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.”

Santos Alomar Conde was born in Salinas, Puerto Rico on October 19, 1943. His parents were Demetrio Alomar Palmieri, a sugar-mill machine operator, and Rosa Conde Santiago. There were eight children overall in the family.1 Small in stature at 5’9” and 140 to 155 pounds, Sandy was the only one of the family’s four ballplaying brothers to make it to the major leagues. Antonio (Tony) and Rafael got as high as Triple-A; Demetrio played Class C and D ball. All played in the Puerto Rican Winter League (PRWL).

The Alomar baseball heritage was also visible on the maternal side. Rosa’s cousin, Ceferino “Cefo” Conde, pitched 14 seasons in the PRWL, from 1938-39 through 1952-53. Infielder Ramón “Wito” Conde, Cefo’s son, played pro ball from the early 1950s through the early 1970s – including 14 games with the Chicago White Sox in 1962.

Santos starred for both Luis Muñoz Rivera High School in his hometown and for the local American Legion team. He signed as an amateur free agent with the Milwaukee Braves before the 1960 season, receiving a bonus of about $12,000. The scout was Luis Olmo, the second Puerto Rican to play in the majors. Olmo had seen Alomar ever since he was a youth in Little League and Pony ball.2 Sandy was just 16 when he signed at the same time with brother Demetrio, who was then 21. He was supposed to report to Eau Claire, Wisconsin in the Class C Northern League after the school year ended.3 As it developed, though, he did not play in the U.S. in 1960. He was on the restricted list (perhaps because of his age).4

Still only 17 in 1961, Alomar began his ride on the minor league whirlwind still familiar to young players. To his delight, when he landed in the Midwest League, he found himself teamed with Demetrio in the Davenport, Iowa infield. He later admitted that this fortuitous situation helped make his transition to American baseball more comfortable.5 He made stops in (among other places) Austin, Boise – where he hit a lofty .329 in 1962 – and Denver. Alomar began his PRWL career in the winter of 1961-62 with the Arecibo Lobos. He spent six seasons with the Wolves, followed by six with the Ponce Leones.

Alomar was called up from Milwaukee’s Triple-A Denver club in September 1964. He made his major league debut on September 15, a little over a month shy of his 21st birthday. He started at shortstop in the first game of a doubleheader at County Stadium and batted eighth, singling in a run in his first at-bat off St. Louis left-hander Ray Sadecki. A popup and groundout followed, before a pinch-hitter replaced him leading off the eighth. Besides batting 1-for-3, Alomar also made an error in the 11-6 loss. He started at short again in the second game, but had the misfortune of facing ace Bob Gibson, who struck Alomar out twice.

In 53 at-bats over 19 games in his first big-league stint, Alomar hit .245 with a double and 6 RBIs. He played the bulk of the following year for the Atlanta Crackers, which had become the Braves’ AAA team that season. He did appear in 67 more games for the big club, however, batting .241 with 8 RBIs while playing second base as well as shortstop. He also stole 12 bases.

The Braves’ major league franchise made its heralded move to Atlanta to start the 1966 season, but Alomar’s opportunities to make an impression were growing fewer. Spending most of that season in Richmond (the Braves’ new AAA home), Sandy – now playing mainly second base – got only 44 at-bats with the major league club, collecting merely a double and three singles for an .091 average. In 117 total games for the Braves over parts of three seasons, Alomar hit just .210 with four extra base hits, 16 runs batted in, and only 13 steals. He had made nine errors in the infield. Alomar’s days with the team that brought him to the United States were quickly coming to an end.

Before the 1967 season, the Braves sent Sandy to Houston as the player to be named later in a deal that had brought future Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews to the Astros. A month later, however, Houston moved him along to New York for utilityman Derrell Griffith. The Mets, entering only their sixth season as a major league franchise, were looking for a versatile infielder – shortstop Bud Harrelson was not yet ready and veteran second baseman Chuck Hiller was considered a weak glove man. “It was a case of trading a good bat for a good glove and speed,” explained Mets GM Bing Devine.6

Looking for a way to expand his value at the plate, Alomar came to camp determined to become a switch-hitter, something he had tried in his rookie season with the Braves with limited success. Unfortunately, the results didn’t change. He spent most of the year with the Mets’ International League team in Jacksonville, playing all four infield positions and the outfield but hitting only .209. When the Mets did recall him, Sandy got just 22 at-bats without a hit (this 0-for-22 streak stood for a time as a Met record for hitless futility.) And before the season was over, he was gone.

On August 15th, Alomar was once again a player named later. He was shipped to the White Sox to complete an earlier deal that had also sent third-base great Ken Boyer to Chicago. It was at this point that Alomar became disillusioned. “It was a nightmare,” he told a reporter in an interview three years later when asked about the season in which he was on the roster of four different major league teams. “Like a piece of garbage…They treat me like I was something they could throw away when they want to…They brainwash me. They tell me I cannot hit, that I good glove man…they say I am too little to not wear down. They make me believe these things myself…almost.” However, he had a backer in the White Sox organization: coach Grover Resinger, who knew him from his days with the Braves and from the minor leagues.7

When he had been sent back to the minors in June 1967, Alomar admitted he had thought of quitting and going back to Puerto Rico. “And then I look at my four mouths to feed and one on the way…and I think that for one last chance Sandy will go to the minors.”8 Santos Jr. had been born during the 1966 season while his dad was playing in Atlanta; Roberto was the “one on the way.” The first Alomar child was a daughter named Sandia. Sandy and María Angelita Velázquez had gotten married on December 23, 1963.9

In the Second City, however, Alomar’s prospects began to brighten. He appeared in only 12 games during the remainder of the 1967 season, but in 1968, Sox manager Eddie Stanky finally made Sandy a regular. Under the tutelage of scout and hitting instructor Deacon Jones, Alomar upped his average to .253, at one point in the season reaching .274. Infield mate Luis Aparicio was impressed: “That fellow has improved 150%,” remarked the future Hall of Famer.10

That winter, Ponce won the first of back to-back PRWL championships. Rocky Bridges, then a coach for the California Angels, managed the 1968-69 squad. Unfortunately, Alomar had a slow start to the ’69 big-league season. He was traded again, to the Angels on May 14th, in a package for infielder Bobby Knoop. Though Knoop was coming off three consecutive Gold Glove awards, the Angels thought Alomar could do everything except make the pivot as well as or better than Knoop.11

Angels’ manager Bill Rigney thought he saw in Alomar a chance to kick-start his lineup from the top. “We’ve never had a leadoff hitter,” said Rigney. “If we’re going to do it with singles, we might as well do it with speed, too.” Rocky Bridges was also excited: “Sandy can run,” he remarked. “He’ll create excitement. The fans will be looking for him to go every time he’s on first.”12

It was in Anaheim that Sandy Alomar finally settled down. Installed as the everyday second baseman, Alomar had almost 600 plate appearances in 1969, hitting a passable .250 with 30 RBIs, though he stole only 18 bases. With Ponce that winter, the Leones repeated as PRWL champs. The skipper was Alomar’s double-play partner with the Angels, Jim Fregosi, in his first job as manager.

If Angel fans were truly looking for Alomar to run every time he got on first, they felt much more confident in 1970. Playing the full 162-game schedule for the first time, Alomar hit .251 in 672 at-bats, driving in 36 runs and swiping 35 bases. He also walked 49 times with only 65 strikeouts, helping make him the leadoff hitter the Angels had been hoping for.

Alomar’s season was impressive enough for him to be named as an AL reserve in the All-Star Game after Rod Carew was injured. He took great pride in having his hard work recognized.13 At Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium, he went hitless in his one at-bat, flying out against Claude Osteen in the top of the 12th in what’s remembered as the “Pete Rose-Ray Fosse” game.

Alomar’s professional peak was the 1970-71 winter season. He hit a league-leading .343 in 251 at-bats for Ponce and was named the PRWL’s Most Valuable Player. The Leones finished in fourth among the league’s six teams that season, however, and were knocked out in the semi-finals.

The next season with the Angels proved to be Alomar’s most successful in the majors. Now 27 years old, he collected close to 700 at-bats for the second year in a row and hit a new high, batting .260. He also set personal career bests with 179 hits, 42 RBIs, and 39 stolen bases. In addition, he set a major-league record by coming to the plate 739 times without being hit by a pitch (Alomar was struck by a pitched ball only three times in 15 seasons).

Overall, Alomar enjoyed the most productive stretch of his career in Southern California – in a period covering four full seasons and parts of two others, Sandy appeared in close to 800 games, hitting .248 with 162 RBIs; he stole 139 bases in 186 attempts. At 30 years old, the veteran infielder felt he had finally made his mark. Alomar played in a remarkable 648 consecutive games in one stretch from 1969 through September 1973, until he suffered a broken leg when Jerry Hairston Sr. slammed into him while breaking up a double play. This streak – which earned Alomar the nickname “The Iron Pony” – is still 19th-longest in big-league history.

Alomar sat out the 1973-74 winter season in Puerto Rico while he recovered from his broken leg. Meanwhile, in December 1973, the Angels acquired second baseman Denny Doyle from the Philadelphia Phillies. Doyle won the starting job in California that spring, and in July 1974, after playing in just 54 games as a reserve, Alomar was on the move again. His contract was sold to the New York Yankees, who had parted ways with their second baseman since 1967, Horace Clarke, that May.

The change of scenery helped – Alomar batted .269 in 76 games while playing second base in the Bronx. When he came back for the 1974-75 season in Puerto Rico, he was a member of the Santurce Cangrejeros. He played in five seasons for the Crabbers.

The whole Yankee team got off to a slow start in the 1975 season. Sandy was hitting a meager .205 and even floundering in the field. He began to question himself. “When I’m in my room by myself, that’s when I think about the way I am going,” he mused. “I think, ‘Why do you do this when you could have done that? Why do you miss that pitch…why do you miss that ball?’…There are times when I ask myself whether I can hit or not.

“Sometimes I go to a restaurant and I order and I don’t feel like eating…I know, myself, that I’m a better hitter than what I’m doing now. A baseball player – you have to accept the ups and the downs.”14

Still, the Yankees, meandering to an 83-win, third-place finish in the AL East, kept Alomar in the lineup almost every day. He ended the season hitting .239 in 151 games with 28 steals. His .975 fielding percentage led all major leaguers at the keystone base.

In the Yankees’ pennant-winning year of 1976, Alomar, now a utilityman with the emergence of young second baseman Willie Randolph, did everything on the field except pitch and catch. He appeared in 67 games and mirrored his previous season, hitting .239.

More importantly, for the first time in his major league career, Alomar found himself in the post-season, as the Yankees won the AL East and then their first pennant since 1964. In the AL Championship Series against Kansas City, Sandy went 0-for-1 in his single plate appearance, flying out as a pinch-hitter to end New York’s 7-4 defeat in Game Four. He was also called on to pinch-run, but was caught stealing second base to end the sixth, in what ultimately turned out to be a Yankee win when Chris Chambliss homered in the bottom of the ninth to win the series. Alomar did not appear in the World Series in that or any other year.

His value as a utility player made him attractive to other teams, however, and the Texas Rangers traded for him in February 1977, in a deal that sent infielder Brian Doyle to the Bronx. Over parts of the next two seasons, Alomar continued in his role as utilityman, hitting .265, mostly as a DH. In 1978, his U.S. career came to a close; he got only 29 at-bats and collected only six hits. He was released by the Rangers at the end of the year.

The final numbers in the majors for Santos Alomar Sr. are not imposing. Over a 15-year major league career and over 4,700 at-bats, he hit just .245 with 13 homers, 282 RBIs, and 227 stolen bases (he was caught 80 times). His on-base percentage was a lowly .290, but his fielding percentage was a solid .976.

Alomar did not play in Puerto Rico in the winter of 1978-79 after the Rangers released him. However, he appeared for Santurce in 25 games in 1979-80. He closed out his playing career the following winter with six appearances as player-manager for Ponce. Overall, Alomar hit .270 in over 1,000 games in the PRWL during 18 seasons (the exact number of total games is not certain because the figure is missing for 1963-64). He hit 25 homers and stole 168 bases, leading the league in steals an unequaled six times.

But Sandy Alomar’s contribution to the game he loved would not end with his retirement. Back in Puerto Rico, he bought a gas station in Salinas, while his two sons learned the game their father had made his livelihood. While Sandy Jr. and Roberto honed their baseball skills, Sandy Sr. continued working in baseball, coaching the Puerto Rican national team from 1979-1984. In the 1980s, he coached and managed with Santurce and again with Ponce.

Roberto, who grew to 6 feet, and Sandy Jr., at 6-feet-5, were both much bigger than their father. When asked about the physical differences in 1997, Sandy Jr. remarked that his mother was relatively tall at 5-feet-7, while his uncles were all tall as well. “My father is the only midget,” he concluded.15

Luis Rosa, a San Diego Padres scout working throughout Latin America, came to see both Alomar offspring. He also approached their father about a position in the organization. The Padres’ director of minor league scouting was looking for an infield instructor and Alomar had played for San Diego manager Dick Williams when they were both with the Angels. Thus, the Padres hired him, but made it clear that it was not to encourage his talented sons to sign with their team.16 Eventually, however, they both did.

Their father claims he never pressured either of them to pursue a baseball career. Though Roberto always wanted to be a big-leaguer, Santos Jr. stopped playing ball for a couple of his teenage years to ride dirt bikes. “My dad gave me a speech,” Sandy Jr. said years later. “He said that riding bikes was a hobby and not a job … you spend money in that. You don’t get money.”17

The senior Alomar tried not to give his sons too much baseball advice either, but Sandy Jr. believed that being the son of a major-leaguer had its advantages and disadvantages. “You have a name that helps you,” he said. “But some people do expect you to be the same as your father. That’s not right. We’re different people.”18

As his progeny made their way through pro ball, their father’s coaching odyssey continued: He served as a coach for the Padres’ affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina in its inaugural season – both of his sons were on the team. Sandy Sr. then became a major-league coach for the Padres from 1986 through1990, so he was on hand when his sons reached The Show in 1988.

Sandy Sr. then joined the Chicago Cubs organization, working as a roving minor league instructor during the 1990s. He also managed their Williamsport team in the NY-Penn League for part of the 1994 season, as well as their Gulf Coast Rookie League team in 1995 and 1996.

Alomar joined the Cubs’ major league staff in 2000 and remained there for three seasons, as bullpen coach and (in 2002) as first-base coach. He then moved to the Colorado Rockies’ third-base coaching box for two seasons. Alomar remained connected to the Puerto Rican baseball scene too. He served as general manager of the San Juan Senadores in 1999-2000. He also managed the national team in regional tournaments in 2003.

Alomar returned to the Mets in 2005, serving as first-base coach for two seasons, third-base coach for two more, and then finally becoming bench coach. He actually managed a game on May 9, 2009, after Jerry Manuel was suspended for an altercation with umpire Bill Welke. When the Mets beat Pittsburgh 10-1 and the Phillies lost to the Braves, the Mets moved into first place in the NL East under Alomar’s one-game stewardship.

That season, however, was his last in a big-league uniform, though he managed again in the Gulf Coast Rookie League for the Mets in 2010.

The website Champions of Faith notes that Alomar is a lifelong Catholic and that he calls his wife María “the spiritual leader of the family”.19 They had six grandchildren.

Alomar died at the age of 81 on October 13, 2025, just days before his 82nd birthday.

In stature, Sandy Alomar Sr. was not a giant. But on the diamond, though he had his share of struggles in the game, his pride and perseverance made him a useful asset. His defensive versatility helped, as did an obvious passion to play as well as he was capable in every game. As Grover Resinger put it in 1970, Alomar had value “defensively, offensively and inspirationally.”20

In 2014, Alomar himself expressed it this way as he passed on lessons from his decades of wisdom at the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball in Canada. “Size really doesn’t matter if you have faith in yourself and you know you can do it. If you sacrifice, and you put the effort in, you will become what you feel it is you should become.” 21

He repeated a different dictum later that year at another baseball camp in Canada. “When you have pride, you have a will. When you have a will, you have respect. When you have respect, you create discipline. Discipline gives you knowledge. Knowledge gives you awareness. And awareness gives you anticipation.”22

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Rory Costello for his input.

Photo credit: National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

Sources

Internet resources

Ancestry.com

Myheritage.com

Books

José A. Crescion Benítez, El Béisbol Profesional Boricua, San Juan, Puerto Rico: Aurora Comunicación Integral, Inc., 1997.

Newspaper articles

In addition to those cited in the notes, I also used several articles from the below.

Chicago Tribune

New York Times

Chicago Daily Defender

Notes

One of the reasons for the Tribe’s success was the unlikely power coming from the bat of Sandy Alomar Jr. The veteran backstop started the season in fine fashion, as he slugged a home run in five consecutive games from April 4-8. His 11 home runs at the break matched his season total of the season before and were just three short of his career-high 14 homers in 1994. “I’m in a zone,” said Alomar. “Everything looks like a beach ball.”1

But it was more than the long ball that Alomar was contributing to the team’s fortunes. He owned the second-longest hitting streak in franchise history, 30 games (from May 25 through July 6). The streak, in which Alomar batted .429, was second only to Nap Lajoie’s 31-game streak in 1906. “It’s been a remarkable run for him,” said the Twins’ Paul Molitor. “To be able to have the mind-set to call a game (as catcher) and still be able to do that. …”2  

For the All-Stars on July 8, pitching was the name of the game. The teams battled to a 1-1 tie through the top of the seventh inning. Each team scored its tally on a home run. Edgar Martinez, who was the first designated hitter elected to the All-Star Game, socked a 2-and-2 offering from Greg Maddux into the left-field plaza in the bottom of the second frame. In the top of the seventh, Braves catcher Javy Lopez led off with a solo shot off the Royals’ Jose Rosado.

