While the Mets were busy laying out the red carpet for Mike Piazza on his Mets Hall of Fame induction day before the final game of the regular season, the best hitting catcher of all-time was busy giving credit to some of his teammates. When New York completed the trade that helped turn around the franchise back in 1998, Piazza helped engineer two straight playoff appearances for the Amazins, including an appearance in the 2000 World Series. Piazza mentioned several times during his induction speech about how clutch Edgardo Alfonzo was, and how he took some pressure off him by getting some big hits. This week’s time machine focuses on the third baseman turned second baseman from Venezuela.
The Mets discovered Fonzie as a 17-year-old in Latin America, signing him as an international free agent. Upon agreeing to become a part of the organization, Alfonzo reported to the GCL Mets in Rookie Ball, and proceeded to tear up opposing pitching. In 54 games played and 175 at-bats, the infielder hit an impressive .331/.433/.423 with eight doubles, four triples, and 27 RBIs. While that line was fun to look at, the Mets wanted to see how he did in 1992 against some tougher competition.
Alfonzo was promoted to Pittsfield in the NYPL as an 18-year-old, and he hit even better than he did the year prior. After piling up 298 at-bats in 74 games played, he hit .356/.388/.443 with 19 extra-base hits (13 doubles, five triples, one homer) and 44 RBIs. That performance earned him a late-season promotion to High-A St. Lucie, but he went hitless in limited playing time (five at-bats in four games).
He stayed in St. Lucie for the entirety of the 1993 season, and continued showing his ability to adjust to the competition he faces. It was Alfonzo’s first full year of games as a professional ballplayer (128 games played, 494 at-bats), and he hit .294/.366/.409. His power started to emerge in his age-19 season, slugging 11 home runs and 86 RBIs.
Following three straight seasons of doing nothing but hitting, Baseball America recognized Alfonzo as the 74th best prospect in the game prior to the 1994 season. He responded to that honor by hitting .293/.369/.460 with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs for Double-A Binghamton. His stock rose with BA the next spring, considered the 31st best prospect in baseball.
New York felt having Alfonzo head to Triple-A to start the 1995 season would just be delaying the inevitable, and he made his MLB debut on April 26th, 1995, one of the best days of the year (my birthday, of course). As a 21-year-old, Edgardo ended up having a solid season (.278/.301/.382 with four homers and 41 RBIs in 101 games played), but really broke out in 1997. He hit .315/.391/.432 with 10 home runs, 27 doubles, and 72 RBIs for New York. He was hitting his stride just in time for the two consecutive playoffs runs in ’99 and ’00.
Alfonzo enjoyed two straight seasons of 20+ home runs and 90+ RBIs, while hitting over .300 and slugging over .500 during that time. He came away with his only Silver Slugger Award (1999) and only All-Star selection (2000) during his career, appearing in the top-15 of NL MVP voting both times. I consider his 2000 season to be the best overall performance of his career. He put together a .324/.425/.542 line with 25 homers, 40 doubles, 94 RBIs, and 109 runs scored with 95 walks against 70 strikeouts.
None of that even mentions the stellar defense he put together on a daily basis. He formed a deadly double play combo up the middle with shortstop Rey Ordonez, making it fun for Mets fans to watch them play defense. Alfonzo was a crucial part of the “best infield ever” of 1999, including him, Ordonez, Robin Ventura, and John Olerud.
Fonzie would stay with the Mets through the end of the 2002 season, signing a multi-year deal to head across the country and join Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants. As a kid following the game, I didn’t hear another word about Alfonzo, and I was already sad he was leaving the Mets. I was at least hoping to hear him continue a successful career out west, but it didn’t happen.
Following three underwhelming years by the Bay, the Giants traded him to the Angels prior to the 2006 season. He struggled in limited playing time there, being released from the organization in May. About a week after his release, Edgardo signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, but lasted only a couple weeks with them.
By July of 2006, he found himself playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League. Four games in, he re-joined the Mets organization and reported to Triple-A Norfolk. He accumulated 141 at-bats in Triple-A the rest of the season, hitting .241/.323/.348 with three home runs and 19 RBIs. The next few years were spent bouncing around Indy Ball, the Mexican League, and even going out to Japan to play with the Yomuri Giants.
His career ended a lot sooner than he was hoping to, but he’ll forever be a fan favorite when he makes the trip to Citi Field. He finished his Mets career with a .292/.367/.445 with 120 home runs, 212 doubles, and 538 RBIs. He seems to be getting more involved with the organization of late — he was a part of Piazza’s Hall of Fame ceremonies, and he managed the World team at this past year’s MLB Futures Game, held at Citi Field. I hope it’s the start of a nice relationship between the player and his former franchise.