| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Alfonzo was signed by the New York Mets as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1991 and made his debut in the 1995 season. At the beginning he was a semi-regular fielder, sharing second base, third base and shortstop with several others. In 1997 he started regularly on third.
While he has shown ability to score a home run on fastballs, Alfonzo is primarily a line drive hitter with power to all fields. He is a patient hitter. He can hit behind the runner, bunt, hit-and-run, hit in the clutch, and he takes a significant number of base on balls. Alfonzo has some speed but has never put it to use to steal bases.
Coming off two excellent seasons in which he batted .304 and .324, Alfonzo had every reason to expect a big year in 2001. He had his best powers in 1999 (27 home runs, 108 runs batted in, 41 doublesBaseball statistics In baseball, a double is the act of a batter safely reaching second base by striking the ball and getting to second before being made out, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay (see error) or another runner being put out on a fiel) and 2000 (25, 94, 40), and at 27, he was at an age in which many hitters have their best season. However, Alfonzo suffered from a variety of injuries, including sore right hand, knee, thigh and a back injury from years before, costing him playing time and lowering his record to .234, 17 HRs, 49 RBI. He finished 2002 with .308, 16, 56, and was traded to the Giants at the end of the season.
In 2003 Alfonzo struggled for most of the first half. He was hitting .216 with 27 RBI at mid-season, but he hit .306, 54 the rest of the way, and he also was the only Giant who hit against the Florida MarlinsBaseball teams The Florida Marlins are a Major League Baseball team based in Miami, Florida. They are in the Eastern Division of the National League. Founded 1993 ( National League expansion) Home ballpark Pro Player Stadium Uniform colors Black, Gray, Aq in the NLCSIn Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series NLCS determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to baseball's championship, the World Series. It began in 1969, when the National League was reorganized into two division,. He went 9-for-17 for a .529 of batting average with five RBI.
Despite his injuries, Alfonzo remains one of the best defensive third basemen in the majors. He has great range and instincts for the position, ability to turn the double playBaseball statistics In baseball, a double play (denoted on statistics sheets by DP is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. The most common type of double play occurs with a runner on first base and a ground ball hit toward, and his arm, though not the strongest around, is above-average. The Giants have high hopes for Alfonzo after signing him a four-year $26 million contract.
In nine seasons Alfonzo hit .288, with 133 home runs, 619 RBI, 670 runs, 237 doubles, 16 triplesBaseball statistics In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base by striking the ball and getting to third before being made out, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay (see error) or another runner being put out on a fielde, 50 stolen bases, and a .363 on base percentageBaseball statistics In baseball statistics, on base percentage (OBP is a measure of how often a batter gets to first base for any reason other than a fielding error or a fielder's choice. It may be calculated as: :( H + BB + HBP) / ( AB + BB + HBP + SF) O in 1228 games.
Highlights