he lost MVP votes. For example, in 1995 he finished 12th in the voting, when WAR (wins above replacement) suggest that he was the second-best player in the league, behind Greg Maddux (who finished third in the MVP balloting). Unless he was having a truly dominant season, it seemed, voters were not giving him the benefit of the doubt. “Once you’ve won it a few times, the standards for you are very high,” he said11

In 1996 Bonds became just the second player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. (Jose Canseco in 1988 had been the first.) Bonds accomplished the 30-30 feat five times, matching his father, Bobby, as the only two players to have five 30-30 seasons. On three other occasions Barry was close, each time having enough home runs but twice finishing with 29 steals and once with 28.

In 1993, Bonds’ first season in San Francisco, the team had made a huge leap, going from 72 wins to 103, but missing out on the playoffs as Atlanta won 104 games that year. The Giants spent the next few years struggling, but setting things up for a run from 1997 to 2004 in which they finished first or second in their division each year.

In 1998 Bonds got one of the ultimate honors: being intentionally walked with the bases loaded, just the fifth time that had ever happened in the major leagues, and the first since 1944. On May 28, with the Arizona Diamondbacks leading 8-6 with two outs in the ninth, Buck Showalter ordered Bonds walked. The next batter lined out to end the game. This was a huge sign of respect for Bonds, and intentionally walking him (albeit without the bases loaded) was a trend that would grow to historic proportions.

Bonds was a very private person, not letting many people into his inner circle even when he was a child. Stories abound about his social interaction, both with teammates and others. He reportedly did things in private for many people, not wanting any publicity about them. Other reports talk of him yelling at youngsters seeking his autograph. In the clubhouse he was disliked, a loner whom other people didn’t get on with at all. His attempts at humor often fell flat, tending to insult others, and when others played pranks on Bonds, he tended to take it as an insult.

Bonds would use the media when he needed to but would ignore them or be rude to them when he didn’t. He spent much of his career telling reporters “tomorrow” when they asked for an interview, but of course tomorrow never came. Much of this attitude came from his father’s career; Barry had seen how the media had treated Bobby when he fell into drinking and wasting his talent. Bobby had instilled the idea that the media would raise you up when they wanted to and tear you down when they were done with you, and Barry took it to heart. He regularly had people in the locker room protecting him from reporters trying to approach, and would often blow off prearranged meetings or interviews.

All these stories paint a picture of a lonely man, one with a desperate need to be loved and admired for his performance but unable to open up and let others in and see beyond the player. Bonds was admired for his feats, but never loved by fans around the league like his contemporaries, people like Ken Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa.

Bonds had divorced Sun in 1995, and married Liz Watson in 1998. They had known each other since before Barry married Sun, a friendship that Sun was not happy about. But Bonds had another life on the road, spending many road trips in the company of a girlfriend, Kimberley Bell. That affair would become public knowledge in 2005, causing Bonds much trouble both personally and in legal matters.

Bonds had a son, Nikolai, in 1990 and a daughter, Shikari, in 1991 with Sun. The children did not spend much time with him, living with their mother after they divorced. They would spend a couple of weeks during the summer with their father, but were never close. Bonds had another daughter, Aisha, in 1999 with Liz. He and Liz separated a couple of times, then divorced in 2010.

After the 1998 season things changed for Bonds. He had just watched Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa battle for the home-run record, and watched the baseball world’s attention turn to them and away from him. Bonds always wanted to be in the limelight. He changed himself and achieved a new level of greatness because of this. Some say it was a strong work ethic that brought him through. Many others allege he did it illegally, that this was the period when he began using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to boost himself to new heights.

In the winter following the 1998 season, Bonds began working with a trainer called Greg Anderson. Anderson was a low-level steroids user and dealer, hanging out in local gyms. Bonds began exercising with him, lifting weights and working out in an intense fashion. Anderson also introduced him to various steroids, which Bonds took on a regular basis. He showed up in spring training in 1999 having put on a lot of muscle weight. On first seeing him, teammate Charlie Hayes said to a reporter “Did you see my man? … He was huge!”12 But the rapid muscle gain came at a cost; in early 1999 Bonds suffered a torn triceps from stressing his elbow so much. He required surgery and eventually missed a third of the season.13

Bonds set a career high for home runs in 2000, with 49, but that was just a warmup. The 2001 season began with an Opening Day home run, followed shortly by six straight games with home runs. On April 17 he joined the 500-home-run club with a blast into San Francisco Bay off Terry Adams of the Dodgers. In May he hit nine home runs in six games, including three in a game in Atlanta. After a slow July (six home runs) he ended the month with 45, not far off the pace to attack McGwire’s record 70. Bonds passed his own career high on August 11 with his 50th home run of the season, and kept on going.

