LIKE FATHER LIKE SONS : Padres Bring More Than One Alomar to Camp

YUMA, Ariz. — When former major leaguer Sandy Alomar was 16, he played with his older brother on the same minor-league teams in Wellsville, N.Y. and Davenport, Iowa.

For Alomar, moving to the United States and playing in the New York-Pennsylvania and Midwest leagues was quite a jump from playing American Legion ball in Puerto Rico.

Getting to play alongside his brother, Demetrio, a fellow infielder, made Sandy’s transition to America and professional baseball considerably easier.

Seven years after Sandy Sr. concluded his 15-year major-league career, the Alomar family connection extends to another generation of professional baseball players.

A fortuitous set of circumstances have brought Sandy Sr. and his two sons, Sandy Jr. and Roberto, to the Padre organization.

The three are working together at the Padre minor-league training camp here.

“It’s something different,” a delighted Sandy Sr. said. “I never figured that we would be together.”

Alomar, an infielder who had a .245 lifetime average while playing for six teams, is starting his first season as a coach with the Padres’ Class-A Charleston team in the South Atlantic League.

When Alomar left baseball, he bought a gas station in his hometown of Salinas, Puerto Rico. In 1983, he started getting an itch to return to the game.

Luis Rosa, who scouts the Latin American countries for the Padres, was scouting Alomar’s sons when Sandy Sr. approached him about a job with the Padres. Alomar had played for Dick Williams when Williams managed the Angels in 1974, and he also knew Padre General Manager Jack McKeon.

“We wanted an infield instructor at that level,” said Tom Romenesko, the Padres’ director of minor-league scouting. “Sandy Alomar was hired for his expertise.”

Romenesko said Alomar was not hired to insure that his sons would sign would with the Padre organization.

The Padres are pleased to have the Alomars, and Sandy and Sons can’t believe that everything has worked out so perfectly.

Sandy Jr., 18, caught 59 games at Spokane in the Northwest League last season. The 6-foot 4-inch catcher, hit only .215 in 219 at-bats. He has a tendency to swing at bad pitches, but he made his mark behind the plate.

“He can throw and can really catch,” Rosa said. “The pitchers in the winter league were actually asking for him to catch them.”

Playing with the Santosa Crabbers in the Puerto Rican winter league, Sandy Jr. hit .270.

“From this time last year to this time this year, he’s the most improved player in camp,” Romenesko said.

Roberto, 17, is a second baseman who signed with the Padre organization on Feb. 16.

“Roberto is the most polished 17-year-old ballplayer in all phases of the game that I’ve ever seen,” said Steve Boros, the Padres’ coordinator of minor-league instruction.

According to Rosa, who signed all three Alomars to Padre contracts, Roberto was one of the most sought after infielders in all of Latin America this year.

After again hitting .400 in American Legion ball this past season, there really wasn’t much suspense as to what organization Roberto would sign with.

“The boy wanted to be with his father and brother because he felt he would be able to make inroads more easily,” Rosa said. “And I think the adaptation will be easier for them than it is for other Latin players.”

So far, Rosa appears to be correct.

During spring training, the Alomars practice together daily.

Sandy Sr. can be seen working with Roberto on plays around second base and on his bunting.

“For his age, he’s a little smarter player than I was at the time.” Sandy Sr. said.

The thin, 6-0 youngster hopes to emulate his 5-9 father.

First things first. Sandy Jr. and Roberto are very young. They would probably still be playing high school baseball if they grew up in the United States.

“I stress to them that the minor leagues are a place where a ballplayer has to develop,” Sandy Sr. said. “A player has to be willing to play ball.”

The minor leagues and a player’s first training camp are also places where it’s comforting to have the support of your family.

“This is too hard,” Roberto said after the first week of camp. “We have to run too much . . . And the players here all have a lot of sense . . .

“I like having my father here, and I like playing with Sandy. I’m used to it.”

They’re so used to playing together that even though Sandy Jr. was the catcher on the opposing team in an intra-squad game last week, he said he found himself praying for Roberto to get a hit.

“I think the players all thought I’d call a lot of fastballs because he’s my brother,” Sandy Jr. said. “Really, I called low pitches. But he can still hit them because he’s a very good hitter.”

Sandy Jr. is very supportive of Roberto.

“I help him out and talk to him,” Sandy Jr. said. “He’s a nice brother, and we never have any real problems.”

However, father may know best.

“They used to argue about one thing or another,” Sandy Sr. said, “but they always ask about one another.”

The Alomars are a very close-knit family, and baseball has always been an important part of their lives, but Sandy Sr. said he did not pressure his sons to try and become big-league ballplayers.

“They used to follow me around when I was a player,” he said. “They would come to the States in the summer, and would go to the ballpark with me.

“They would shag flies, chat with other players, and sit with the bullpen pitchers. They picked up a feel for the game.”

Roberto always wanted to be a big leaguer. However, Sandy Jr. stopped playing baseball between the ages of 12 and 14, and rode dirt bikes instead.

“One day my dad gave me a speech,” Sandy Jr. said. “He said that riding bikes was a hobby and not a job. He told me that you spend money in that. You don’t get money.”

Both sons are happy they’ve gone into baseball. They’re equally happy that their father does not give them too much advice and has not put undue pressure on them.

“It’s an advantage because you have a name that helps you,” Sandy Jr. said. “But some people do expect you to be the same as your father. That’s not right. We’re different people.”

Sandy Sr. and the Padres want to put as little pressure as possible on their young prospects.

“Our philosophy is not to put a lot of pressure on our minor-league players to produce statistics,” Romenesko said. “We try not to even get too excited about them until they reach Double-A.”

Sandy Jr. and Roberto are expected to join their father at Charleston, where the Alomar family plans to live together. Sandy Sr. said his wife will come from Puerto Rico to join them.

“She thinks it’s great that we’ll all be together,” Sandy Sr. said.

Sandy Sr. is happy that he’ll be able to continue to spend time with his sons, and will be able to help them develop.

“I think they’ll both be better than me,” he said. “They’ll have the advantage of learning from me.”