Jim Thome led off the bottom of the seventh inning by grounding out. Bernie Williams walked and with two outs took second base on a wild pitch by the Giants’ Shawn Estes. Alomar, who had replaced Ivan Rodriguez in the bottom of the sixth inning, stepped to the plate. “When Sandy went to the plate, Paul O’Neill turned to me and said, ‘If all things were fair, Sandy would hit a homer and win the ballgame,’” said Indians manager Mike Hargrove, one of manager Joe Torre’s coaches for the game.3 Sandy sent a 2-and-2 pitch from Estes on a line into the left-field bleachers. “I felt like I was flying,” said Alomar. “I’ve never run the bases so fast on a home run.”4

The 3-1 AL advantage stood up, as the junior circuit snapped a three-game losing streak. The NL was held to three hits. Alomar became the first Indian to homer in the All-Star Game since Rocky Colavito in 1959. Alomar was voted the game’s MVP, the first Indian to be so honored and the first player ever to win the award in his home ballpark. “This is a dream I don’t want to wake up from,” said Alomar. “You probably only get one chance to play an All-Star Game in your home stadium.”5

“It was another of those storybook things,” said Torre. “I had one last fall [the 1996 World Series], and now this. I was happy for Sandy to win it in his own park.”6 

Santos (Velazquez) Alomar was born on June 18, 1966, in Salinas, Puerto Rico. He was the middle child (older sister Sandia, younger brother Roberto) born to Santos and Maria Alomar. Sandy Sr. suited up for six different teams over a 15-year career in the major leagues. He had a career batting average of .245. He was mainly a second baseman, although he also saw time at shortstop. After his playing days, Alomar coached 15 years on the big-league level. In addition to his time in the major leagues, Sandy Sr. also managed the Puerto Rican National Team.

The elder Alomar did not push his sons into baseball. “The only influence is from them seeing me play,” he said.7 The life of a ballplayer means a lot of travel and time away from the family. Sandy Sr. credited his wife, Maria, with raising their three children, saying, “She deserves more credit than me. I was a ballplayer and couldn’t be around that much. She stayed home and raised those kids. That’s why they’re the kind of people they are.”8

Roberto Alomar took to baseball right away. He had the natural ability to play the game and at age 7 he made Sandy’s little league team for 9-to-12-year-olds. But for Sandy, he had other interests to keep him busy. “Sandy left the game at age 12 and got into dirt-bike riding and karate,” said his father. “He was doing dangerous things, more or less. He said the only way he could find excitement in baseball was to become a catcher.”9

Young Sandy took to catching and was signed as an amateur free agent on October 21, 1983, by the San Diego Padres. After graduating from Luis Munoz Rivera High School in Salinas, Alomar began his journey to the major leagues. It was a long climb indeed. At first, the going was rough for the young catcher, who hit a combined .221 through his first three years in the minor leagues. But like most talented players, Alomar put in the work and by 1987 he blossomed into a coveted prospect in the Padres chain. It became a family affair of sorts, as Roberto joined his older brother on multiple minor-league squads. Sandy Sr. joined San Diego manager Steve Boros’ coaching staff in 1986.

In 1988 Alomar was named co-Minor League Player of the Year by The Sporting News (with Gary Sheffield of Denver). Alomar, who was the catcher for the Las Vegas Stars of the Pacific Coast League, batted .297 and had career highs in home runs (16) and RBIs (71). “I didn’t expect to hit like that,” said Alomar. “As the season started, I struggled a little bit, but then I started swinging harder and pulling the ball more and hitting more home runs.”10

It was reported that 22 of the other 25 major-league clubs were interested in acquiring Alomar. The Padres already had their catcher of the future in Benito Santiago. The time looked right to possibly trade their star prospect and get plenty in return. While Santiago was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1987, Roberto was promoted to the Padres in 1988 and became their starting second baseman. Sandy was frustrated, feeling there was nothing more he could do on the minor-league level. Rumors persisted that he would be traded, or that Santiago might be moved. One rumor had Alomar headed to Atlanta for All-Star Dale Murphy. “Every organization in the league would love to have a Sandy Alomar,” said Atlanta general manager Bobby Cox.11

But no deal was ever made and Alomar returned to Las Vegas in 1989. He started the season poorly, batting .242 up to June 5, and then he became a man possessed, batting .351 the rest of the way. For the season, Alomar batted .306, with 13 home runs and 101 RBIs. He showed value behind the plate as well, fielding his position at a .984 clip, and throwing out 34 percent of would-be basestealers (25 of 74). He was once again honored by The Sporting News and Baseball America as the Minor League Player of the Year. “It means a lot to me,” said Alomar of the award. “The way I felt, I was so frustrated. I figured there was no way I’d win it again.”12

When the Cleveland Indians front office offered slugging outfielder Joe Carter a multiyear deal at the end of the 1989 season, Carter said, “No thanks.” He could be a free agent at the end of the 1990 season, and was looking forward to leaving Cleveland, and getting a fresh start – not to mention snagging a boatload of cash. Alomar, who was getting frustrated with his situation in San Diego, was just hoping for a chance to play in the big leagues. After all, he had accomplished all he could in the minors, and it really did not matter to him whose uniform he was wearing. On December 6, 1989, at the annual winter meetings, Cleveland GM Hank Peters and San Diego GM Jack McKeon hammered out a deal that sent Carter to the Padres and Alomar, infielder Carlos Baerga, and outfielder Chris James to Cleveland.

Alomar was penciled in as the starting catcher as soon as the ink was dry on the trade. He did not disappoint. Cleveland manager John McNamara praised his young backstop in all facets of his game. “To me, he’s very, very impressive at blocking balls,” said McNamara. “He does it even when there’s no need, when nobody is on base. Sandy’s been taught well. He’s absorbed the teaching, put it to good use.

“Sandy is hitting for a better average than I expected at this stage of his career. He’s adjusted very well to major-league pitching. I never had any doubt about his catching, but you just never know about his hitting.”13              

McNamara was not the only person to notice the outstanding play of his prized rookie. All of baseball took notice when Alomar was voted the starting catcher for the American League in the All-Star Game. He was the first rookie catcher ever to start in an All-Star Game. The game would be extra-special, as Roberto, then with San Diego, was also named an All-Star and Sandy Sr. would also join his sons as a coach for the NL at Wrigley Field for the midsummer classic.    

Sandy’s season was capped off with his being the unanimous choice for the AL Rookie of the Year. “This award means more to me than the All-Star Game,” said Alomar. “You have a lot of chances to be in the All-Star Game, but you’ve only got one chance to win this award. I was supposed to be Rookie of the Year, and that made it tough. I was traded for Joe Carter, and that made it tough. But the manager and the rest of the guys on the team really helped me.”14 Alomar was the fourth Indian to win the award. He was also awarded a Gold Glove for excellence in fielding his position. He was the first Indian to be so recognized since Rick Manning in 1976.

Alomar was instantly a fan favorite among Indians fans. However, the injuries began to pile up beginning in 1991, his second season. Though Alomar was selected to start the All-Star Game in both 1991 and 1992, he was dealing with myriad setbacks that included back surgery, injuries to his right rotator cuff, his right hip flexor, his right knee (two, caused by sliding), and the webbing between the fingers on his right hand (also twice). The 132 games Alomar played in his rookie year were the most of his career.

The Indians moved across downtown to their new ballpark, Jacobs Field, for the 1994 season. Alomar, despite missing time on the disabled list with the torn webbing on his right hand, was putting together a wonderful season, batting .288 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs, when the players’ strike on August 11 led to the remainder of the season being canceled.

Perhaps because Alomar suffered so many injuries, Cleveland signed Tony Peña before the 1994 season. For the next three seasons, the veteran provided solid leadership and was a reliable substitute for Alomar. It was a great free-agent signing for the Indians, as Alomar was recuperating from knee surgery and did not return to the active roster until June 29, 1995. Still, he batted .300 in 54 starts at catcher that season. The Indians, who sported one of the most potent lineups in baseball, moved Alomar to the bottom of their lineup.  “I think Sandy can still hit 10 to 15 homers this year,” said manager Mike Hargrove. “He has that kind of power. The thing that is really impressive is the way he’s accepted hitting ninth. The number 9 hitter is usually the weakest hitter in the lineup, but that’s not the case with this team.”15

The Indians returned to the postseason for the first time in 41 years, winning their division by 30 games. They marched through the American League playoffs before losing to Atlanta in the World Series.

The Indians won the AL Central from 1995 to 1999. In 1997 they advanced to the World Series again, only to lose to Florida in seven games. Alomar’s power surge in 1997 continued in the postseason, as he hit two home runs in the ALDS, one in the ALCS, and two in the World Series.

In 1999 Alomar was reunited with brother Roberto, who signed a free-agent contract with Cleveland. Together with Omar Vizquel, they formed one of the better middle-infield defenses in the big leagues. But Sandy missed most of the season after surgery on his left knee (he started 35 games), and in 2000 he split time with Einar Diaz at catcher. That season he batted .289 and drove in 42 runs.

But the end of an era was near as Alomar and the Indians were unable to negotiate a contract after the 2000 season. Alomar, ever the classy player, took the “life goes on” route and signed with the Chicago White Sox. He split time with Mark Johnson at catcher.

But the White Sox were just as interested in Alomar’s ability to teach their young receivers and work with their green pitching staff. He was traded to Colorado in 2002, but returned to the South Side for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. “I got kind of teary-eyed when he got traded,” said pitcher Mark Buerhle. “I’m still learning (from him). I’m out there thinking, ‘I’m going to throw this pitch,’ and he puts something else down. I’m not going to shake him off because he’s been around the league a long time.”16 

The White Sox made it clear that they wanted Alomar to work with Miguel Olivo, a catching prospect for whom the front office had high hopes. In 2003 Sandy was reunited again with Roberto, who by this time in his career was serving as a utility player for Chicago.

Alomar spent the remaining years as a backup catcher with Texas (2005), the Los Angeles Dodgers and the White Sox (2006), and the New York Mets (2007). He retired with a .273 batting average in a 20-year career. He hit 112 home runs and 249 doubles, and drove in 588 runs. He threw out just over 30 percent of baserunners, and fielded at a .991 clip at catcher for his career.

Alomar stayed with the Mets as a catching instructor in 2008 and 2009. Manny Acta was hired to replace Eric Wedge as Cleveland’s manager in 2010. Acta offered Alomar a job as his first-base coach. “I jumped at it,” said Alomar. “For me, it was coming home. No place in baseball means as much to me as Cleveland.”17

Acta was fired near the end of the 2012 season. Alomar was named interim manager, and looked to be the favorite until Terry Francona’s name was thrown into the mix of candidates. “I knew they’d hire him if he wanted the job,” said Alomar. “I don’t blame them. I understand. He’s won two World Series. He’s a heck of a guy.”18   

As of 2025, Alomar is still Cleveland’s first-base coach. Francona, who played for the Indians in 1988, was a teammate of Alomar’s in winter ball with Ponce in the Puerto Rico League. When the Indians acquired Alomar in 1989, Francona gushed at the young man’s ability. “He’s the best catcher I’ve ever played with,” said Francona. “He’s better than Gary Carter when Carter was good. Sandy might not drive in 100 runs like Carter did in his prime, but overall he’s a better ballplayer. He’s the best defensive catcher I’ve ever seen. His arm is almost incredible.”19  

When Francona insisted that Sandy Alomar be a part of his staff, he knew exactly what he was getting. Even way back when.     

Last revised: June 1, 2018

This biography appeared in “Puerto Rico and Baseball: 60 Biographies” (SABR, 2017), edited by Bill Nowlin and Edwin Fernández. It also appeared in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Photo credit

National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

Notes                                        

1 Bill Livingston, “Sweet Sandy! AL Triumphs on Alomar Blast,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 9, 1997: 1A. 

2 Mel Antonen, “Sandy Alomar’s Streak Hits 30,” USA Today, July 7, 1997: 1C.

3 Paul Hoynes, “Sandy Steals the Show; Alomar’s Home Run Lifts AL,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 9, 1997: 1D.

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid.

6 “Sweet Sandy.”

7 Chuck Johnson, “Alomar Sons Deepen Roots in Baseball,” USA Today, July 13, 1990: 2C.

8 Ibid.

9 Ibid.

10 “Big League Awards in the Minors,” The Sporting News, December 5, 1988: 46.

11 Barry Bloom, “Alomar Hopes That His ‘First’ Won’t Last,” The Sporting News, December 4, 1989: 52.

12  Ibid.

13 Sheldon Ocker, “Alomar More Than Lives Up to Hype,” The Sporting News, July 2, 1990: 12. 

14 Paul Hoynes, “It’s Unanimous! Indians Catcher Alomar Is Rookie of the Year,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 8, 1990: 1F.

15 Paul Hoynes, “Deep Thunder Alomar Homers Twice at Bottom of Order,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 21, 1995: 1D.

16 Nancy Armour (Associated Press), “Sandy Ready to Teach,” Elyria (Ohio) Chronicle-Telegram, March 3, 2003: C4.

17 Terry Pluto, “Playing, Coaching for Tribe ‘Paradise,’ Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 3, 2013: C3.

18 Ibid.

19 “Alomar Draws Praise From Former Mate,” The Sporting News, March 19, 1990: 30. 

Alvarado served four full big-league seasons and parts of five others (1968-74; ’76-77), primarily with the Chicago White Sox. He finished with three summers in the Mexican League; meanwhile, he also played 14 years of winter ball in his homeland, Puerto Rico. Alvarado was built like a typical shortstop of the day — 5-feet-9, listed at 162 pounds. The righty swinger’s lifetime averages were .214 in the majors, .256 in the U.S. minors, .267 in Mexico, and .225 in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Luis César Alvarado Martinez was born in Lajas, Puerto Rico on January 15, 1949. Lajas is a municipality in the southwestern corner of the island. His father, Lorenzo Alvarado Laboy, was a farmer. His mother, Pilar Martinez Casiano, stayed home and raised the children.2

At a very early age, Luis picked up his nickname. He called avocados “Pimba” and his mother started to call him by that name, so Pimba he stayed.3 He attended the Luis Muñoz Rivera elementary and high school. He began playing baseball at the age of 12 with the Police Athletic League. During intermediate school, he also went out for track and field.

Alvarado played amateur ball in Puerto Rico with Class-A teams La Parguera and Palmarejo Tigers. In Double-A, the highest local level, he was with the Aibonito Polluelos.4 At age 17, he joined the San Juan Senators of the PRWL. His parents signed on the minor’s behalf.

While still a teenager, Alvarado signed with the Boston Red Sox. The scout was Pedro Vásquez; farm director Neil Mahoney said, “Pedro watched Luis play in school and liked him a lot. But then some other scouts came around so he had to sign him quick. He located the boy in a movie theater before the others could get to him.”5 Alvarado was given a $1,000 signing bonus.6

The year he turned 18, 1967, Alvarado played for the Waterloo (Iowa) Hawks in the Single-A Midwest League. He played shortstop, appearing in 118 games (all but three that the team played.) He showed a little power, hitting eight homers, while driving in 43 runs and batting .222. He drew enough bases on balls (31 in 478 plate appearances) to lift his on-base percentage to .281.

The Red Sox were busy winning the American League pennant in 1967, with All-Star Rico Petrocelli at shortstop. Petrocelli’s main backup was veteran Jerry Adair; second baseman Mike Andrews also saw a little action at short, and 19-year-old Ken Poulsen appeared once there too. The Poulsen callup showed that Boston was willing to dig down to Class A if needed, but Poulsen’s lefty bat was an important factor.7

Over the winter of 1967-68, Alvarado first played for San Juan and was named the PRWL’s Rookie of the Year. The Boston Globe’s Will McDonough wrote that Alvarado could become “the first Latin star ever developed in the Boston system.”8 The Red Sox had had Latino players even back in their first decade as a team, and a sprinkling of others followed over the years, but none of note homegrown.9

Alvarado got his first taste of the majors in the spring of 1968. He was brought to camp with Boston (the youngest player on any AL team’s major-league roster). He truly impressed with his “slick” and “sensational” fielding. The Boston Record American’s Larry Claflin called him “a beauty of an infielder,” adding, “[manager] Dick Williams raves about Alvarado as a future prospect.”10 Claflin noted that there was one major obstacle in his way: Petrocelli. Williams said that Alvarado was “the surprise of the camp” and that he would be a player to protect in the expansion draft that appeared to be in the offing.11 He envisioned possibly moving Petrocelli to third base (something that did take place a few years later).12

Alvarado was compared favorably to one of the all-time greats at shortstop. Coach Bobby Doerr said, “He has all the moves but he does everything so effortlessly he makes it look easy. Right now he reminds me of a young Luis Aparicio.”13 Almost three years later, the Red Sox obtained the veteran from the Chicago White Sox, and Alvarado was part of the deal.

Jerry Adair was still with Boston in 1968, and Alvarado was still in need of seasoning. He was promoted to the Pittsfield Red Sox of the Double-A Eastern League. Once more he played in almost every game — 129 of 139. He hit .257 but led the league in base hits with 125. Pittsfield placed first in the EL under manager Billy Gardner, and Alvarado was named the league’s All-Star shortstop.

