Roberto Alomar by David Ostrowsky
The Complicated Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hall of Famer
Thirteen years after Roberto Alomar’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, David Ostrowsky has authored Roberto Alomar: The Complicated Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hall of Famer. Rowman and Littlefield published the book in February 2024.
Ostrowsky interviews a number of teammates and opponents to deliver a comprehensive biography of one of the greatest second basemen to play the game. Alomar’s ten Gold Gloves are a record for second baseman in baseball. Ryne Sandberg has nine while both Bill Mazeroski and Frank White are tied with eight wins a piece.
To say that Alomar will leave behind a complicated legacy is not an understatement. If not for allegations of sexual misconduct and lawsuit—including an ex-wife—accusing Alomar of exposing women to HIV, he could have left behind a legacy similar to his namesake, Roberto Clemente. His #12 was retired by the Toronto Blue Jays after his 2011 induction in Cooperstown, only to be un-retired in 2021 as the allegations went public. Alas, he is going to leave behind a complicated legacy.
But even before one takes into account the lawsuits and allegations of sexual misconduct, there was an on-field incident with umpire John Hirschbeck in 1996. While the two would later develop something of a relationship, Alomar missed out on being inducted during his first year on the ballot. The next year, he got in with 90% of the vote. An entire chapter on the incident and its aftermath and another chapter explores their friendship.
After signing with the San Diego Padres in 1985, Alomar would make his MLB debut in 1988. He recorded his very first at bat against Nolan Ryan, who had previously been a teammate of Alomar’s father, Sandy Alomar Sr., on the then-California Angels. In fact, the second baseman received pregame lessons from the Hall of Fame pitcher during the early 1970s.
Selected to the All-Star Game in 1990, Alomar would find himself traded to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Joe Carter. This was where he really established himself as one of the greatest threats in the game and won two World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. A brief stint would follow with the Baltimore Orioles during the 1996-1998 seasons. After the 1998 season, Alomar would reunite with his brother, Sandy Alomar Jr. with Cleveland. Roberto would be traded again after the 2001 season—this time to the New York Mets. This is really where his journeyman time began as a MLB player. The Mets stint ended after a midseason trade to the Chicago White Sox in 2003.
By the time that Alomar arrived to Chicago in 2003, he was—for all intents and purposes—done as a player. Unable to revive his career, he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a free agent prior to the 2004 season and later missed two months of the season due to injuries. Meanwhile, he returned to the White Sox to end the season. Alomar had nothing left in the tank but he gave it one more shot with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005, only to retire two months after signing with the team.
Writing about modern-day players is no easy feat. I’ve read biographies of recent Hall of Famers that were mostly game logs and didn’t draw on any interviews, only what was written in newspapers or magazines. Ostrowsky approaches Alomar’s life in a way that presents a balanced view of his life. As a player, many teammates describe him as someone who kept to himself. He wasn’t the Man when he joined the Orioles—that title went to Cal Ripken Jr. Even then, the Orioles also had Mike Mussina later reacquired Eddie Murray. Having those three players alone makes it tough for a player to become a fan favorite.
I didn’t know much about Alomar’s humanitarian side until after reading the book. He volunteered during the recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria. He also saw to it that a kid was able to have surgery for a medical condition, even personally donating after the fundraising efforts fell short.
Alomar would later meet with Justino Clemente. They talked for two hours and their conversation resulted in Alomar setting up a trip for Justino’s family to go to Cooperstown in 2018. Unfortunately, neither of Roberto Clemente’s kids knew about it until after the fact—the two families were estranged in the aftermath of the Hall of Fame outfielder’s tragic death. Before resigning from the Hall of Fame board in 2021, Alomar would push for pitcher Luis Tiant to be inducted into Cooperstown. In his 15 years on the BBWAA ballot, Tiant never recorded more than 30.9% of the vote. He hasn’t had much luck since being turned over to the veterans committee in hopes of election—his most recent appearance came in 2018.
David Ostrowsky’s Roberto Alomar is a nice addition to the canon of Hall of Fame biographies, detailing the complicated legacy that Alomar is going to leave behind.