He had 63 home runs on September 11, when events at the World Trade Center shocked the world and put baseball on hold. It could have been the end of Bonds’ chase for McGwire’s record if the ensuing games had been canceled, but instead they were postponed and baseball resumed a week later. Bonds resumed hitting home runs, and was up to 69 with a week left in the season, when the Giants went to Houston for a three-game series. The Astros were fighting for a playoff spot, and were determined to not let Bonds beat them. They pitched around him all series long, to the ire of their own fans, who had filled the park in expectation. It wasn’t until the ninth inning of the third game of the series, on October 4, with the Giants leading 9-2, that the Astros finally pitched to Bonds. Bonds homered off Wilfredo Rodriguez to tie McGwire for the single-season record. Back at home against the Dodgers the next day, Bonds took care of things quickly, homering in the first and third innings off Chan Ho Park to break the record, and adding another on the last day of the season to set the single-season record at 73.

Bonds was rewarded with the National League MVP for 2001, the first player to win four MVPs. He also signed a new contract with the Giants in January 2002, a five-year, $90 million deal that astounded people because he was 37 years old. With his age and related injuries – a painful degenerative disk in his back – no one expected that he would be playing by the end of the contract.

By now Bonds was feared, perhaps the most dangerous hitter of all time. He was being intentionally walked at all-time record rates, his 68 intentional walks in 2002 blitzing Willie McCovey’s record of 45 in a season. Two years later, in 2004, Bonds was intentionally walked an incredible 120 times, out of a total of 232 walks, which contributed to his reaching base 376 times that season, just three behind Babe Ruth’s record. Teams would rather put Bonds on base and take their chances with anyone else. The Giants reaped the reward, Bonds scoring over 100 runs for them every season from 1993 through 2004 except for strike-shortened 1994 and injury-shortened 1999. Because of all the walks, he usually ended up scoring more runs than he drove in, a factor in his winning just one RBI title, in 1993. Bonds would probably have broken the career RBI record if he hadn’t been walked so much (and spent the first four years of his career leading off). Still, his 1,996 RBIs were fourth all-time when he retired, not far behind Hank Aaron’s 2,297.

Bonds was well rewarded for his performances in the early 2000s. In 2000 he finished second in the MVP race to teammate Jeff Kent, who hit .334-33-125 compared with Bonds’ .306-49-106, and got 22 first-place votes to Bonds’ 6. It is reasonable to say that Kent benefited from hitting behind Bonds in the lineup, and by most advanced statistical measures Bonds was the better player (WAR of 7.7. against 7.2 for Kent).

Bonds then was voted the MVP in four straight seasons, 2001-04. No other player ever won more than two in a row, and Bonds’ total of seven MVPs outstripped everyone else; the next highest total, shared by nine players, is three. Bonds was simply dominating the league. He won two batting titles, hitting .370 in 2002 and .362 in 2004. In 2001 he barely missed breaking Ruth’s single-season OPS record, then he broke it in 2002, and again in 2004.

There are hardly words to describe how dominant Bonds was in that period. Debates will always rage, but statistically Bonds’ efforts from 2000 to 2004 can be claimed as the greatest five-year period ever for a hitter.

But for all Bonds’ personal success, team success proved elusive. In the 15 seasons he played for the Giants, they won just three division titles (1997, 2000, 2003), losing the National League Division Series each time, and Bonds struggled in all three series. In 2002, their most successful postseason while Bonds was there, they finished second in the National League West, and with their wild-card entry into the playoffs, Bonds finally hit well in the postseason, as the Giants beat the Braves in the NLDS, then the Cardinals in the NLCS.

So Bonds got his one appearance in the World Series spotlight that year against the California Angels, and did all he could, having one of the greatest World Series of all time. In his first World Series at-bat he homered leading off the second inning of Game One, and the Giants held on to win 4-3. In Game Two he walked his first three at-bats, but Giants pitching couldn’t keep the Angels down, and even though Bonds hit a solo homer with two out in the top of the ninth to bring the score to 11-10, it merely staved off defeat when the next batter popped out to end the game.

Bonds put on another display of power in Game Three with a homer in the fifth inning, making it three straight games with a home run, but this time the Angels were far ahead and it didn’t make a difference. By now the Angels had awakened to the fact that Bonds was at last a postseason threat, and intentionally walked him three times in Game Four, although the rest of the Giants did enough to squeak out a 4-3 win. They pitched to Bonds again in Game Five (he hit two doubles), but only because the Giants ran away with the game, 16-4. The Series returned to Anaheim with the Giants leading three games to two, and again Bonds was worked around. He homered leading off the sixth in Game Six, but was walked twice and the Giants bullpen blew a 5-0 lead to lose 6-5. And in Game Seven Bonds was quiet, with a single and a walk, but so were the rest of the Giants and the Angels were 4-1 winners to clinch their first World Series title.