Boston called Alvarado up when rosters expanded, and on September 13, 1968, he made his major-league debut against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park. The Red Sox were already out of the hunt, 15 games out of first place. Dick Williams started Alvarado at short, batting eighth in the lineup, just ahead of starting pitcher Ray Culp. Facing Dean Chance, Boston’s Ken Harrelson homered to lead off the bottom of the second inning. Joe Foy and Reggie Smith both singled, and Russ Gibson then advanced Foy to third on a grounder to short. In his first at-bat in the major leagues, Alvarado hit a roller that reportedly went only about 50 feet, but into the no-man’s land between the mound and the first base line. The scratch single drove in Foy and made the score 2-0. Culp shut out the Twins, winning 3-0. Alvarado struck out and grounded out his next two times up.

Petrocelli was out with an injured wrist, so Alvarado played in each of the next 10 games, going 6-for-46 (.130) overall with one RBI. He didn’t play in the final four games of the season; Petrocelli was back. At the time, Rico generously said, “You know, with that kid around the Red Sox could trade me and I’d never be missed. I’ve watched him and there isn’t a play he can’t make.”14 In 41 fielding chances, the rookie committed only one error. Near the end of the season, though, the subhead of a Boston Globe article portrayed where the prospect stood: “Alvarado Years Away From Taking Over at Shortstop.”15

For most of the 1969 season, Alvarado played in Triple A for the Louisville Colonels. He put up some of the best batting stats of his career. In 137 games, he hit .292, with 62 RBIs and a league-leading 89 runs scored; his 166 hits and 30 doubles also led the International League, as did his .977 fielding percentage. He was voted the league’s All-Star shortstop.

That August, the Louisville Courier-Journal ran an amusing feature on Alvarado. In addition to his range and quick release (the latter drew a Phil Rizzuto comparison), it noted his superstitious nature and love of Saturday morning cartoons — he had lucky undershirts with the names Underdog, Mighty Mouse, and Batman stamped on them. He also noted, “I don’t know how to steal a base. I don’t get a good lead. I only take two or three steps. Should take six. The manager (Eddie Kasko) tells me I got good wheels — ‘Steal when you want.’ But I’m afraid to take a big lead. I can’t get back.”16

Once again, Alvarado was brought up to the majors in September. He appeared in seven games, but only once for the full game, and went hitless in five at-bats while handling 10 chances in the field without an error. While with the Red Sox, he learned he had been named International League Rookie of the Year. A little over a week after the season ended, he learned he had also been named I.L. MVP.

In 1970, Alvarado made the big club out of spring training. Eddie Kasko had taken over as Red Sox skipper. There was a lengthy debate regarding Alvarado and Petrocelli, and who should play third base or shortstop.17 The Red Sox wanted to put George Scott, who’d played third in 1969, back at first base, where he’d won two Gold Gloves.

The Alvarado-Petrocelli debate, however, had apparently been fueled in part by erroneous information. Reportedly, Alvarado had played third base in Puerto Rican winter ball and a national publication had said he was the All-Star third baseman. Neither was true. “I haven’t played third base since I was a youngster about eight years ago,” he said, adding that he would have to buy a bigger glove and learn to throw the ball from third base instead of short. Admitting that he was disappointed in the possible shift of position, he said, “I will do the best I possibly can at third. I want to make the team and I know what a great ballplayer Rico Petrocelli is.”18 Kasko said Alvarado needed to look at it as a “golden opportunity to step into a big-league job.”19

Alvarado — still only 21 years old — played steadily from Opening Day through June 10: 29 games at third base (through May 12) and then 27 at shortstop. He’d moved over when Kasko shuffled three infielders, benching Mike Andrews.

After the game on June 10, Alvarado too was benched. He was then batting .235 and had driven in only two runs from April 30. George Scott returned to third base on June 19; on June 22, Alvarado was sent to Louisville. There he struggled badly, batting only .201 in 69 games. He was called back up in early September and appeared in 11 games, going 3-for-21. His last game, at Fenway on September 30, was his best. It featured his first big-league home run, a two-run shot in the eighth inning off Fritz Peterson of the Yankees. Alvarado went deep only four more times in the majors.

On December 1, the Red Sox traded Alvarado and the popular Andrews to Chicago for 36-year-old Luis Aparicio. Eddie Kasko said, “We think we can win the pennant with Aparicio.”20 It was apparently something of a salary dump for the White Sox. Richard Dozer of the Chicago Tribune wrote that the White Sox were “gaining a new second base-shortstop combination and realizing a handsome saving at the salary window.”21

Alvarado joined the White Sox at Sarasota for spring training 1971. He became the regular shortstop for Chuck Tanner, who was beginning his first full year as manager. However, Alvarado got off to a slow start at the plate. By season’s end, he had hit .216 in 99 games, with 57 hits (a big-league career high) and a .246 on-base percentage. He got only eight RBIs all year long; the first didn’t come until June 16, in his 36th game. Alvarado started 60 games at shortstop and 13 more at second; with 12 errors, his fielding percentage was .959. Both Lee Richard (54 starts) and Rich Morales (46 starts) also played short.

After playing four seasons for San Juan, Alvarado was traded to Caguas before the winter of 1971-72. He was dealt along with Coco Laboy, Iván de Jesús, and Sam Parrilla for veterans Julio Navarro and José Pagán. It’s curious that San Juan sent away two shortstops as part of the package. De Jesús had gotten his start at home the prior season as a 17-year-old backup to Alvarado, to whom he looked up.22

The White Sox cut Richard near the end of spring training 1972. That left most of the work at short for Morales (110 games, 71 starts) and Alvarado (63 starts in a big-league career-high 103 games). They subbed for each other a fair amount in the strike-shortened 154-game season. It was Alvarado who came on later, having appeared in just eight of the first 38 games, through June 1. Neither was a force at the plate. Morales hit .206 and drove in 20 runs; Alvarado batted .213 and drove in 29 (also a career high in the majors).

Some of his hits made a difference, such as his two-out, two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth on August 3, beating the Angels, 4-2. Alvarado hit his other four big-league homers in 1972. On August 16, his three-run inside-the-parker helped Wilbur Wood win his 21st game of the season. The next day he drove in two more runs, on his way to 15 for the month.

Shortly after the ’72 season ended, Chicago acquired Eddie Leon, who got the lion’s share of the work at short for the White Sox in 1973. Leon started 119 games there (batting .228, with 30 RBIs). Alvarado played in 80 games, but just 18 of them came at short — Leon’s primary backup was 21-year-old rookie Bucky Dent. Mainly, Alvarado spelled Jorge Orta at second. Overall, he hit .232 with 20 RBIs.

During the winter of 1973-74, Alvarado became a member of a PRWL champion for the first of two times. Caguas went on to represent Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series, the round robin tournament in which the region’s winter-league champs face each other. The Puerto Rican squad, managed by Bobby Wine, won the title.

In 1974, Alvarado was a man on the move. After getting one hit in 10 games for the White Sox, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on April 27, for pitcher Ken Tatum. After hitting .139 in 17 games for the Cardinals, he was dealt again on June 1, to the Cleveland Indians (with Ed Crosby) for Jack Heidemann. All three were utility infielders. Alvarado got in a fair amount of work with the Indians, appearing in 61 games and hitting .219 with 12 runs scored and 12 RBIs. The movement continued at home that winter — he left Caguas for Mayagüez partway through the 1974-75 season.

Alvarado spent the entire 1975 season in Triple-A ball. He played first for Oklahoma City (a Cleveland affiliate) and then Tulsa (a Cardinals affiliate, also in the American Association). He’d been traded on May 27 for a player to be named later (a little more than four months later, it was Doug Howard). Alvarado’s combined stats in the AA show a .240 batting average with 64 RBIs in 119 games. He set a league record with a .994 fielding percentage.23

Alvarado also spent most of 1976 with the Tulsa Oilers, and he had his best season of pro ball there, batting .280 in 130 games with 11 homers and 72 RBIs. In September he was called up to St. Louis and got into 16 games (batting .286).

In an eight-month stretch, Alvarado was part of four transactions. His contract was sold to the Detroit Tigers on November 5, 1976.24 On March 25, the Tigers (having signed Tito Fuentes) sold Alvarado’s contract to the New York Mets on a conditional basis.25 On April 27, the Tigers asked for Alvarado back, repurchasing his contract to replace Aurelio Rodriguez, who had sprained his ankle.26 He’d played in just one game for the Mets, with two fruitless at-bats.

For the Tigers, Alvarado played briefly at the end of two April games, having one at-bat, also fruitless. He was released on June 22 — and he wasn’t happy. “They promised me so many things,” he said, “and they never did them. They lied to me too much. I feel like a piece of bleep.” He detailed various promises manager Ralph Houk had made him and how hard he had worked to prepare himself, and even mentioned a time that GM Jim Campbell had told him “to cut my hair down shorter because I was going to be playing more.” He did, but still didn’t get the chance to play.27

Alvarado turned down the Tigers’ offer to play for their Triple-A team, Evansville. In August 1977, he joined the Hawaii Islanders (then a farm team of the San Diego Padres) as a free agent. He appeared in seven games and went 12-for-26.

Alvarado’s other PRWL championship came in 1977-78 with Mayagüez. Again, Puerto Rico — managed by René Lachemann — won the Caribbean Series.

The historical record of Organized Baseball does not show Alvarado playing in the summer of 1978, though he continued to play Puerto Rican winter ball. He moved on to Ponce for the 1978-79 campaign, and partway through the winter of 1980-81 — his final season at home — he went from Ponce to Arecibo. All told, Alvarado played 630 games in the PRWL, with 471 hits (16 of them homers) and 146 RBIs.

In the summers from 1979 through 1981, Alvarado played in the Mexican League — Yucatán in 1979, León in 1980, and for both the Monterrey Leones and the Mexico City Diablos Rojos in 1981. Overall in Mexico, Alvarado had 323 hits in 327 games with 16 homers and 137 RBIs.

His final notable moment came on August 30, 1981 against Campeche. Mexico City was only three outs from elimination in the South Zone finals, but won three games in a row to advance to the Mexican League finals. In the final game seven, Alvarado singled home the winning run to beat Campeche, 2-1.28

After Alvarado retired from professional baseball, he accepted a job with the Lajas Municipality, his native city and hometown, as a sports and recreational leader. He also kept active in the community managing some Little League baseball teams, and was reportedly even “known to play wiffle ball in the street with the local children.”29 Alvarado also owned two small markets in Lajas. He neither married nor had any children.

On March 20, 2001, Alvarado — aged just 52 — died from a heart attack in a neighborhood of Lajas known as Paris. He had been coaching a group of youngsters playing baseball. After their practice, they moved to a nearby basketball court. While the kids were playing, he felt a severe pain in his chest; shortly thereafter he died at the court.30

The municipal gymnasium and Little Leagues in Lajas are both named for Luis Alvarado.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and fact-checked by Chris Rainey.

Sources

In addition to the sources noted in this biography, the author also accessed Alvarado’s player file and player questionnaire from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, Retrosheet.org, and Baseball-Reference.com. Thanks to Rod Nelson of SABR’s Scouts Committee and Rory Costello for a number of beneficial additions.

Alvarado’s Puerto Rican statistics: courtesy of SABR member Jorge Colón Delgado, official historian of the Puerto Rican Winter League. They were published in Recuento Temporada 2000-01, by Benny Agosto.

Alvarado’s Mexican League statistics come from Enciclopedia del Béisbol Mexicano (Mexico City: Revistas Deportivas, S.A. de C.V.: 11th edition, 2011).

José Antero Núñez, Series del Caribe (Caracas, Venezuela: Impresos Urbina, C.A., 1987).

Notes

1 Mike Shatzkin, editor, The Ballplayers (Westminster, Maryland: Arbor House, 1990), 18. Bill James, The Baseball Book 1990 (New York: Villard, 1990), 234.

2 Edwin Fernández Cruz, interview with Luis’s brother Miguel Alvarado and friend Rafael Mercado on December 13, 2017.

3 Ibid. Some sources also show the spelling Timba.

4 Ibid.

5 “Alvarado Top Red Sox Prospect,” Christian Science Monitor, March 23, 1968: 14.

6 Harold Kaese, “Third Man Theme for Alvarado,” Boston Globe, April 12, 1970: A16.

7 Charlie Bevis, “Ken Poulsen,” SABR BioProject.

8 Will McDonough, “Sox Growing 1st Latin-American Star,” Boston Globe, February 14, 1968: 62.

9 The team had previously included two Mexican-American ballplayers, Frank Arellanes (1908-10) and Charley Hall (1909-13). Their first foreign-born Latino player, Eusebio González, arrived in 1918. In retrospect, a debate has arisen over the heritage of Ted Williams, which was not widely known when McDonough wrote his column. For further discussion, see (among many other sources) Bill Nowlin, The Kid: Ted Williams in San Diego (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Rounder Books, 2005).

10 Larry Claflin, “Rookie Shortstop Rave of Sox Camp,” Boston Record American, March 16, 1968: 21.

11 Henry McKenna, “One-Hitter Humbles Hose,” Boston Herald, March 17, 1968: 68.

12 George Sullivan, “’Beanings Must Be Stopped’ – Howard,” Boston Herald, April 21, 1968: 68.

13 “Alvarado Top Red Sox Prospect.”

14 Phil Elderkin, “Another Slick Shortstop in the Red Sox Future,” Christian Science Monitor, September 23, 1968: 11.

15 Clif Keane, “Rico Troubled But Still Best,” Boston Globe, September 27, 1968: 29.

16 Ed Tatum, “Superstitious Alvarado’s Luck Not All Bad,” Louisville Courier-Journal, August 6, 1969, 22.

17 Harold Kaese, “Alvarado Joins Good Company at Third,” Boston Globe, March 29, 1970: 82.

18 Fred Ciampa, “Shift to Third Base Disappoints Alvarado,” Boston Record American, February 26, 1970: 58.

19 Ibid.

20 “Trade Market Active at Baseball Meeting,” Associated Press, December 2, 1970.

21 Richard Dozer, “Sox Get 2 for Aparicio,” Chicago Tribune, December 2, 1970: F1.

22 Thomas Van Hyning, Puerto Rico’s Winter League (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1995), 107, 125

23 Larry Harnly, “Raines A Candidate for Top Rookie, MVP,” State Journal-Register (Springfield, Illinois), July 18, 1980: 25.

24 “Baseball,” Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock), November 6, 1976: 38.

25 “Met Notes,” Jersey Journal, March 26, 1977: 11.

26 “Transitions,” Washington Post, April 28, 1977: E8.

27 Jim Hawkins, “All Work and No Play Makes Alvarado Bitter,” The Sporting News, July 16, 1977: 21.

28 “Mexican League — Reds Come Back from Dead,” The Sporting News, September 19, 1981: 39.

29 Lee Harmon, at http://moonlightgrahammets.blogspot.com/2009/12/luis-alvarado-april-13-1977.html

30 Edwin Fernández Cruz, interview with Rafael Mercado on December 19, 2017.

Arroyo also spent 19 seasons in the Puerto Rican Winter League (PRWL) from 1946-47 to 1964-65. As of 2012, he ranked third in league’s history in wins (110), innings pitched, and games pitched.2

Luis Enrique Arroyo Lugo was born in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico on February 18, 1927. Over the years, various stories hinted at an earlier birthdate, but census records support 1927. His parents were Felipe Arroyo González, a laborer on a sugarcane plantation, and Modesta Lugo de Arrazo. Luis was the third of five children in the family. Before him were sister Felícita and brother Ramón; after him came two more brothers, Miguel and Américo.

“Tite” (as Arroyo is known in his homeland) is a common Spanish nickname for Enrique. Another of Arroyo’s nicknames at home was El Zurdo de Tallaboa, or The Tallaboa Lefty. That was a reference to the section of Peñuelas where his family lived. Starting in 1944, Arroyo pitched in Double A (as Puerto Rico’s top local amateur level was known) for the Tallaboa Athletics.3 His brother Ramón was his catcher.4 Arroyo led the league in ERA in 1946 and earned a spot on the Puerto Rican roster at the Central American Games in Barranquilla, Colombia.5

Peñuelas is on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, just a little bit west of one of the island’s leading cities, Ponce. When Arroyo turned pro in the winter of 1946-47, it was with the Ponce Leones. Because his family needed the money, he left high school in 1947 for a bonus of $500 — reportedly only the second bonus given to a player in the PRWL.6

The team Arroyo joined became league champions for the fifth time in six winters. The manager was George Scales, a tough, smart Negro Leaguer. The staff included one of the league’s most successful pitchers, Tomás “Planchardón” Quiñones. A fellow rookie on the mound was José “Pantalones” Santiago (no relation to another future major-leaguer, José “Palillo” Santiago). Arroyo lost in both of his appearances that season. He also went just 1-4 in the winter of 1947-48, though his ERA improved from 4.19 to 2.46 (he pitched 44 innings in 10 games).

Arroyo first played in the U.S. minors in 1948. In 1955, after the pitcher had broken into the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis sportswriter Bob Broeg described how it came about. “In the spring of 1948 Ponce financed a trip to George Stirnweiss’ Baseball School in Florida and there he was spotted by President Bob Doty of the Greenville (S.C.) club of the Class D Coastal Plain League. In mid-season, Doty transferred to Greensboro, N.C. of the Carolina League and took Arroyo with him.”7 Arroyo posted a 14-16 record overall, with a 3.90 ERA in 249 innings. The subsequent winter in Ponce was fairly similar (2-2, 3.66 in 15 games).

