The Rangers signed former White Sox catcher Sandy Alomar Jr to a 1 year contract today, and added him to the 40 man roster. I can’t say I’m terribly excited about this one. He’ll obviously be our backup. I would have rather us gone with Barajas / Laird as the major league catching combo. I have nothing personally against Alomar, it’s just I don’t know if bringing in a catcher at the back end of his career to be the backup is a great idea (unless Pudge wants to return at the tail end of his).
News Story:
The Texas Rangers announced today that they have signed veteran catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. to a one-year contract for the 2005 season. Terms were not disclosed, per team policy.
Alomar, 38, appeared in 50 games last season for the Chicago White Sox, batting .240. He has a .273 average with 111 home runs and 557 RBI over a 16-year major league career with San Diego, Cleveland, the White Sox and Colorado. A six-time American League All-Star, his 1,237 games caught ranks 7th among active catchers.
Alomar was named the All-Star Game MVP in the 1997 Midsummer Classic at Cleveland. That year, he posted career highs with a .324 average, 21 home runs and 83 RBI for the American League Champion Cleveland Indians. A unanimous choice as the 1990 AL Rookie of the Year, Alomar also won his lone Gold Glove award that season. He is a career .364 hitter with the bases loaded.
Acquired by Cleveland in a December, 1989 trade with San Diego, Alomar was a part of the Indians’ championship teams in the late 1990’s. He was a member of Cleveland’s playoff clubs for 5 consecutive seasons from 1995-99, twice appearing in the World Series. Alomar batted .367 (11-30) with 2 home runs and 10 RBI for the Tribe in the 1997 World Series against Florida.
Alomar’s father, Sandy, played 15 seasons in the major leagues while his brother, Roberto, is a 12-time All-Star.