Bonds’ one shot at a ring was gone, despite having by far his best postseason ever. He had hit .471 in the World Series with four home runs (tied with several others for second all-time), 6 RBIs and 8 runs scored, with seven of his record 13 walks being intentional (and most of the rest effectively intentional as well).

Off the field, storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. In September 2003 federal agents raided the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO). Run by Victor Conte, BALCO had for years been supplying both legal and illegal performance-enhancing drugs to athletes across the United States. Bonds’ trainer, Greg Anderson, had introduced him to Conte, and when Conte was questioned, federal agents saidhe admitted that he had supplied various steroids to Bonds. Over the next several months story after story would come out about the allegations against Bonds and many other athletes. In November Bonds won his sixth MVP Award, and at the ensuing press conference, asked about PEDs, he denied any knowledge of them. But in December he appeared before a federal grand jury to answer questions under oath about the relationship he had with BALCO.

A year later, in December 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle printed the supposedly secret grand-jury testimony. Bonds had told the grand jury that he used steroids known as the “clear” and the “cream,” but that his trainer, Anderson, told him they were flaxseed oil and rubbing balm.14 A few months later, Kimberly Bell, Bonds’ longtime girlfriend, told the media that she had seen Bonds using steroids. The case against him was damning.

A longtime knee injury had gotten serious enough that Bonds had required multiple surgeries over the winter of 2004-05. He remained in pain and recovery for much of the 2005 season, and it wasn’t until September that he got back on the field for the last couple of weeks of the season. In 2006 he was almost a shadow of his former self, hitting .270 with 26 home runs – he passed Babe Ruth’s 714 in May – but still receiving plenty of walks of both kinds. He came back again in 2007, with the all-time home-run record in his sights. On August 4 in San Diego he tied Hank Aaron with home run number 755, and three days later, on the 7th, he homered off Mike Bacsik of the Washington Nationals to break the record. San Francisco celebrated wildly, as the city did most things Bonds, but the rest of the baseball world was angry that a cheater had broken the sport’s most illustrious record. “It will be the most challenged piece of sport history in memory,” one writer wrote15. The widespread belief was that the record was tainted by steroids, and many had moved on to other things, including baseball itself, which was beginning to crack down on the problem. Bonds celebrated, but after taking the record to 762 by season’s end, discovered that the Giants were not interested in re-signing him. He worked out and was ready to play, but following an indictment for lying to a grand jury he was a pariah in baseball, and no team would take a chance on him.

Bonds finished with many all-time records to his name, not just the home-run title. The all-time leader in walks and intentional walks. (His 688 far exceeded runner-up Aaron’s 293.) Third in runs scored, fourth in total bases, fifth in RBIs. All-time leader in games played as a left fielder. Perhaps most amazingly, most telling about his all-round talent, was that of the eight players with at least 300 stolen bases and 300 home runs, Bonds is not merely the only one with 400 of each but also of 500 each. He was far and away the greatest combination threat of power and speed ever.

Bonds may have expected in his retirement to receive many accolades, and enjoy a long and happy life, but things didn’t work out that way. Legal trouble and baseball trouble would follow.

During his grand-jury testimony in the BALCO case, Bonds had made statements that were ambiguous about receiving steroid injections from Anderson. The prosecutors decided that he was evading their questions, and in November 2007 he was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice. In 2011 Bonds was convicted on the obstruction charge but the jury deadlocked on the perjury charges. He was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest, along with community service and probation. However, after a series of appeals, in 2015 the conviction was overturned. A federal appeals court decided that although his answers were rambling and evasive, he did not lie on the stand. When prosecutors declined to continue their appeals, the criminal case was over.

That hadn’t helped Bonds’ case with baseball voters, though. His name went on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2013, and with Roger Clemens also on the ballot, the issue of PEDs climbed into the spotlight. The thought of many was that players who used PEDs should never be allowed into the Hall of Fame, and both Bonds and Clemens suffered in the voting, each receiving just over a third of votes from baseball writers. In the following years his vote total remained very similar, not moving much in either direction. For a player who was almost certainly Hall of Fame level even before he began using steroids, Bonds was clearly being punished by voters. It remained to be seen whether that sentiment would fade, or whether Bonds would be kept out of the Hall of Fame for many years to come.

In recent years Bonds appeared to be trying to change his public image. He regularly posted on social media about events in his life, and tried to present a positive image. Whether that would be sufficient to sway any Hall of Fame voters was doubtful; decades of treating the media badly are difficult to unravel in a short period. Bonds could spend his life beloved in San Francisco but otherwise disliked in public and in baseball, a sad ending for a career that promised so much and delivered on it all, aided perhaps by steroids but also by a strong drive to be the best.

Last revised: December 1, 2015

Photo credits

Barry Bonds, National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

Notes