In 1949, however, the 22-year-old’s performance took a big step up. He remained with Greensboro, going 21-10 with a 3.67 ERA (the Carolina League had gone from Class C to Class B). Arroyo also got a new nickname: Yo-Yo. As Bob Broeg wrote, “It seems that it was as close as the drawling Carolinians could get to pronouncing his last name.”8 The highlight of his season was a no-hitter against Burlington on July 25.9

That December, the Cardinals selected Arroyo in the minor league draft. He then went on to record the first of his six seasons with double-digit wins in the PRWL. He was 11-5 with a sparkling 1.82 ERA for the Leones. The league champion Caguas Criollos added him to their roster as a reinforcement for the 1950 Caribbean Series, held at old Sixto Escobar Stadium in San Juan. Although Carta Vieja of Panama was the upset winner of the tournament, Arroyo got two of Puerto Rico’s four victories. On February 23, he beat Negro Leaguer Terris McDuffie (representing Venezuela) in an exciting duel. Caguas won 2-1, as pinch-hitter Wilmer Fields — called in from the coaching lines — hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.10 Just three days later, Arroyo beat McDuffie again, 3-2.

The Cardinals moved Arroyo all the way up to Triple A for 1950, but he pitched mainly out of the bullpen. In 33 games (eight starts) for Columbus (Ohio) of the American Association, he was 4-4, 4.11. During the winter of 1950-51, though, he set a personal high in Puerto Rico with 13 wins. He lost eight and his ERA remained sharp at 2.48. He was runner-up in the All-Star voting among Puerto Rican fans, who gave the most ballots to scrappy American catcher Clint Courtney.11

The summer of 1951 was lackluster for Arroyo: 3-2, 5.52 in 24 games split between Columbus and Rochester, another Triple-A club in the St. Louis chain. His Puerto Rican season was good, but not great (10-10, 3.09). He got into another Caribbean Series, though, this time reinforcing the San Juan Senadores in Panama City.

Arroyo did not play in the U.S. in either 1952 or 1953. In the spring of 1952, he developed a sore arm. According to another 1955 feature in The Sporting News, “after a succession of rainouts, and fearing that his pitching staff would go stale, [Columbus manager Harry] Walker arranged to use a high school gym where his battery men could warm up. Arroyo bore down for about 20 minutes one afternoon, then took a hot shower and, without putting on a jacket, walked out into the cool mist and rain. Next day, he found that he couldn’t raise his arm.”12

He was not entirely idle during those two years, though — he played in the Dominican Republic. Professional baseball had resumed there in 1951, after a hiatus of 14 years, but the new Dominican League’s first four seasons took place in the summer before it switched to the winter. In two seasons with the Escogido Leones, Arroyo was 14-14, with ERAs of 1.61 and 2.84.

Meanwhile, he remained active at home. The 1952-53 winter was one of Arroyo’s worst (4-8, 4.77), but he rebounded to 7-7, 2.52 in 1953-54. He later spun a tall tale for the benefit of a New York sportswriter that he had visited an old man in the mountains of Puerto Rico who practiced natural medicine, and that a hot poultice made of leaves from a certain tree brought his shoulder back to life.13 “I threw the bull good,” Arroyo said with a smile in 1962 as he rolled a fat perfecto cigar between his fingers.14

When Arroyo returned to the U.S. in 1954, he did a big favor for Pedrín Zorrilla, owner of the Santurce Cangrejeros. As recounted in Thomas Van Hyning’s book The Puerto Rican Winter League, the Crabbers had a 19-year-old outfielder named Roberto Clemente, who was then under contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. “At Zorrilla’s request, Arroyo accompanied Clemente on the latter’s first stateside spring training trip. According to Arroyo, he flew with Clemente to Miami, purchased two bus tickets for the trip to the Dodgers’ camp and checked Roberto into a hotel before leaving the next morning for the St. Louis training camp in Daytona. Arroyo then sent the bill to Pedrín Zorrilla.”15 A little over a year later, by which time Clemente had become a Pittsburgh Pirate, Arroyo correctly predicted, “He’s going to help the Pirates win some games.”16

Meanwhile, perhaps because he’d been away from the U.S. for so long, the Cardinals assigned Arroyo only to Class A. With Columbus (Georgia) of the South Atlantic League, he went 8-6, 2.49. He earned promotion to the Double-A Texas League, going 8-3, 2.35 for Houston. Again the peak moment of his season was a no-hitter; this one came on August 11 in Dallas. The Associated Press account of this game was notable because it mentioned that Arroyo featured a screwball, which he had learned from Rubén Gómez. Later accounts when Arroyo was with the Yankees made it sound like he came up with the screwball at that point, but the trail of evidence shows that it had long been part of his repertoire.

The winter of 1954-55 was Arroyo’s last of nine with Ponce. It was also his nadir at home: 3-11, 4.95. He had a poor spring too, but nonetheless, he made the big club with St. Louis in the spring of 1955. The Cardinals wanted another lefty on their staff besides Harvey Haddix and Paul LaPalme.17

Arroyo was a winner in his major-league debut, a start on April 20 at Cincinnati’s old Crosley Field. Johnny Temple greeted him with a leadoff single, then Arroyo threw a wild pitch, walked Wally Post, and ran a 3-0 count on Gus Bell. But after coach Dixie Walker paid a visit to the mound and settled him down, Arroyo got out of the inning unscathed. He walked six and allowed five hits — but no runs — in 7 2/3 innings, and Herb Moford got the last four outs. “I’m going on 29 and have a big family,” said Arroyo. “I was worried about failing all spring. All of sudden, Dixie make me realize that no use worrying. I either do or I don’t.”18

Arroyo won his first six decisions, and his record stood at 10-3, 2.44 at the All-Star break. NL manager Leo Durocher named Tite to his pitching staff; that year Arroyo and Vic Power became the first Puerto Ricans to make it to the All-Star Game. Arroyo did not appear in the Midsummer Classic, though — the only player on Durocher’s roster who got no action.19 Fifty years later, he recalled, “The game went to extra innings and I was ordered to warm up [in the bottom of the 12th], but somebody [Stan Musial] hit a homer and the game was over. I was left longing to pitch.”20

Arroyo’s second half was also a letdown; he went just 1-5 the rest of the way, and by season’s end, his ERA was 4.19. Even when he was going well, he was prone to the long ball; he gave up 22 in 159 innings.

For the 1955-56 winter ball season, Arroyo joined San Juan. He bounced back to 9-5, 3.64 with the Senadores. Spring training 1956 brought word of a “new” addition to his arsenal. Arroyo was talking about the screwball, which Al Hollingsworth — a Cardinals scout and San Juan’s manager — had helped him develop in Puerto Rico. Arroyo expressed a lot of confidence in the pitch.21 He was ineffective in spring training, though, so the Cardinals sent him down to Triple-A Omaha.

After five appearances there, Arroyo was traded to Pittsburgh in early May for another pitcher, veteran righty Max Surkont. He was “acquired to add balance to a Pirate mound staff top-heavy with righthanders.”22 During the rest of 1956, Arroyo was up and down between Pittsburgh (3-3, 4.71 in 18 games) and Hollywood of the Pacific Coast League (7-5, 2.81 in 16 games). One oddity came on August 10, when he was charged with a loss for Pittsburgh — and he wasn’t even on the roster. The game had actually begun on July 1, but the Sunday afternoon contest had been suspended after eight innings because of Pennsylvania curfew laws. A few days later, Pittsburgh optioned Arroyo to Hollywood, and he didn’t return until September, over a month after the suspended game had been completed.

Arroyo had a good winter in 1956-57 with San Juan (11-9, 3.20). His manager was Ralph Houk, who was later his skipper with the 1961 Yankees. He made a very strong impression on Houk, as discussed in Puerto Rico’s Winter League. Houk said after the 1961 big-league season, “That man showed me five years ago he could pitch. . . he wants to pitch and that’s why he’s having some success in the big leagues.”23

Arroyo then spent all of the ’57 season with the Pirates. He worked often — 54 games, including 10 starts — but the results were forgettable (3-11, 4.68). Even one of the highlights, a win at Wrigley Field on May 14, showed what kind of a year it was. After Ron Kline got knocked out in the fourth inning, Arroyo came on to pitch five innings in long relief, striking out nine. But he gave up two-run homers in both the eighth and ninth innings, so Elroy Face had to get the last out.

At home in 1957-58, Arroyo again performed respectably for San Juan (8-8, 2.64), but Pittsburgh kept him at Triple A for all of 1958. By then, Columbus, Ohio was affiliated with the Pirates — and Arroyo was almost strictly a reliever in the U.S. He started only four more games in his Stateside career. In 61 games for Columbus, he went 10-3, though his ERA was on the high side at 4.01.

In December 1958, the Pirates traded Arroyo to the Cincinnati Redlegs for a fellow Puerto Rican, Nino Escalera. At the time, he was in the middle of another typical workmanlike winter for San Juan (9-6, 3.17). After the Puerto Rican season ended, he served as a playoff reinforcement for Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican League.

In those years, Cincinnati’s top farm club was the Havana Sugar Kings. Arroyo found the warm Spanish-speaking atmosphere conducive, and he pitched very well. The Reds called him up for about a month, and he got into 10 games from early June through early July (1-0, 3.95). Then Fred Hutchinson replaced Mayo Smith as manager in Cincinnati. Arroyo later said, “[Hutchinson] let me go without even a look.”24

He picked up where he left off with Havana. Though his record was 8-9 for the year with the Sugar Kings, he posted a minuscule 1.15 ERA in 117 innings across 41 games. He also was part of the team’s exciting run through the minor-league playoffs, capped with a victory in the Little World Series, played mostly in Havana because of a cold snap in Minneapolis.

Arroyo had one of his best winters at home in 1959-60: 11-4, 2.36. He returned to Havana to begin the 1960 season, but the club was forced to relocate to Jersey City, New Jersey that July. The veteran lefty continued to pitch well (9-7, 2.27 in 39 games) — and scouts for the Yankees were watching. On July 20, 1960, New York purchased Arroyo’s contract from Jersey City. He thus became the first Puerto Rican to play for the Yankees in the majors.25

As a Newspaper Enterprise Association feature put it that August, “the Yankees. . .were hurting for pitching, especially in relief since Ryne Duren lost control of his hard one. . .Yankee pitching had struck rock bottom when Bill Skiff, chief of scouts, watched the Bronx club’s Richmond branch play across the river. Skiff had his eye on Arroyo for two years, or since the Reds sent him to the International League.”26

Arroyo described how greater command of his best pitch got him back to the top level. “I grip the ball with the first two fingers between the seams and twist the wrist so it rotates and breaks away from a right-hand and into a left-hand batter. At first I had trouble getting a piece of the plate with the screwball, but now I get it over any time I want to.”27

Right around the same time, Arroyo also told the Associated Press about a variant of the pitch — “I call it a back-up scroogie,” he said. “That’s a screwball that breaks the other way, which is the way an ordinary curve breaks. I keep it away from right-handed batters and inside to left-handed batters.” Manager Casey Stengel, in a typical phrase, called it “a whoosh-whish pitch.”28

That feature opened by saying, “He’s fat. He’s old. He’s little. But Luis Arroyo is a big man in the New York Yankee scheme of things when he answers Stengel’s call for a relief pitcher.”29 Arroyo worked often and well for the Yankees during the rest of the 1960 season. He went 5-1, 2.88 with seven saves in 29 games.

In the fall of 1960, Arroyo also appeared for the first time in the U.S. postseason. He pitched two-thirds of an inning in Game Five of the World Series against one of his old clubs, Pittsburgh. The Pirates knocked Art Ditmar out of the box in the second inning that day, and though Arroyo prevented any further scoring in the second, he allowed a run in the third inning before Stengel removed him for Bill Stafford. Bob Turley, who started Game Seven, thought that Casey should have summoned Arroyo to face Hal Smith in the pivotal eighth inning.30 Instead, Jim Coates stayed in and Smith hit a three-run homer.

Arroyo had his last full season at home with San Juan in 1960-61, and it was one of his best: 10-2, 1.64 in 71 1/3 innings across 29 games. He was named league MVP. San Juan won the championship and went on to represent Puerto Rico in the Inter-American Series in Caracas. (The Caribbean Series went on hiatus after 1960 because Cuba withdrew.) Arroyo reported late to spring training for a most unusual reason — Puerto Rico imposed a 10-day quarantine after a bubonic plague threat in the Venezuelan capital.

About a month into camp, Jesse Gonder (then a rookie catcher for the Yankees) lined a ball off Arroyo’s pitching wrist. The result was a fractured ulna.31 It kept Arroyo out of game action for a little over a month; the enforced rest was something he later viewed as a blessing in disguise. As the 1961 season developed, Arroyo became the main man in the Yankees’ bullpen, which had been a big question mark.32 He appeared in 65 games — then a club record — finishing 54 games and saving 29, which led the American League. He made the All-Star team for a second time (though again he did not pitch in the game) and was named AL Fireman of the Year.

Arroyo was very good at getting batters to hit ground balls — he gave up just five homers in 119 innings in 1961. Catcher Yogi Berra said, “The screwball works two ways for Luis. For one thing, it’s a difficult pitch to hit. And, for another, the hitter seems to be always looking for it, enabling Luis to fool ’em with his fast one or his other curve.” Arroyo concurred. “I keep the hitters guessing and I can usually get my stuff over the plate. There’s not much more to pitching than that.”33

That August, he added more about his belief that he had become a true pitcher, not just a thrower. He said, “I believe I have finally become a big-leaguer. . .Now I feel I belong. A fellow is not a big leaguer just because he is in the big leagues. He must make contributions and I think I have made these contributions.”34

Whitey Ford especially appreciated Arroyo’s support. A Sports Illustrated article that July quoted the staff ace: “If I win 25, I’m going to hold out for $100,000 and split it with Luis.” Arroyo said he’d settle for 60:40.35 When Ford got his 20th victory of the season — for the first time in his superb career — he merrily proclaimed in the clubhouse, “Beer for everybody on me. . . and make it two for my boy, Luis.”36 That was the tenth of 13 saves Arroyo picked up for Ford, who indeed went on to win 25 that season. In addition to inviting Arroyo to finish his 1961 Cy Young Award acceptance speech, Whitey kept his word, giving the closer a financial boost. Many years later, Arroyo recalled, “I must have made six trips [to the States] to do commercials with Whitey and I made around $30,000.”37

The Yankees won the 1961 World Series in five games over the Cincinnati Reds. Arroyo finished up in Game Two, which was Cincinnati’s only victory. He was the winning pitcher in Game Three, throwing scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth while New York came back behind solo homers from Johnny Blanchard (an old batterymate in San Juan) and Roger Maris.

After the Series concluded, as Arroyo discussed in Puerto Rico’s Winter League, Yankees general manager Roy Hamey gave the pitcher $10,000 not to play winter ball — double what Arroyo indicated he would earn with San Juan. Along with his World Series share, a bonus that was reported at $5,000,38 and the pay from the ads with Whitey Ford, Tite made more than he ever had in his life. Yet in retrospect, he thought it was a mistake.

“I’m almost 35 at the time, had a few drinks, ate a little too much. . .[though I did] do some throwing, running. Before you know it, I’m overweight, and I know I made a mistake by not playing that winter. I asked them [New York] to let me pitch 40 innings. I tell you that decision — I have myself to blame too — cost me my ten years in the big leagues. I only got six years and two months. But I can’t say that Hamey was trying to hurt me, maybe protect me. I followed a routine for 14 years and never had a sore arm.”39 (This last sentence is at odds with accounts of what happened in 1952-53.)

Arroyo actually did wind up getting into five games for San Juan, pitching 11 innings. He also appeared in the Inter-American Series again with one of two Puerto Rican entries, Mayagüez. But after his superb performance in 1961 — which earned him a salary raise from $8,500 to $20,000 — he fell off in 1962. He was able to pitch just 33 2/3 innings in 27 games for the Yankees. He was 1-3, 4.81 with seven saves. He was out of action with a strained elbow from late April. According to Yankee historian Alan Blumkin, Arroyo sustained this injury at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium on April 13. That game was played in a windy and wet 36 degrees.40

Arroyo finally went on the 30-day disabled list on May 21. He returned in late June but barely pitched in September. The Yankees kept him on the World Series roster, and gave him a full winners’ share — but the closest he got to entering a game was when he warmed up in the ninth inning of Game Six with New York trailing, 5-2.41

In spring training 1963, Arroyo issued remarks consistent with his recollection for Puerto Rico’s Winter League. He was a firm believer that winter ball made him strong and ready for the big-league season. Of the previous year, he said, “I rest in the winter and then my arm has no life in it. I could tell from the start. Those bone chips were nothing. I’ve been pitching with them for ten years. . I went to the Yankees and asked for their permission to pitch winter ball again. I explained my feelings to them. They agreed it was worth a try.”42

Arroyo was effective in limited duty for San Juan in 1962-63 (0-1, 2.87 in 28 1/3 innings pitched). He got into only six games for the Yankees in April and May 1963, though, and was sent down to Triple-A Richmond in June. New York recalled Al Downing, who pitched very well in the majors for the remainder of the season. Arroyo pitched in 35 games for Richmond, and his marks (2-2, 4.60) did not warrant a recall. The Yankees announced the veteran’s retirement on September 27, 1963, with one game still to go in the regular season. Arroyo’s lifetime record in the majors was 40-32 with a 3.93 ERA and 45 saves in 244 games.

