EDGARDO ALFONZO Autographed Baseball Official NL BASEBALL

Description

EDGARDO ALFONZO Autographed Baseball Official NL BASEBALL with Steiner Authentication Sticker
Details about
San Francisco Giants #13
Edgardo Antonio Alfonzo
(born November 8, 1973), nicknamed
Fonzie
, is a former
Major League Baseball
infielder
who is currently the manager of the
Brooklyn Cyclones
. Alfonzo spent the majority of his 12-year playing career with the
New York Mets
, with whom he played in the
2000 World Series
. Alfonzo's 29.7
wins above replacement
(WAR) as a Met place him as the seventh most valuable player in franchise history.
Playing career
[
]
New York Mets
[
]
Alfonzo was signed by the Mets as an undrafted
free agent
in
1991
. That year he joined the Gulf Coast League Mets. The following season Alfonzo moved up and split time with the short season "A" Pittsfield Mets of the New York–Penn League and Class "A" Florida State League St. Lucie Mets in
1992
. Alfonzo returned to St. Lucie the next season and played for them in
1993
. In
1994
, he was promoted to the
Binghamton Mets
of the Class "AA"
Eastern League
, and led the team in
home runs
and
RBI
.
Alfonzo made his Major League debut on April 26, 1995. At the beginning, he was a semi-regular fielder, splitting time at
second base
,
shortstop
, and
third base
with several others. During his rookie season, Alfonzo spent most of his time at third base while accumulating a .310 batting average after the mid-season break. In
1997
and
1998
, he started regularly on third. After the 1998 season, the Mets signed
third baseman
Robin Ventura
, and Alfonzo was forced to move to second base. While he was upset about the move at first, he became one of the best defensive
second baseman
in the league from
1999
–
2001
. Alfonzo was part of the infield considered to be among the best infields in MLB history on a cover of
Sports Illustrated
, along with
Rey Ordóñez
,
Robin Ventura
, and
John Olerud
.
[3]
Before the
2002
season, the Mets signed the aging
Roberto Alomar
, and despite Alfonzo's tremendous offensive and defensive contributions during the previous three seasons, he was forced to move back to third base. He remained strong defensively; however, he struggled on offense, and the Mets decided not to re-sign him.
Alfonzo with the Mets on May 30, 1999
Alfonzo had his first opportunity to display his clutch hitting ability to a nationwide audience in the 1999 playoffs. After finishing in a tie with the
Cincinnati Reds
for the
National League
Wild Card
, the Mets played a one-game playoff to decide who would go on to the division series. In his first
at bat
of the game, Alfonzo hit a two-run home run over the center field fence, providing the Mets with all the offense they would need as
Al Leiter
threw a complete game shutout.
[4]
On the very next night, the Mets played the
Arizona Diamondbacks
in the first game of the Division Series. Facing the feared
Randy Johnson
, Alfonzo again homered in his first at bat of the game, this time launching a two-run shot to center field. In the ninth inning of the same game, with the score deadlocked at 4–4, Alfonzo launched a grand slam down the left field line to help seal the victory for the Mets.
In
2000
, playing against the
San Francisco Giants
in the Division Series, Alfonzo hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning of game two, which would prove to be of immense importance as
J. T. Snow
launched a three-run homer in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game. The Mets would eventually win the game 5–4 in ten innings. In game three of the series, with the Mets trailing 2–1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants brought in their dominant closer
Robb Nen
, who had not blown a save since the All-Star break. Alfonzo responded by lining a ball down the left field line for a
double
to drive in
Lenny Harris
.
Benny Agbayani
would later homer in the thirteenth inning to win the game for New York. Alfonzo then batted .444 against the Cardinals in the NLCS, but batted just .143 in the World Series against the New York Yankees. Alfonzo's knack for clutch hitting had endeared him to many Met fans, who still consider him one of the all-time Met greats.
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 power numbers in 1999 (27 home runs, 108 RBI, 41
doubles
) 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 stats to a .243 average, 17 HR and 49 RBI in
2001
. He finished
2002
with a .308 average, 16 HR, and 56 RBI. He was signed by the
San Francisco Giants
as a free agent in the off-season.
San Francisco Giants
[
edit
]
In
2003
, Alfonzo struggled for most of the first half for the Giants. He was hitting .216 with 27 RBI at mid-season, but he hit .306 with 54 RBI the rest of the way, and performed well against the
Florida Marlins
in the
NLDS
, when he hit .529 (9-for-17) with five RBI. He had the lowest range factor among Major League third basemen (2.46).
Alfonzo enjoyed a slight career renaissance in
2004
hitting for his career average, although with reduced power numbers. But his career continued its downward trend in 2005 due to age, nagging injuries, and reduced playing time in favor of
Pedro Feliz
.