#48 Roberto Alomar
Roberto Alomar
2B
1988-2004
12 Time All Star, 10 Time Gold Glove
Baseball Hall of Fame
When you're a kid and have tribal sports loyalties you make insane claims. I argued for a while that Michael Jordan wasn't the best player in the NBA in the early 90s. Not a take that has aged well. As an Indians fan I was always pretty sure Carlos Baerga was just as good or better than Roberto Alomar...he wasn't.
Roberto Alomar was the best second baseman in baseball from the time he entered the league to almost the time he exited (wore down a little at the end), his career .300 average and 2,724 hits attest to this.
A switch hitting offense force, Alomar played a beautiful second base, earning 10 Gold Gloves.
He came up in San Diego and played 3 very good seasons there at ages 20, 21, and 22, The came a blockbuster trade Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez to San Diego, Robbie Alomar and Joe Carter to Toronto. It seemed somewhat reasonable at the time, but seeing as Toronto would win the 1992 and 1993 World Series, you gotta say they got the better of it. Alomar is probably the greatest player in Blue Jay history. He followed that up with 3 stellar years in Baltimore and 3 stellar years playing along side his brother Sandy in Cleveland.
A perennial All Star and Gold Glove winner, Alomar was the best second baseman of his generation and in the discussion for best ever. He played the 3rd most games at second base ever.
He was elected to Cooperstown in 2011 and was the first player to wear a Blue Jays cap on his plaque. He was the third Puerto Rican (Clemente, Cepeda) to be elected to the hall and his since been followed by Edgar Martinez and Ivan Rodriguez.
Anthony Leonelli is a 37 year old College Baseball Coach and amateur baseball arguer. If you wanna know how this list came together check here criteria. He thinks that George Brett winning batting titles in 3 decades is pretty awesome.
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