As part of the announcement, the Yankees made Arroyo a scout, assigning him to cover Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. His contract took effect in February 1964.43 Tite played on in the winter, though — he got into 17 games with San Juan in 1963-64. The Senadores — starring Roberto Clemente — won the league championship. After that, Arroyo also pitched again for San Juan in the Inter-American Series. This edition was hosted in Nicaragua.44

Arroyo then had bone chips removed from his elbow in March 1964, and he went about his scouting duties. But as he told Frank Eck of the Associated Press later that year, he had a comeback in mind. In September he threw pain-free with some high-school kids in Ponce, and he hoped to be in good enough shape to try to go to spring training and join Pedro Ramos in the Yankees’ bullpen.45

Arroyo issued a word of caution, though — despite saying he’d still be using his bread and butter pitch. “When you throw the screwball you must throw the ball with an unnatural motion. It’s no good for youngsters to use the screwball. It puts too much of a strain on the arm.”46

Arroyo’s last mound action was three games for San Juan in the winter of 1964-65 (he also served the club as a coach). His final totals in the PRWL were 110-93 with a 3.04 ERA in 364 games. In 1722 1/3 innings, he struck out 942 batters.

Nothing further came of the comeback; in early 1965, Arroyo was part of a crew of instructors that went to Mexico in a three-week clinic sponsored by Major League Baseball. In addition to his scouting duties for the Yankees, he also became a manager in Puerto Rico. He was Ponce’s skipper for three straight winters starting in 1965-66. The Leones featured players from the Yankees (Roy White and Horace Clarke) and the Cardinals (Steve Carlton and Nelson Briles). According to Puerto Rico’s Winter League, the St. Louis front office was leery of sending Carlton to winter ball for fear of injury, but Arroyo convinced them. It was an important step in the prize prospect’s development.47

Arroyo led Caguas for two seasons (1968-69 and 1969-70) — missing out on the back-to-back championships that Ponce won. After that, he rejoined Ponce as a coach in 1970-71. Arroyo also served as general manager for the Leones during at least two seasons, in 1975-76 and again in 1993-94, after Pantalones Santiago became owner of the club.

In addition, Arroyo was a manager during three summers in Mexico. In 1967 and 1968, he was with Reynosa. In 1978, he started the season with Poza Rica, but the team went through three managers that year (which is not uncommon in the Mexican League).

Over the years, Arroyo was willing to teach other pitchers about the screwball. One example was another lefty reliever named Terry Enyart, who got into two games in the majors with the Montreal Expos in 1974. Enyart had relied on the scroogie previously but got Arroyo’s advice while in Triple-A in 1977. Arroyo also taught southpaw Chuck Cary the screwball when Cary was pitching in Puerto Rico in the winter of 1988-89. It helped Cary make it back to the majors with the Yankees from 1989 through 1991.

Plus, Arroyo was responsible for the comeback of another lefty screwballer, Guillermo Hernández, in 1995. Hernández had been out of the majors since 1989 and had not pitched in the minors since 1991. Arroyo contacted the 40-year-old reliever, who was pitching coach for a semi-pro team in Puerto Rico. Hernández got into 22 games for the Yankees’ Triple-A team, Columbus (though it did not go well).48

Arroyo was still scouting for the Yankees at that time, but he retired shortly thereafter. By one local account, he brought some notable Puerto Rican talent to New York. 49 Before the amateur draft extended to U.S. territories in 1989, the Yankees signed major-leaguers such as Otto Vélez (1969) and Edwin Rodríguez (1980). They found a real plum in Bernie Williams (1985), and after the draft took effect, they selected another major star, Jorge Posada, and Ricky Ledée in 1990. Based on other published sources, however, SABR’s Scouts Committee gives direct credit to Arroyo only for Ledée.50

In July 2010, Arroyo returned to New York to take part in the Old-Timers’ weekend festivities. He was taken ill during the Friday night cruise that was part of the fun, and it turned out to be a mild heart attack. He went to the hospital and so missed the Old-Timers’ Game. He made a full recovery, however, and returned home to Peñuelas, where the municipal stadium is named for him. He made it back to Yankee Stadium for the 2012 edition of the Old-Timers’ Game.

In his mid-eighties, Arroyo remained a keen observer of the baseball scene. In January 2012, shortly after Jorge Posada announced his retirement, Arroyo commented on the diminished presence of Puerto Rican talent. “The Yankees haven’t invested not because they don’t have the money, but because there isn’t good talent in Puerto Rico. Good ballplayers aren’t coming out now. . .there isn’t the material, that’s how I see it. It’s always been said that the Yankees don’t like Latino ballplayers. But it’s not that way. The Yankees have always had good Latino prospects.”51

According to his obituary in the New York Times, Arroyo was married at least twice.52 As of 1960, he and his wife, Judith (who was a schoolteacher) had five children ranging in age from several weeks to 10 years. At least three of them were sons, but the names of only two were shown: Luis Jr. and Harold.53 Another son was named Paicky and a daughter was named Milagros.54

Arroyo remained one of Puerto Rico’s most celebrated and best-loved baseball players. He received various honors over the years.

• The Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame inducted him in 1992, as part of its second class.
• In 2002, the mayor of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico announced that El Museo del Deporte de Puerto Rico (The Puerto Rican Sports Museum) would open in the San Juan suburb in 2003. The announcement came at the Caribbean Series in Caracas, and though Arroyo could not make it because of passport trouble, hundreds of people honored him at a ceremony.55
• The Puerto Rican Winter League dedicated its 2006-07 season to Arroyo.
• In January 2008, the Puerto Rican Sports Museum held the first Puerto Rican Yankees Festival. Arroyo called the honor one of the greatest he had received and talked about how the quality of the Yankees organization impressed him from the moment he joined.56
• More recently, another Latino Baseball Hall of Fame was established in the Dominican Republic. In 2012, Arroyo was one of eight inductees in the third class, joining Bernie Williams in representing Puerto Rico.

As late as 2013, Arroyo returned to Yankee Stadium for Old-Timers’ Day. He died on January 13, 2016, aged 88, after being diagnosed with cancer the previous month.57 His passing prompted many fond memories from Yankee teammates.58 Luis “Tite” Arroyo was buried in Cementerio Municipal de Peñuelas, a day after many of his fellow Puerto Rican ballplayers joined his family in his hometown’s Municipal Theatre to honor his memory.59

This biography is included in “Puerto Rico and Baseball: 60 Biographies” (SABR, 2017), edited by Bill Nowlin and Edwin Fernández.

Sources

Internet resources

www.ancestry.com (1930 and 1940 census records)

Edwin Vázquez, “Luis Tite Arroyo de Puerto Rico,” 1-800-Béisbol website (http://www.1800beisbol.com/baseball/deportes/historia_del_beisbol/luis_tite_arroyo_de_puerto_rico)

www.paperofrecord.com (various small items from The Sporting News)

Books

Thomas Van Hyning, Puerto Rico’s Winter League, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1995.

José A. Crescioni Benítez, El Béisbol Profesional Boricua. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Aurora Comunicación Integral, Inc., 1997.

José Antero Núñez, Series del Caribe. Caracas, Venezuela: Impresos Urbina, C.A., 1987.

Notes

Ramón Antonio Avilés1 Miranda was born in Manatí, Puerto Rico. Baseball-Reference.com and other sources list his birthdate as January 22, 1952. However, his family has clarified that he was born in 1949 and lowered his age when he entered professional baseball.2 His father, Ramón Antonio Avilés Olivares, was a policeman in various Puerto Rican towns. His mother, Rosa Candida Miranda Marqués, had three other children. They included a brother Gilberto, a sister Silvia, and a younger brother, Angel Antonio, who died at age 16.3 Edgar, a half-brother,4 had a son, Mike Avilés. Mike had a 10-year career in the major leagues as well.

Like many Puerto Rican children of the era, Avilés idolized Roberto Clemente. “I never saw him play in the big leagues, but he was a hero to me and every other kid in Puerto Rico,” Avilés said in 1978, five years after the legend’s death in a plane crash. “Of course, I saw him play in the winter league here when I was a kid. However, I think I remember him most for doing so much for so many people. He always was helping somebody, especially the kids. You never hear a bad word said about him in Puerto Rico.”5

As he was growing up, Avilés wanted to be a doctor, but eight years of medical school was more than his father could afford.6 Avilés could play baseball, though, and was an excellent infielder for Fernando Callejo High School in Manatí. Juan Beniquez, was a friend and a rising prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization. He convinced Avilés to attend a tryout. Avilés impressed scout Milt Bolling so much that the Sox signed him after his high school graduation.7

Avilés turned pro at home with the Arecibo Lobos of the Puerto Rican Winter League in the winter of 1968-69. He made his USA debut with the Class-A Greenville Red Sox in 1970 and hit .296 in 94 games. He was primarily a shortstop but also played seven games at second base. His fielding percentage at either position was in the .920s. Over the offseason, the Red Sox had Avilés and several other infield prospects, including Beniquez, work on playing third base, shortstop, and second base. The idea was that the versatility would help improve their chances, as well as the club’s.8

Life in South Carolina for a young Puerto Rican ballplayer in the early 1970s wasn’t easy. Avilés later recalled that he had to sleep on the team trainer’s table in the clubhouse for a month, because he couldn’t find an apartment. He also had to pay the manager’s wife $5 to cut his hair, because neither the black nor the white barbers in town would touch his hair.9

While playing in Greenville, Avilés met his future wife, Betty Jo Richey. He had learned some English in Puerto Rico, but she taught him the language so well that Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan noted that he spoke the language better than many American players.10 They would have a daughter, Amy.

Avilés was promoted to the Winston-Salem Red Sox to start the 1971 season, and he batted .250 in 33 games. He struggled to make even the most basic plays at shortstop, though. He was moved back to Greenville in late May, as the two Class-A teams swapped shortstops – Avilés for Rick Burleson.11 In his first game back in Greenville, Avilés had five singles and an RBI and, ironically, made some good plays at shortstop. He took part in two double plays and ranged far to his left to make a nice play in the ninth inning.12 Avilés batted .294 in 91 games for Greenville. He also walked 43 times against just 26 strikeouts.

Both Avilés and Burleson ended up on the Double-A Pawtucket Red Sox in 1972. Avilés moved to second base. The position change proved extremely beneficial, as Avilés committed just 16 errors at second, a .969 fielding percentage – far and away his best defensive work to that point. Unfortunately, his offense regressed as much as his defense progressed. He slashed .183/.277/.198. He hit 57 singles and five doubles in 106 games. It wasn’t just Avilés who struggled at the plate for Pawtucket. During a stretch in August, the team was no-hit three times in three weeks. In the last no-hitter, thrown by Elmira’s Bob Eldridge, Avilés came the closest to getting a hit, slapping a ground ball up the middle in the ninth inning. Shortstop Rob Belloir had to grab the ball behind second base to throw him out and preserve the no-no.13

Avilés spent a total of three seasons in Double-A, playing both 1973 and 1974 with the Bristol Red Sox. Both his hitting and fielding improved during this time, and Bristol moved him between second base, third base and shortstop. He also played the odd inning in the outfield. Avilés’ hitting improved to .224 in 1973 and then .247 in 1974. He also started hitting the ball with more authority, with 15 extra-base hits – 12 doubles and three triples – in 1974. Avilés got off to a great start in 1974 and was one of six Bristol players named to the Eastern League’s All-Star Team.14

Avilés committed 32 errors at shortstop in 1974, but one of them was good news for manager Stan Williams. Following injuries to some of his pitchers, the 38-year-old ex-big-leaguer activated himself to make an emergency start against Quebec City. He threw a 9-0 no-hitter. The play that saved his no-hitter was a grounder that Avilés grabbed and then couldn’t get out of his glove. The official scorer ruled it an error, preserving the first regular-season no-hitter of Williams’ 20-year pitching career.15

There were signs that the Red Sox were losing patience with the infielder. By 1974, Burleson had already made the major leagues and finished in fourth place in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. Avilés, meanwhile, was moved to the bench for a month because Boston had signed prospect Eddie Ford (son of Hall of Famer Whitey Ford16) out of the University of South Carolina and promoted him directly to Bristol. After a month and a .160 average, Ford was moved to Class A, and Avilés was given his starting role back.17

Avilés, now 26 (per his family’s account), moved up to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox in 1975, but not as a starter, initially. He was a utility infielder. The Red Sox were interested in starting Steve Dillard. Dillard, though, was injury-prone and didn’t hit well when he was healthy, so Avilés appeared in 123 games and hit .220 while slugging .258. Avilés hit the first home run of his professional career, too. It came on August 26, 1975, against Rochester and was a three-run blast off Red Wings lefty Mike Willis.18

There was an element of bad luck in his low numbers, he told Hartford Courant columnist Owen Canfield. “I’m starting to hit with the hot weather, but they’ve been catching them on me, too,” he said. “One stretch I was nothing for eleven, but I hit eight line drives.”19

In his second straight year of Triple-A ball in 1976, Avilés put together a solid campaign for the Rhode Island Red Sox (as the Pawtucket club was known that year), with a .257/.331/.325 slash line. He had 17 doubles and homered twice while playing a steady shortstop. After the season, the Red Sox added Avilés to the 40-man roster.20 He was on track to make the 1977 Red Sox Opening Day roster until a freak accident cost him his chance. Avilés and outfielder Jim Rice slammed into each other chasing the same pop fly on March 16 in Fort Lauderdale. Avilés hung on to the ball to make the play, but he separated his shoulder and spent the rest of camp with his arm in a sling.21 He was sent back to Triple-A Pawtucket, as questions remained about his condition.

Avilés never got on track once he started playing in Pawtucket. In spite of a batting average near .200, the Red Sox brought him to the majors on June 24 after first baseman Jack Baker was demoted to the minors.22 Then, for the most part, manager Don Zimmer apparently forgot he was on the roster. He made his one and only appearance in a Red Sox uniform on July 10 in an 11-inning 8-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He pinch-hit for Bernie Carbo in the top of the seventh inning and laid down a sacrifice bunt against Bob McClure. He played two innings at second base without touching the ball and was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning.

Avilés stayed in the majors for another couple of weeks, as well as a September call-up, but never got into another game. Despite the lack of playing time, he was happy to be in the majors. “We are in the pennant race and the manager has to go with the regular guys. I’m not disappointed. I’m glad to be here,” he said. “I don’t feel bad being the backup to the best shortstop in the American League [Rick Burleson]. As a matter of fact, I’m proud of it.”23

The next time he played in the majors, Avilés was wearing a Phillies uniform. The Red Sox sold his contract to Philadelphia in April 1978, and he spent all of 1978 with the Phillies’ AAA team in Oklahoma City. He did well when he played (.270 average and 3 home runs), but he was competing for playing time against prospects like Jim Morrison and Todd Cruz.

Avilés got his big opportunity on May 2, 1979, when Phillies second baseman Manny Trillo broke his forearm after being hit by a pitch. Avilés, hitting near .400 in Oklahoma City at the time, was brought to the majors one day later. The following day, he hit a two-run single off the Dodgers’ Charlie Hough for his first major-league hit. Then Avilés just kept hitting, as the right-handed part of a second base platoon with Rudy Meoli. Through May 18, Avilés had at least one hit in every game where he came to bat and was hitting a scorching .480 with 8 RBIs. The first nine times he came to bat with runners in scoring position, he drove them in seven times. After a frustrating decade in the minor leagues with only a cup of coffee with the Red Sox to show for it, Avilés was making the most of his opportunity.

“I am stubborn,” Avilés responded when asked about his baseball career to that point. “I never thought I was kidding myself. If I had gotten a shot in the major leagues and hadn’t made it, then it would be very easy to quit. But I never had a chance up here. So why give up unless you know for sure you can’t make it?” He credited Betty for keeping him going during the times when things got so bad that he thought of quitting.24

“I know what’s gonna happen when Manny Trillo comes back,” he said. “He’s gonna play because he’s the best second baseman in the National League. I’m not fighting him for his job. I’d be very happy to stay here as his backup.”25

Pitchers eventually adjusted to Avilés, and he was sent back to the minors in mid-June. Still, he batted .279 in 27 games with 12 RBIs and played very well in the field.

It happened again, in almost the exact same way, in 1980. Avilés started the season in Triple-A, and then Manny Trillo sprained his ankle on April 20 and went on the disabled list.26 Avilés went to Philadelphia and hit well as the temporary starter. This time, however, he wasn’t sent back to the minors when Trillo got healthy. Instead, Avilés became a valuable utility infielder, staying with the Phillies through the end of the season, as well as their postseason run that culminated with a World Series win over the Royals.

Though he didn’t play in the World Series, he was part of a key inning in the NL Championship Series. With Nolan Ryan pitching, the Houston Astros were leading the Phillies 5-2 in the top of the eighth inning of Game Five. Ryan allowed three singles and a bases-loaded walk before giving way to the bullpen. Avilés pinch-ran for Keith Moreland after Moreland grounded into a force play. He advanced to second on a Del Unser single and scored on a triple by Trillo. By the time the inning was over, the Fightin’ Phils had turned a 5-2 deficit into a 7-5 lead. The Astros came back to tie the game but eventually lost 8-7.

