Former Mets’ infielder and coach Sandy Alomar Sr. died today at the age of 81. Alomar, a lifer of a baseball man, played for six team over his 14 year career, and logged another 20+ years coaching and managing
professional baseball from the minors to the majors to international teams. In addition, both of his sons played in the major leagues, and both logged time as Mets as well.
Alomar made his Major League Baseball debut in September of 1964 for the Milwaukee Braves. he would bounce between the minors and big league club for the next two years in the Braves system before being traded twice in the 1966-1967 offseason, first going to the Astros in a trade that included Eddie Matthews, and then to the Mets for Derrell Griffith.
Alomar spent most of the year as a member of the Tripe-A Jacksonville Suns, only collecting 22 plates appearances for the New York Mets, going hitless in all of them while logging innings at second, third, and shortstop. In August, the Mets shipped Alomar to the White Sox along with Ken Boyer for Bill Southworth and J.C. Martin. He would play another 11 years in the majors for the Angels, Yankees, and Rangers after leaving Chicago.
Ahead of the 2005 season, new Mets manager Willie Randolph hired Alomar as a bench coach. For the 2006 season, he moved from bench to first base coach, and for the 2007 season from first base to third base. When Jerry Manuel replaced Randolph mid-way through the 2008 season, he moved back to bench coach, a position he would hold until the end of the 2009 season.
In between his time playing for the club and joining their coaching staff, his younger son (and Hall of Famer) Roberto was a member of the 2002 and 2003 Mets before, like his old man, being traded to the White Sox mid-season in 2023. Elder son Sandy Jr. was also a Met in 2007.
