NEW YORK -- A franchise favorite will return to a prominent role in the Mets' organization this season. Class A Short-Season Brooklyn announced Thursday that Edgardo Alfonzo will become its manager in 2017.
An All-Star and National League Silver Slugger Award winner who spent eight of his 12 big league seasons with the Mets, Alfonzo enjoyed his best year with the pennant-winning 2000 team, batting .324 with 25 home runs and a .967 OPS. He ranks fifth in franchise history in hits and runs scored, sixth in batting average and doubles, seventh in walks and RBIs and ninth in home runs.
Now 43, Alfonzo rejoined the Mets as a club ambassador in 2013, becoming a member of Brooklyn's coaching staff one year later. He has also served as a Minor League special instructor, and he played professionally as recently as '12 in the Venezuelan Winter League. Three years ago, Alfonzo worked closely with another native Venezuelan, Wilmer Flores, during Spring Training.
http://m.mets.mlb.com/news/article/212914644/edgardo-alfonzo-to-manage-brooklyn-cyclones/
4 comments:
Isn't his brother also with the organization in a coaching role? Good for Edgardo, one of the least appreciated terrific players in team history. This fills the spot vacated by Tom Gamboa's retirement, and perhaps he moves up the chain when a certain someone at a higher level retires too (for the love of God...).
Congrats to Mr. Alfonso.
He did it younger than TJ Rivera, but his minor league #'s were comparable to TJ's, and he hit with little power the next two years. I am still looking for TJ Rivera to similarly start ramping up his power game further, after the progress he made in 2016.
On another topic, Alfonso is also another in the long line of cautionary tales of giving multi-year contracts to older guys. He was great from ages 23 thru 26, then was still good but some decline thru age 31, then out of the majors after a very low power age 31 year in 2005 (.345 slug %). Very young to retire, although he continued to play in indy leagues and overseas.
Let's hope Cespedes has a much better fountain of youth. I want 150 homers for his 4 years.
Like the Brooklyn staff: Edgardo, Royce Ring & Sean Ratliff. (Sean has always been a favorite--without freak injury, would have been the RH Conforto).
Good points, Hobie. That WAS a freak injury, but he is making the best of it.
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