Avilés hit his first big-league home run off Mario Soto of the Reds on May 21,1980. Whenever Trillo or shortstop Larry Bowa needed a day off, Avilés was there, playing steady defense and hitting well. He played in a total of 51 games and had 28 hits in 101 at-bats for a .277/.336/.396 slash line. “Ramon’s a pro,” said his manager, Dallas Green. “We know we can go to him at any time, and that’s why he’s in our organization.”27

Avilés didn’t have the same kind of luck in 1981. He started the season with the Phillies, but he struggled badly with the bat and was hitting .133 when the players went out on strike in June. When play resumed after the strike, he raised his average to .214, playing mostly as a late-inning defensive replacement. His average in 19 appearances after the strike was .308 (4-for-13). He had one plate appearance against the Expos in the ’81 NL Division Series and drew a walk.

After the 1981 season, Avilés was traded to Texas for pitcher Dave Rajsich. The Rangers didn’t seem to have room for another infielder, either at the major league or Triple-A level. Avilés was never seriously considered for a roster spot in spring training, and he barely played for their minor-league team in Denver. Avilés asked for a trade, and Texas sent him back to the Phillies organization on May 1, 1982. By then, his marriage to Betty had ended in divorce.

“I have had some setbacks, but not enough to get me down,” he said.28

Avilés’ playing career wasn’t over yet, but the Phillies were grooming him to take over the oversight of the team’s Latin American operations. That job was held by Ruben Amaro, until he left the organization to become a coach for the Chicago Cubs.29 Avilés spent 1983, his last year of professional baseball, as a player-coach for the Triple-A Portland Beavers, the Phillies’ new Pacific Coast League affiliate. He hit .256 in 69 games and worked to prepare infielder Juan Samuel for the majors.30

In parts of four major league seasons, Avilés appeared in 117 games and slashed .268/.341/.347, with nine doubles and two home runs among his 51 hits. He had 24 RBIs and scored 21 times. He also had a .247 average through 13 seasons in the minor leagues.

Avilés played winter ball in Puerto Rico for 16 seasons, through 1984-85, primarily with Arecibo but also with Ponce and Mayagüez. He hit .225 in his winter ball career but was an All-Star in 1977-78 with Mayagüez.31

For the next 20 years, Avilés served as a manager or a traveling instructor in the Phillies organization. He began his managerial career with the Bend Phillies in the Northwest League in 1984 and because the first manager of the new Clearwater Phillies in 1985.

Throughout his tenure with the Phillies, Avilés also worked as a manager and general manager in the Puerto Rican winter league, becoming a Caribbean legend in the process. He became the first Puerto Rican to win a Caribbean Series as a player, manager and general manager, according to a 2006 profile in Florida Today. He won a total of 25 championships in professional baseball as a coach and player.32

Avilés influenced several generations of young Phillies as they started their careers in the minor leagues, including Chase Utley, Scott Rolen, and Jimmy Rollins. He could be a hard-nosed manager while working with kids who were relatively new to the ways of professional baseball. He once fined a player $25 for talking with a friend on the opposing team.33 However, Avilés also had a soft side and admitted that he never knew he could care so much about people who weren’t relatives. “I really care about these guys,” he said while managing the Clearwater Phillies. “Sometimes I can’t sleep because I worry about how I can make this guy a better player.”34

“You can teach kids on this level,” he said in 1992, while managing in the New York-Penn League. “They haven’t gotten to that stage where they think they know it all.”35

Through his time as a manager and roving instructor, Avilés had become invaluable to the Phillies in helping the team’s prospects start their careers off on the right paths. Bill Giles, team president, made Avilés’ value plain when he said, “We want Ramon Avilés in our organization in any capacity that’s available. Avilés has done a great job. We’re very high on him.”36

Avilés managed at the highest level of his career when he was named interim manager for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons in 1996. He was pressed into service when manager Butch Hobson was arrested on May 4 for cocaine possession and subsequently fired. The roster was in a constant state of flux, but Avilés kept the team in playoff contention up to the end of the season.

He acknowledged that he had dreams of being the first Puerto Rican to manage in the major leagues.37 However, he was so invaluable as an instructor that he was returned to that role after the ’96 season ended.

Avilés managed extensively in Puerto Rico in the winters. During the 1987 Caribbean Series, he moved up from a coaching role to replace Tim Foli, after Caguas had lost two of its first three games. The Criollos proceeded to win four straight to capture the tournament. For the 1989-90 season, Avilés won the PRWL’s Manager of the Year award.38

Avilés was also the general manager for Puerto Rico’s “Dream Team” in the 1995 Caribbean Series in San Juan. The team featured Roberto Alomar, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Baerga, and Edgar Martinez, to name just a few of its stars.

In 2005, Avilés moved to the Milwaukee Brewers organization, just in time to manage a young Ryan Braun with the West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League. His last managerial assignment was in 2008 with the Burlington (Vermont) Lake Monsters of the New York Penn League in the Washington Nationals organization. His final coaching role in the U.S. appears to have been in 2009, when he was the hitting instructor for the Hagerstown Suns.

As recently as 2018, Avilés was still active in Puerto Rican baseball. He died in his hometown of Manatí on January 27, 2020, at the age of 71. Avilés was suffering from complications of diabetes and high blood pressure and was scheduled to begin dialysis treatment in early February.39 He is buried in the Cementerio Municipal Histórico de Vega Baja in Puerto Rico.

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this article appeared on the author’s website, RIP Baseball, www.ripbaseball.com.

Thanks to Bill Nowlin and Tony Oliver for their help with this biography, which was reviewed by Rory Costello and Bruce Harris and fact-checked by Henry Kirn.

Sources

Baseball statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and Béisbol 101.

Notes

1 Note that the accent is on the final syllable of the paternal surname in Spanish. This is confirmed by Thomas Van Hyning’s book Puerto Rico’s Winter League (see note 38), as well as his obituary (see note 39) and other Puerto Rican sources. The Sporting News Baseball Register for 1982 gives the pronunciation as AH-vee-less.

2 All family information, as well as Ramón Avilés’ actual birth year, courtesy of an interview with his sister Sylvia, conducted by Tony Oliver, November 5, 2020.

3 Fernando Ribas Reyes, “Fallece el Exgrandesligas Ramón Avilés,” https://www.primerahora.com/deportes/beisbol/notas/fallece-el-exgrandesligas-ramon-aviles/.

4 Mike Aviles entry on www.bostonball.com.

5 “Bosox Remember Clemente,” The Berkeley Gazette, March 21, 1978: 17.

6 Bill Handleman, “Ramon Aviles Teaches More Than Hitting,” Asbury Park Press, April 9, 2002: D1.

7 Hal Bodley, “Aviles Finally Has Made It,” The News Journal (Wilmington, DE), May 13, 1979: B1.

8 Peter Gammons, “Majoring in the Minors: Sox Farmlings Getting Variety,” Boston Globe, September 10, 1970: 35.

9 Handleman, D1.

10 Bob Ryan, “’77 Red Sox – Ramon Aviles,” Boston Globe, July 24, 1977: 78.

11 Jim Walser, “Miller Slams Two; G-Sox Roll 16-7,” The Greenville News, May 21, 1971: 38.

12 Walser, 38.

13 Al Mallette, “Elmira’s Eldridge Joins Pawtucket’s No-Hit Foes,” The Sporting News, September 9, 1972: 41.

14 “Eastern League,” The Sporting News, August 3, 1974: 40.

15 Charles Hibbert, “Stan Williams Proves Gem as Manager,” The Sporting News, June 22, 1974: 40.

16 “Baseball Draft: Bosox Pick Ford,” Hartford Courant, June 6, 1974: 7C.

17 “Speedster Reggie Niles Proves Value in Outfield,” Hartford Courant, July 21, 1974: 6C.

18 “Rochester Holds 1st,” News Leader (Staunton, VA), August 27, 1975: 18.

19 Owen Canfield, “Eight Years of Trying,” Hartford Courant, May 25, 1975: 7C.

20 “Bristol’s Ford, Vosk Promoted by Red Sox,” Hartford Courant, November 7, 1976: 2C.

21 “Tiant Signs, Feeling Good,” Bangor Daily News, March 24, 1977: 24.

22 “Aviles, Coleman Called up by Sox,” Bangor Daily News, June 25, 1977: 22.

23 Ryan, 78.

24 Bill Lyon, “Ramon Aviles Awaits His Fate,” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 22, 1979: C1.

25 Tim Cushman, “The Phillies Subs Are Playing a Major Role,” Philadelphia Daily News, May 22, 1979: 71.

26 “Trillo Placed on the Disabled List,” Lancaster New Era, April 28, 1980: 19.

27 Jack McCallum, “Aviles Plays a Big Role in Phils’ 10-5 Win over Braves,” The Morning Call, (Allentown, PA), May 7, 1980: C3.

28 Ted Silary, “Setbacks Don’t Get Aviles Down,” Philadelphia Daily News, August 20, 1982: 106.

29 Ray Finocchiaro, “Amaro to Coach for Cubs,” The News Journal (Wilmington, DE), October 23, 1982: B1.

30 Jayson Stark, “Ready or Not – Samuel Tears up Triple-A While Phillies Wait,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1, 1983: D1.

31 Luis Rodriguez-Mayoral, “Ramon Avilés: Caballero y Soldado del Béisbol,” Béisbol 101, https://www.beisbol101.com/ramon-aviles-caballero-y-soldado-del-beisbol/.

32 Scott Brown, “Manatees Manager Loves Life at Ballpark,” Florida Today, June 14, 2006: 1D.

33 Phil Gulick, “Phils’ Fortenberry Gets His Grip after Early Outfield Adventures,” Tampa Bay Times, May 15, 1986: 4.

34 Darrell Proctor, “Aviles Handles Phila with Care; Always on Call to Players,” Tampa Bay Times, June 16, 1985: 4.

35 Scott Pitoniak, “Next Stop Watertown,” Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), July 12, 1992: 1E.

36 Paul Sokoloski, “Hobson’s Star with Barons Rises and Falls Quickly,” Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, PA), August 11, 1996: 5C.

37 Larry Holeva, “‘Interim’ Label Fits Aviles,” Times Tribune (Scranton, PA), May 12, 1996: D10.

38 Thomas E. Van Hyning, Puerto Rico’s Winter League (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2004), 183.

39 Ribas Reyes, “Fallece el Exgrandesligas Ramon Avilés.”

Benigno Ayala lives up to his given name, which means “kind” or “friendly.” Following a productive career as a role player, he has bestowed greater gifts on the baseball world, through his work with the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT). Quite a few of his fellow Puerto Rican pros have fallen on hard times since they left the game. “There are really sad stories,” said Ayala in 2009. “And most of them are unknown, because ballplayers are proud. They don’t like to ask.”1 Ayala played five full seasons in the majors and parts of five others from 1974 to 1985. He qualified for a good pension and does not have to worry about life’s necessities – now he is a voice for those in need.

In his playing days, the outfielder wasn’t known for his defense, but he was a pretty fair batting threat in platoon. In its glory years, the Baltimore organization understood the importance of “deep depth,” as manager Earl Weaver called it in 1979. Pitcher Steve Stone detailed the concept in Tales from the Orioles Dugout.

“They were a team that pretty much understood that the spare parts of a baseball team determine whether you win or lose. It’s going and getting . . . [a] Benny Ayala. And then it’s up to the manager after you get Benny Ayala to realize that . . . when they put soft-tossing lefthanders in the game, Benny was good for two hits. Earl put him in a situation where he could be successful. So Hank Peters went and got him, and Earl used him correctly.”2

Ayala came to the plate 951 times in his big-league career, and 86 percent of those appearances were against lefties. It’s no surprise that 35 of his 38 regular-season homers came off southpaws – as did his crowning blow as a pro, his two-run shot off John Candelaria in Game Three of the 1979 World Series.

Benigno Ayala Félix was born on February 7, 1951, in Yauco, a town in southwestern Puerto Rico. He was the first of two sons born to Benigno Ayala and Lillian Félix (there was also a half-brother). The island has sent over 300 men to the majors over the years, yet only three others have hailed from Yauco. The first was pitcher Tomás “Planchardón” Quiñones, a longtime local star who pitched briefly in the Negro Leagues in the 1940s. After Ayala came Mario Ramírez (1980-85) and Mike Pérez (1990-1997).

Ayala himself did not start playing baseball until the age of 11, but in retrospect, he saw some benefits from it. In 2010, he said, “If you start late, you don’t get bored. And when you grow, you have to go through a process of adjustment. I asked guys like Tom Seaver and Rusty Staub about it.”

On January 28, 1971, the New York Mets signed Ayala as a free agent (the amateur draft did not include Puerto Rico until 1990). The scout was Nino Escalera, who covered Latin America for the Mets. “I was in my first year at Rio Piedras Junior College. Whitey Herzog came to Puerto Rico. He was with the Mets at the time. Many years later, Nino told me and Angel Cantres that Whitey said, ‘Go as high as $125,000.’ He didn’t give us the money – he gave us $7,000!”

Escalera, who died in 2021 aged 91, was 80 when Ayala was originally interviewed. Ayala observed, “You know what else he told me? ‘Benny, out of all the guys I signed, you’re the only one who has helped me.’”

Ayala’s first pro team in the US was Pompano Beach in the Florida State League. He hit .279 with 8 homers and 34 RBIs in 63 games, which won him promotion to Visalia in the California League (high A). In the winter of 1971-72, he played in the Puerto Rican Winter League for the first time. “Nino Escalera was a coach for the San Juan Senadores, Roberto Clemente’s team. Angel Cantres went to San Juan after he signed with the Mets, but I didn’t. I said, I’ll see what I can do in the US, then I’ll see who’s interested. I’ll go to a club where I can develop. Arecibo was in the cellar. Cantres had more competition with San Juan.”

Returning to Visalia in 1972, Ayala hit 19 homers, second on the club behind Ike Hampton’s 21. He also had 66 runs batted in, one fewer than Greg Harts (who, like Hampton, appeared very briefly with the Mets). Visalia is an agricultural town with a large Hispanic population, but there were plenty of times when Ayala didn’t feel welcome. “We lived in a bad neighborhood called ‘Sin City’ but it was the only thing we could afford. People threw rocks at us. I remember waiting in a barbershop, and when my turn came, they said, ‘We don’t cut that kind of hair.’ The team owners were good people, though. I remember they owned a chain of hot-dog stands.”

Ayala continued to climb the ladder steadily. In 1973 he was with Memphis (Double A). Serving frequently as a designated hitter, he led the team in home runs (17) and was second in RBIs (68). That winter he led the Puerto Rican league in homers for the first time, as his 14 tied with Jerry Morales. He also tied Jay Johnstone for the league lead in RBIs with 46 and hit .340. To emphasize how strong that circuit was then, the four men who finished ahead of him in the batting race were George Hendrick, Chris Chambliss, Mickey Rivers, and José Cruz, Sr. Yet Ayala won the MVP award.

Ayala did well in spring training 1974, hitting homers off veterans like Woodie Fryman and Bob Gibson. He wasn’t quite ready, though, and Cleon Jones did not take well to an experiment in center field. Near the end of camp the Mets sent Ayala down to their top affiliate, Tidewater. Here too he was the club leader in homers (11) and RBIs (40). The big club called him up in August after Jones got hurt; to make room, pitcher Jack Aker went on the disabled list. Ayala still has the bat he borrowed from Joe Nolan, his teammate with the Tides and later the Orioles.

With that bat, on August 27, Ayala made a memorable big-league debut at Shea Stadium. Batting sixth in the lineup, he stepped in against Houston’s Tom Griffin (a righty!) with one out and nobody on in the second inning. He pulled a high fastball – as he kept repeating on Ralph Kiner’s postgame show, Kiner’s Korner – down the line in left field. The ball stayed inside the foul pole, and Ayala became the first National Leaguer to homer in his first big-league at-bat since Cuno Barragan in 1961. Of course, that made him the first Met to do so too (not to mention, the first Puerto Rican).

A contributor to the Ultimate Mets fan website provided some extra detail. “We were sitting in the left field mezzanine at Shea among this group of 10 or 12 of Benny Ayala’s cousins and extended family who were thrilled to see him in his first major-league game. When he homered in his first at-bat they went BERSERK, hugging and kissing everyone around, including me and my father of course. It was a great memory that I was able to recount with my dad that always drew a smile.”

The rookie did not live with family, however, and although fellow Puerto Rican Félix Millán was present, he remembers that his most helpful teammates were John Milner and Jones. Manager Yogi Berra also did not stack up well against Weaver in Ayala’s estimation. “He was always laughing, he didn’t pay too much attention to the game.”

Ayala did not see any big-league action in 1975. The Mets acquired Dave Kingman in February, which severely impaired his chances of making the big club. In fact, he played just 65 games for Tidewater, missing a big chunk of the early season after Rochester’s Bob Galasso broke his hand with a pitch.

In the winter of 1975-76, Ayala led the Puerto Rican league in homers once again with 14 in 60 games. He finished in a four-way tie for second in RBIs with 39. Coming off this very strong effort, he made the Mets roster in spring training 1976. The team’s new manager was Joe Frazier, his skipper at Visalia, Memphis, and Tidewater. Ayala was not in the lineup on Opening Day but started the next two games. He would get just two more starts over the remainder of April and May, however, and he got only three hits in 26 at-bats (including a pinch-hit homer off Jack Billingham, his last off a righty in the majors). New York then called up Jack Heidemann and sent Ayala back to Tidewater, where he hit just .225 with 12 homers and 48 RBIs.

On March 30, 1977, New York traded Ayala to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for second baseman Doug Clarey, whose big-league career comprised nine games scattered across the ’76 season. Ayala spent the bulk of 1977 with New Orleans in the American Association, where he had a good year (.298/18/73). The Cardinals called him up in September, but he got into just one game, singling in three at-bats.

The Cardinals had a new Triple-A affiliate in 1978, Springfield, but Ayala spent only part of the season there – he went to Columbus in the Pittsburgh organization on loan. As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that August, “Columbus was so short of talent that it borrowed players from other minor-league clubs. Players like Hector Torres, an infielder, and Benny Ayala, an outfielder who has a problem. He can’t catch a fly ball.”3 Ayala hit .340 for the Clippers in 59 games, though, lifting his overall mark for the year to .299. He totaled 11 homers and 56 RBIs.

On January 16, 1979, Ayala got the best break of his career. The Cardinals traded him to Baltimore for Mike Dimmel, another player whose big-league career was quite limited (39 games from 1977 to 1979). Ayala had considered going to play in Japan with the Taiyo Whales, but Doc Edwards, his manager in Puerto Rico, was also the manager at Baltimore’s Triple-A team, Rochester.4 Edwards persuaded Ayala to stay, farm director Clyde Kluttz liked what he saw too, and the Orioles called him up at the end of April after Doug DeCinces got hurt.

Earl Weaver used Ayala sparingly in ’79, but he benefited from the AL’s designated-hitter rule. In 86 at-bats across 42 games, he hit 6 homers, drove in 13, and hit .256. He had his only two-homer game in the majors on June 10 at Memorial Stadium. Both were solo shots off his former Mets teammate, Texas Rangers lefty Jon Matlack.

Weaver did not use Ayala in the American League Championship Series, but he got six at-bats in four games during the World Series. He singled off John Candelaria in his first at-bat in Game Three before reaching the Nuyorican for his homer. That blow brought the Orioles within a run at 3-2, and they proceeded to knock out Candelaria in the fourth inning. During that rally, righty Enrique Romo came out of the bullpen, and so Al Bumbry hit for Ayala.

The Associated Press write-up said, “Ayala also didn’t know he was starting until he saw the lineup posted in the clubhouse. Ayala admitted that he never knows when Weaver is going to use him. ‘He doesn’t play me against certain lefthanders,’ Ayala said. ‘It’s mostly if I can hit a certain lefthander.’” Many observers thought the lineup was unconventional, but Earl said, “It was one that helped us get here in the first place. . . . Benny has done that for us a number of times.”5

Ayala enjoyed his best season in the majors in 1980 (.265/10/33 in a career-high 76 games). Always thinking positively, he said, “I don’t mind my role here. I always have a chance to swing the bat with the Orioles and the way Earl uses me is decent.” Frank Robinson, then a Baltimore coach, said, “Benny uses his time wisely, watching and studying the pitchers. He’s not afraid to ask somebody about a certain pitcher either.”6

Ayala’s most dramatic hit that year may have come on September 5 at Memorial Stadium. This could have been the game described in a 1996 article in the Los Angeles Times about Earl Weaver’s golden hunches. “One day, Weaver walked up to [pitching coach Ray] Miller and said, ‘Ray, Benny Ayala. Don’t forget that, Benny Ayala.’ That night, Ayala hit an eighth-inning pinch homer. ‘It just made sense to me in those days . . . to know if I had a hitter sitting on the bench in a situation that was hitting that pitcher good,’ Weaver said. ‘So I made up my lineups accordingly.’ ”7 The three-run blow off Oakland lefty Bob Lacey brought the Orioles within a run at 6-5, and they won it 8-7 with another three runs in the bottom of the ninth.

In the strike season of 1981, Ayala served mostly as a platoon DH with Terry Crowley. During 1982 he was part of a three-man contingent in left field with John Lowenstein and Gary Roenicke. In his book Weaver on Strategy, Earl said, “By matching your bench-players’ strengths to your starters’ weaknesses, you can create a ‘player’ of All-Star caliber.” He likened the trio’s total output to having a Reggie Jackson in the lineup.8

That July Ayala told Steve Wulf of Sports Illustrated, “I try to think ahead of time. Say, we are playing Chicago in two weeks. I think how the lefthander pitched me the last time. Sitting on the bench I have a lot of time to think. I try not to be surprised.” Another line in the same article showed his Zen-like calm. On May 19 he hit a three-run homer after a rain delay of an hour and 21 minutes. “When asked if he thought he was in a tough spot, having to face a two-strike count after sitting for so long, Ayala replied, ‘Not really. I just felt like I was pinch-hitting for myself.’” 9

Wulf’s piece was strewn with juicy quotes on Ayala. Earl Weaver said, “He’s so good he knocks himself out of games. I’ll start him against a lefthander, and he’ll hit a three-run homer off him. Then they’ll bring in a righty, and Benny’s back on the bench.” According to Lowenstein, Ayala was “the most profound player on the Orioles. ‘He will sit there, arms folded, for eight innings. If he’s going to hit, I’ll ask him what he’s looking for. He’ll say, ‘Something white. Coming through.’”10 Indeed, Ayala (like many Caribbean players) didn’t walk or strike out much – he got his hacks.

“I always try to take three swings,” Ayala said that summer. “I don’t think the hitter should give the pitcher a strike by taking.” With the arrival of Dan Ford, Ken Singleton had moved from right field to full-time DH, leaving Ayala with spot duty. Yet as always, he stayed positive. “Sure I would like to play more. But the important thing is to stay ready and then do your job when you’re called on.”11

In 2010 Ayala said, “I suffered a lot in the big leagues. It was hard for me to accept my role, but I accepted it quietly. If I don’t play every day, I have it in my mind that I have to work harder. Rod Carew asked me one time, ‘Benny, why are you over there by yourself? Don’t you want to talk?’ I told him I don’t have time. I worked. I studied, so when I get that opportunity against Ron Guidry, I can say, ‘I’m ahead of you.’” Ayala did far better than most against “Louisiana Lightning” – 9-for-28. Changeup artist Geoff Zahn was just his meat (11-for-30 with two homers), but the lefty whom Ayala owned was Mike Caldwell (11-for-21 with three HRs).

Ayala remained in his reserve role with the O’s in 1983, but his effectiveness diminished, as he hit just .221. “I was a little disappointed with Joe Altobelli [who succeeded Weaver], he didn’t give me a chance. Then when he knows he needs me for the postseason, he put me up against John Montefusco, a righty with that overhand curve.”

Ayala hit a sacrifice fly in his only at-bat in the ALCS against the White Sox, capping the three-run 10th-inning rally that won Game Four and the series for Baltimore. He also made his lone at-bat in the 1983 World Series count. In the seventh inning of Game Three, pinch-hitting for Jim Palmer, he lined a single to left off Steve Carlton, past a diving Mike Schmidt. Rick Dempsey scored the tying run. Ayala then scored the go-ahead run, which would stand up as the margin of victory.

When asked about having a World Series ring, Ayala said, “Juan González turned down $150 million from Detroit because he thought there wasn’t a chance for a ring. He should be in the Guinness Book of Records for that!

“You’re on top. You’re a champion. Even now, I’m signing autographs, and people request that I put ‘1983 World Series Champ’ after my name. I’m lucky that I played with legends – six Hall of Famers.”

In 1984 Ayala joked about his infrequent playing time. After getting just four at-bats in the month of June, he said, “I’m an eclipse player. You don’t see me very often.”12 He hit just .212 for the year, and the Orioles announced in late September that they would not offer him a contract for 1985. Bumbry and Singleton were also part of the housecleaning.

Spring training also came and went without any offers. Even Ayala thought it might be the end of the line. “So what’s left?” he said. “Mexico. And I don’t look at myself as a Mexican League player.13 Looking back, he thought he should have paid his own way to camp, as he remembers players like Rob Picciolo and Kurt Bevacqua did.

On April 19, 1985, though, the Cleveland Indians signed the veteran to a minor-league deal. Although he went just 7-for-46 with the Maine Guides (Portland), the Indians called him up in May. Just days after he made it back, he missed a fly ball against the Boston Red Sox – but then drove in the game-winning run. Manager Pat Corrales said, “Benny looked a little ugly in left field, but he was Robert Redford at the plate.”

Ayala spent the rest of the season with Cleveland, hitting .250 (19-for-76) in 46 games. “When I learned to hit to right field, I was 34 years old. I was a low-ball hitter. I liked to uppercut, even in street fights!” His last big-league homer came off Jimmy Key at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium on September 4. The Indians made him a free agent in November 1985, and Ayala’s big-league career ended.

In December 2009, Ayala responded to blogger Bo Rosny’s request for stories about his baseball cards. One anecdote captured a key part of his approach to the game. “In one of them the picture was taken in Chicago that I like a lot; Brooks Robinson [then an Orioles announcer] told me that I was looking good. That was a perfect day to take the picture. He said, ‘Looking good, Benny, in case you have a bad game today.’

“After that I always shave before the game, good haircut, shine shoes, complete clean uniform, brand-new hat. In case I have a bad game, always looking good.”14

In the winter of 1985-86, Ayala returned to the Puerto Rican Winter League after several seasons away. He regretted the hiatus. “After I established myself with the Orioles, I didn’t go back. Relatives told me I was a little bored with the game. It was foolish. I should have played. I could have gone over 100 homers, I’d be one of the few there.” He finished with 68 homers in his PRWL career.

In 1989 Ayala came back to play with the West Palm Beach Tropics of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. One of his teammates was Tim Stoddard., whose career had overlapped with Ayala’s in Baltimore from 1979 through 1983. Ayala recalled, “I went there, I’m a low-mileage player. How can a player like me be injured? I hit very good, but one day I chased a fly ball and didn’t get it. [Manager] Dick Williams said, ‘We aren’t going to stick with you.’”

After his playing days finally ended, Ayala got an interview with Doug Melvin about a job in the Orioles chain but went back home to Puerto Rico. For a couple of years he was batting coach with Arecibo, “but there was not much money, $1,200 a month, and I was nearly killing myself driving.” After that, “I managed a couple of amateur teams, but they were not easy to handle.”

Ayala was married in 1971 to Esperanza “Eppie” Martínez. “I was always visiting her when I was in college. I was in love. I didn’t like school much!” The Ayalas had four children: sons Benigno III, Luis Mario, and Melvin, plus daughter Jesica.

In subsequent years, Ayala’s main endeavor became his professional network. His goal: to help retired Puerto Rican players in such areas as pensions, health insurance, celebrity baseball clinics, training clinics for children, and more. In November 2007 Ayala (in tandem with the Calero & Sullivan Baseball Management firm) held a groundbreaking meeting with 118 former pros from the island and the Major League Baseball Players’ Alumni Association. As a result, the Baseball Assistance Team was able to offer financial and medical support to various men who needed it. Ayala also got involved with setting up memorabilia signings to bring the players some additional money. His network came to include around 250 pros.

Ayala’s role as BAT’s liaison to the Puerto Rican community brings him and his fellow boricuas much joy. He helped his old teammate Angel Cantres after Angel lost a leg following a work-related accident in 2001. After former minor-league pitcher Jacinto Camacho received a new artificial leg to replace his homemade prosthesis, he walked off the plane home to greet his family and completely forgot about his wheelchair. “Times like these are when I know that the work I do with BAT really makes my life worthwhile,” Ayala said.15

In the summer of 2009 Ayala also reached out to former big-league outfielder Ricky Otero. Otero, who had fallen into alcohol and drug addiction, was living homeless in Cancún, Mexico. Though Otero subsequently denied the report, Ayala was able to get him into a rehab program in New York.16 As of 2024, Otero was doing well in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.

Ayala, who turned 73 in 2024, remains actively involved in his professional network and on social media. He dresses with the same attention that he did to looking sharp in uniform. He is a cheerful and chatty man, but his baseball memories feature a serious undercurrent. He said, “Earl Weaver respected you as a major-leaguer. Some people had to be on the field first, but still I feel, ‘Here they treat everyone the same.’ I was very proud to wear that big-league uniform, with that Orioles name up front.”

This biography was originally published in 2010. It was subsequently updated for Puerto Rico and Baseball (SABR, 2017) and again in 2024.

Acknowledgments

Grateful acknowledgment to Benny Ayala for his memories (telephone interview, May 2, 2010). All quotations that are not otherwise attributed come from this interview.

Continued thanks to SABR member Jorge Colón Delgado (Puerto Rican statistics).

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author also consulted retrosheet.org, ultimatemets.com, and caleroandsullivan.com, as well as Crescioni Benítez, José A., El Béisbol Profesional Boricua (San Juan, Puerto Rico: Aurora Comunicación Integral, Inc., 1997).

Photo Credit

Benny Ayala with Ricky Otero, courtesy of Benny Ayala.

Notes

1 Carlos Rosa Rosa, “Benigno con el prójimo,” El Nuevo Día (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), October 16, 2009.

2 Louis Berney, Tales from the Orioles Dugout (Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC, 2004), 147.

3 Charley Feeney, “Columbus Turmoil Might Spell Peterson’s Demise,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 8, 1978: 13.

4 Steve Wulf, “It’s the Right Idea for Left,” Sports Illustrated, July 12, 1982.

5 Associated Press, “Baltimore Offense Is Ignited,” October 12, 1979.

6 Ken Nigro, “Hitting Or Sitting, Ayala Happy,” The Sporting News, August 2, 1980: 37.

7 Jason LaCanfora, “Beyond tantrums, was hidden Weaver,” Los Angeles Times, August 4, 1996.

8 Earl Weaver and Terry Pluto. Weaver on Strategy (New York: Collier Books, 1984), 26.

9 Wulf, “It’s the Right Idea for Left.”

10 Wulf, “It’s the Right Idea for Left.”

11 Ken Nigro, “Benny Always Fit as Bird in Pinch,” The Sporting News, August 9, 1982: 27.

12 Robert W. Creamer, “They Said It,” Sports Illustrated, August 27, 1984.

13 Associated Press, “Indians won’t be sending Ayala to Mexico,” May 19, 1985.

14 http://borosny.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-more-card-story-from-benny-ayala.html

15 Baseball Assistance Team, Winter 2008 newsletter (mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2009/bat/bat_winter_2008_newsletter.pdf)

16 “Ricky Otero: de Grandes Ligas a indigente en Cancún,” El Universal (Mexico City, Mexico), September 4, 2009. “Madeja de Contradicciones,” Primera Hora (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), March 22, 2010.

But on March 23, 1993, Baerga stepped outside the white lines to become a leader of the club off the field. The day before, the Indians were given a day off by manager Mike Hargrove. Their spring training was held in Winter Haven, Florida. The players took advantage of the free day. Some groups took their families to Disney World, others went to Universal Studios. Others stayed closer to the spring-training complex.

Tim Crews came over to the Indians via free agency from Los Angeles to Cleveland. He owned a ranch close to Winter Haven, and invited the team to his home for a picnic. Steve Olin and Bob Ojeda took Crews up on his offer. Toward the end of the day, Crews, Ojeda, and Olin climbed into Crews’ 18-foot bass boat, and circled around Little Lake Nellie. Indians trainer Fernando Montes observed the trio from where the boat departed. A neighbor’s dock, which extended more than 50 yards, sat on the far side of the lake. As Crews accelerated, the front of the boat rose up, blocking their vision. As soon as the boat planed out, it was now the under the dock. It was too late. The accident occurred in three feet of water. “We heard this loud thump and a crash,” said Montes. “And it was silence, utter silence. I knew without any hesitation that Steve Olin had passed.”1 Crews was also dead and Ojeda was badly injured.

The next day, Cleveland’s vice president of public relations, Bob DiBiasio, was looking for a player who would talk to the media about the boating tragedy. “Everybody on the team was in tears,” said DiBiasio. “Nobody wanted to step forward and discuss what happened.”2 Carlos Baerga stepped forward, volunteering to be the team spokesman. “I was brokenhearted,” he said, “but I had a responsibility to the two good people we had lost. They were part of my life. I told God, ‘Give me words, because I know it’s going to be hard for me.’”3

Carlos Obed Baerga was born on November 4, 1968, in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He was the oldest of four children born to José and Baldry Baerga. José worked in the credit office of Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper, El Nuevo Dia. José managed Carlos’s little league teams. At 8, Carlos was holding his own against boys 10 to 12 years old. When he reached 14, Baerga was mixing it up on the diamond with adult amateurs in their 20s and 30s in the Puerto Rican Double A League. When Baerga reached 16, he was playing in the winter leagues against major leaguers.

“I remember my father saying, ‘Don’t come back home if you don’t have your uniform dirty,’ Baerga once recalled. “Ever since, I have put it in my mind to play hard. He always pushed me. My father always watches me, he’s always behind me.”4

Longtime Indians bullpen coach Luis Isaac (1987-2008) watched Baerga grow in his native Puerto Rico. “I knew right away he’d be a big-league player,” said Isaac. “Even when he was little, he was the type of kid who wanted to play two games a day. He’d be telling the other kids on the field what to do. He always played with that kind of intensity.”5

José worked with his son on becoming a switch-hitter so that he could play every day no matter who the pitcher was. Carlos, a natural left-handed hitter, worked hard to sharpen his skill from the right side of the plate. “I’ve still got to practice it every day,” he said in 1995. “But it has helped me. I see a guy like Randy Johnson pitching and I can’t imagine having to face him left-handed. The same goes for David Cone and facing him right-handed.”6

Word of Baerga’s ability spread around the island, and soon professional scouts arrived to get a look at the 14-year-old. Luis Rosa, a scout for the San Diego Padres, got Baerga to sign for a $65,000 bonus in 1985, when he turned 17 years old. (Rosa had a keen eye for talent. At the time Baerga signed, 32 of Rosa’s players had made their way to the big leagues.

Although Baerga seemed destined for big-league stardom, there was one problem. The Padres already had a second baseman in-waiting, Roberto Alomar. Baerga started his playing career at Class-A Charleston in the South Atlantic League. “They asked me to take him with me and when (rookie level) Spokane opened up (in mid-June) he’d go there,” said Charleston manager Pat Kelly.7 Baerga, who did not speak English that well, would ask Kelly, “Coach, why me no play?” Kelly would explain to Baerga that he had to play his more experienced players. Baerga would nod, as if he understood, but he returned the next day, asking the same question. This went on for about a week. “Finally, I put him in as a pinch-hitter, and he got a hit, of course,” said Kelly. “So I started him the next day, and he went like 4-for-4, and they were all (line drives). So he stayed with us the whole year.”8

Baerga showed that he could handle the bat on the minor-league level. He was still somewhat raw, but he was still just a teenager in his first three years in the minors. Because Alomar was the second baseman of the future for the Padres, it became evident that a new position would have to be found for Baerga, even though he felt the most comfortable at second base.

When Baerga reported to Double-A Wichita in 1988, he was switched to shortstop. In 1989 he was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas and was placed at third base. Although he made 32 errors while manning the hot corner for Las Vegas, Baerga was in the lineup to hit. He hit .275 with 28 doubles, 10 homers, and 74 RBIs. He was somewhat of a free swinger, and his strikeouts easily tripled his walks.

The Cleveland Indians were shopping outfielder Joe Carter at the 1989 winter meetings. Carter’s contract was up in 1990, and the Indians knew they would not be able to re-sign him. Carter made no secret of his desire to leave the Indians, preferably to a contender, and a lucrative contract would also be nice.

The Indians found a suitor in the Padres. The teams dickered over whom the Padres would send the Indians’ way for the star slugger. The Indians insisted that Baerga be included in the deal. The Padres viewed Baerga as their third baseman of the future. But the Indians’ persistence won out, and they received Baerga, catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. (Roberto’s brother), and outfielder Chris James for Carter. “I managed against Carlos in the Pacific Coast League in 1989,” said Mike Hargrove. “On my report at the end of the year, I recommended that we should try to acquire him. So did my coaches, Rich Dauer and Rick Adair.”9

The Indians hired John McNamara to manage in 1990. Cleveland was putting together a solid nucleus of young talent, and it began with Baerga and Alomar. The two newcomers were blended with Albert Belle, Cory Snyder, Jerry Browne, and Brook Jacoby. Tom Candiotti, Greg Swindell, and Buddy Black anchored the starting rotation.

Alomar was a star right away. He was named the starting catcher on the 1990 AL All-Star team, won the Gold Glove, and was voted Rookie of the Year. Baerga would have to wait a bit for his time to come. Browne was entrenched at second base and Jacoby manned third. The Indians had signed Keith Hernandez to play first base. But Hernandez suffered through various injuries and played in only 42 games. His injuries offered the break that benefited Baerga; Jacoby moved to first base and Baerga became the new third baseman. “From the time he got to Cleveland, Carlos was the heart and soul of the Indians,” said batting coach José Morales. “We sent him down to Triple A for two weeks in his rookie year, and team spirit just sank. When he came back, it was like a kid returning to his family. He brings an energy, a unity to the team.”10

Baerga hit .266 his rookie season. On September 20 at Yankee Stadium, the 5-foot-11, 165-pound infielder went 4-for-5 with three doubles (a career high) and a triple with three runs scored and three RBIs. The barrage came the day after his first child, a daughter, was born. “Baerga is a hitting machine and maybe his wife should have a baby every night,” said McNamara.11 Although the Indians finished with a 77-85 record, they found themselves in fourth place in the AL East. It was something to build on for the young Tribe.

Indeed, Baerga’s enthusiasm for the game was unbridled and was contagious. He was a fan favorite for his all-out hustle. But in his second season, the Indians proved unable to build on the success from 1990. McNamara was fired (Hargrove replaced him) and the team topped 100 losses.

But the pieces were beginning to come together. Charles Nagy became the leader of the pitching staff. Kenny Lofton was acquired from Houston to solidify center field and bat leadoff. Paul Sorrento was acquired from Minnesota to provide a left-handed bat and he was an above-average first baseman. The Indians worked to sign Belle, Alomar, Nagy, Belle, Lofton, and Baerga to long-term deals, selling them on the talent of the core team.

Baerga made their investment pay off. In back-to-back seasons (1992 and ’93) he hit more than 20 home runs, drove in more than 100 runs, and batted over .300. He was the first second baseman to achieve these numbers in consecutive seasons since Rogers Hornsby turned the trick in 1921 and 1922.

Baerga entered the record books on April 8, 1993. He hit two home runs in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees, one from each side of the plate. He connected off Steve Howe for a two run-shot, then hit a solo home run off Steve Farr. The Indians scored nine runs in the inning on their way to a 15-5 victory. “It’s exciting,” said Baerga. “They told me I set a record when I got back to the dugout after the second homer, but I didn’t believe them. When I got to the clubhouse after the game, Bobby DiBiasio, our public-relations man, told me I’d set a record.”12 Baerga’s record night did not surprise Hargrove. “The beauty about him is that there’s no way to pitch him. He hits to all fields,” the manager said.13

Baerga made the All-Star Game for the first time in 1992 and repeated in 1993. The Indians finished with identical 76-86 records in both seasons.

In 1994 the Indians said goodbye to Cleveland Stadium and relocated to the new Jacobs Field, across downtown. The baseball-only venue was a boon for the Tribe. The Indians had brought in veteran leadership in the offseason, signing Eddie Murray and Dennis Martinez. They traded for shortstop Omar Vizquel. Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome arrived through the farm system. The results were favorable. The Indians were one game behind Chicago in the new AL Central when the season ended on August 12 because of the players strike. Although the development was a big disappointment to Tribe fans, baseball fever had indeed returned to the North Coast.

The strike wiped out the 1994 postseason and bled over into the 1995 season. Baerga finished the 1994 season with 19 home runs, 80 RBIs, and a .314 batting average.

After play resumed in late April of 1995, Cleveland broke through its 41-year stretch of not appearing in a postseason game. The Indians won 100 games and Baerga, batting third in the potent Cleveland lineup, was third on the team with 90 RBIs. He batted .314. Cleveland swept Boston in the ALDS and topped Seattle in six games in the ALCS. The Indians met the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. The old adage that good pitching will defeat good hitting proved accurate, as the Braves captured the world championship in six games.

Baerga hit .400 in the ALCS and drove in four runs in both the ALCS and the World Series. He knocked in the first two runs in the Indians’ 5-2 victory in Game Two of the ALDS and three runs in their 7-6, 11-inning Game Three win in the World Series. All told, he hit .292 in the 1995 postseason.

The one constant in Baerga’s career to this point was his desire to play winter ball in his native Puerto Rico. He was lauded by Puerto Rican fans for his work in the community as well as his work on the diamond. He often held clinics and his enthusiasm for the game was infectious. “They won’t even let you take batting practice,” Baerga said, referring to the young fans. “They come right onto the field for autographs.”14

Baerga was also a fan favorite in Cleveland. His all-out effort between the lines and his effervescent personality off it endeared him to hard-working, blue-collar town. Thus the backlash the Indians front office received when they traded Baerga on July 29, 1996, was not unexpected. The Indians swapped Baerga and utility infielder Alvaro Espinoza to the New York Mets in a trade-deadline swap for infielders Jeff Kent and José Vizcaino. Baerga’s numbers were on the downside (10 home runs, 55 RBIs, .267 batting average) through 100 games. The Indians cited Baerga’s weight gain. (He was said to have been 20 to 25 pounds overweight in spring training.) His work ethic and priorities were also questioned by the Indians brass. Baerga suffered a slight fracture in his right ankle and played in only about 10 games in the winter league. He used the winter league to stay in shape, hence the weight gain. He was also battling a badly sprained left wrist and a strained groin.

“When you get close to the trading deadline, you never know what’s going to happen,” said New York GM Joe McIlvaine. “To be honest, when they dropped Baerga’s name, I was a little surprised. I thought, ‘Here’s a chance to get a good, quality player.’ And we did it. I don’t think a year ago we could’ve acquired Carlos Baerga.”15

The presence of second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo on the Mets created a question of where Baerga would be stationed. As it turned out, an abdominal strain limited Baerga to 26 Mets games, mostly at first base, and a.193 batting average.

Bobby Valentine took over for Dallas Green as the Mets manager with a month to go in the 1996 season. Over the next two seasons, Baerga recaptured his second-base spot. Alfonzo was moved to third. Manager Valentine, who at times could be as subtle as a sledgehammer, would comment about Baerga’s approach to hitting as “an embarrassment.”16 Baerga felt the pressure to produce, feeling that he needed to prove his worth every day. But he did not have a strong lineup like the one in Cleveland to back him up. His batting average was .274 over the 1997 and 1998 seasons, but his power numbers were dismal. The ball was not jumping off his bat as it once had.

One longtime major-league executive explained Baerga’s decline this way: “Carlos is a God-given good hitter, and sometimes a player like that takes a lot for granted, doesn’t stay on top of his physical conditioning and mental preparation. And there’s no doubt in my mind that is what happened to him. I mean, he’s always had a thick body, but last year, well, he just got plain heavy. I think it’s all related (to his weight and conditioning). I was really surprised the Mets took him. No … I was shocked.”17

The Mets did not pick up Baerga’s option year in 1999. The rest of his career was a composite of being signed, being waived, and riding the bench. St. Louis signed him for the 1999 season, but waived him at the end of spring training. Cincinnati signed Baerga, but sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis before the season, and released him after two months. In a bit of déjà vu, San Diego signed Baerga, and then traded him back to the Indians for the balance of the 1999 season.

Baerga signed on with Tampa Bay for 2000, but his contract was voided before the season began. He signed with Seattle for 2001, but was released before the start of the season. He bided his time in independent leagues and for Samsung in the Korean League. Baerga eventually made his way back to the big leagues as a role player with Boston (2002), Arizona (2003-2004), and Washington (2005). After the 2005 season Baerga retired with a lifetime batting average of .291, 1,583 hits, 134 home runs, and 774 RBIs.

Baerga worked for ESPN as a Spanish-language broadcaster. He also helped coach the Puerto Rican National Baseball team. He also became the owner of the Bayamon Cowboys in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Baerga married the former Miriam Cruz. They had two children, Karla and Carlos. In 2013 Baerga was inducted along with former Indians GM John Hart into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame. As of 2016 he was an ambassador for the Indians, making community appearances and spreading good will.

In 2016 Baerga threw out the first pitch in Game Two of the World Series at Progressive Field. He was, of course, cheered enthusiastically as he threw a perfect pitch to home plate.

Last revised: June 1, 2018

This biography appeared in “Puerto Rico and Baseball: 60 Biographies” (SABR, 2017), edited by Bill Nowlin and Edwin Fernández. It also appears in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Notes   

1 ESPN, Outside the Lines, “Indians Boating Tragedy,” March 18, 2003. espn.com/page2/tvlistings/show155_transcript.html.

2 Frank Lidz, “Slick With the Stick,” Sports Illustrated, April 5, 1994: 66.

3 Ibid.

4 Rick Lawes, “Baerga Has Big Talent,” USA Today Baseball Weekly, January 13-26, 1993: 4.

5 Paul Hoynes, “Rock Solid: Carlos Baerga Is Part of the Foundation on Which the Indians Built a Winning Club,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 3, 1995: 8-D.

6 Ibid.

7 Lawes.

8 Ibid.

9 Hoynes, July 3, 1995: 9-D.

10 Lidz.

11 Russell Schneider, “Tribe Rolls to Victory,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 21, 1990: 1-E.

12 Paul Hoynes, “Baerga’s Blasts Rip Yankees: Two-HR Inning Sets Mark,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 9, 1993: 1C.

13 Ibid.

14 Lidz, 64.

15 Ray McNulty, “Net Heist Brings Baerga,” New York Post, July 30, 1996.

16 Buster Olney, “Benching Doesn’t Sit Well With Baerga,” New York Times, April 23, 1997: B11.

17 Michael P. Geffner, “The Sound and the Fury,” The Sporting News, May 5, 1997: 18.

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.

Juan Jose Beniquez Torres was born on May 13, 1950 in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico and signed with the Red Sox at the tender age of 18. He made his major league debut as a shortstop only three years later, on September 4, 1971, coming in to play in the eighth inning and grounding out in the ninth. But he had a great game the next day, in his first major league start, batting 3-for-4 with two doubles and driving in two runs as the Red Sox beat the Indians, 8-1.

Beniquez played a lot of shortstop for the rest of 1971, alternating with incumbent Luis Aparicio, but he didn’t make the team out of spring training in 1972. He was called up in June when Aparicio was disabled due to a broken finger, and played daily until he set a modern major league record with six errors in two consecutive games in July of 1972 (making it a total of seven for three consecutive games). Aparicio returned in August, and Beniquez rode the bench for the rest of the season. He did play in the 1972 season finale that the Red Sox won, leaving them a scant 1/2 game behind the division winning Detroit Tigers.

Beniquez was slated as the Sox utilityman for 1973, but Mario Guerrero’s strong spring training won him the slot, and Beniquez was assigned to Pawtucket where he started off at shortstop but was ultimately moved to the outfield. He spent the entire 1973 season at Pawtucket refining his outfield play. Though hitting only .298, he led the International League in batting.

In 1974 Beniquez was the Red Sox center fielder on Opening Day, and ended up sharing the position with Rick Miller, playing 106 games (91 in center field), and batting .267. He normally hit first or second in the batting order, though he did not get on base very often for a player with such a role.

The 1975 Red Sox outfield was a logjam from the start. To incumbents Beniquez, Miller, Dwight Evans, and Bernie Carbo were added rookies Fred Lynn and Jim Rice. Despite this, Beniquez won a job in the spring, starting the first four games of the season (two in left field, two in center field) as the team’s leadoff hitter. With the emergence of Rice and Lynn early in the season, Juan soon found himself in a reserve role. Manager Darrell Johnson used his entire roster, so Beniquez played a total of 78 games, mostly in the outfield (44 games), but he also filled in at third base (14 games) and at designated hitter (20 games). Despite his limited playing time, Juan had a solid .291 batting average, but a mediocre .760 OPS, reflecting his meager two home runs on the year.

With Rice hurt and inactive, Beniquez batted leadoff in all three games of the 1975 ALCS sweep against the Oakland Athletics, as the DH. He went 2-for-4, scoring one run and driving in another in Game One. He singled in Rick Burleson in the seventh, then proceeded to steal second, then third base; he scored after Billy North muffed Denny Doyle’s sacrifice fly. He ended up hitting .250 for the series.

In the World Series, without the designated hitter in effect, he appeared in just three of the games. He was a surprise starter for Game Four, leading off and playing leftfield, as Yaz moved to first and Cecil Cooper was benched. He managed one single in that game, but was held hitless in three at-bats in Game Five. His final appearance was as a pinch-hitter for Rick Miller, leading off the bottom of the ninth in Game Seven, where he flied out to right field as the Sox failed to overtake the Reds for the final loss.

After the 1975 season, it was clear that Beniquez would not have a big role in the future of the team. Right or wrong, he had also acquired the tag of having an “attitude problem.” In November he was dealt, along with Steve Barr and a player to be named later (which proved to be Craig Skok), to the Texas Rangers for future Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins. For Texas, he was the biggest part of the deal, and he became the regular center fielder in 1976. He was a prototypical “all glove, no hit” player, as he was rewarded with the Gold Glove for his center field play in 1977, but he hit only .269 with ten home runs and 26 stolen bases.

After three years starting with Texas, in the winter of 1978 he was part of a huge multi-player deal, in which Texas sent him, Mike Griffin, Greg Jemison, Paul Mirabella, and hot minor league lefthander Dave Righetti to the New York Yankees in exchange for Domingo Ramos, Mike Heath, Sparky Lyle, Larry McCall, Dave Rajsich, and cash. After appearing in only 62 games for the Yankees, he was dealt the following winter to the Seattle Mariners. After one year and 70 games for the Mariners, he was granted free agency and signed with the Angels.

After a couple of tough years in California (including hitting a mere .181 in 1981), Juan finally found the hitting stroke he had shown as a minor leaguer, hitting over .300 every year between 1983 and 1986, the last of which was for the Orioles. During that single year in Baltimore, he had one of the more unlikely three-home run games, as he hit fully half of his six home runs on June 12, in a losing cause against the Yankees.

Dealt to Kansas City in December 1986, and then to Toronto in July 1987, Beniquez hit just .251 combined for the season.

In January 1988 Beniquez (and six other players) were granted free agency by a judge who ruled that the owners had conspired to hold down players salaries after the 1985 season. He elected to remain with the Blue Jays, but was released after just 58 at bats in 1988. His career over, he held the record for having played for eight American League teams.

After parts of 17 years in the big leagues, an American League championship ring, a Gold Glove, and experiences all over the country, Juan Beniquez could retire with a lot to be proud of. But he was not through. In 1989 he hit .359 for the St. Lucie Legends of the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association. With that league’s demise the following season, he was finally through.

Last revised: July 1, 2017 

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, BaseballLibrary.com.