Internet Baseball Writers Association of America Selects Roberto Alomar in Hall of Fame Vote

Online, January 3, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Los Angeles - The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) has selected second baseman Roberto Alomar in its second annual Hall of Fame election.

Alomar, an even .300 lifetime hitter, who played for seven teams in a 17-year major league career, was named on 75% of IBWAA ballots, and was the only player to receive three-quarters of the vote, the same threshold required by the Base Ball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), in the election which determines the actual inductees.

With the exception of Bert Blyleven, who the IBWAA selected last year, ballots listed the same 31 nominees as did the traditional writers association, with a December 30, 2010 deadline for votes to be valid, and no rounding up of percentages permitted for selection (i.e., a 74.85 count would not suffice).

Alomar, who began his career with the San Diego Padres in 1988, made 10,400 plate appearances total, recorded 2724 hits, with 504 doubles, 210 home runs, 1134 RBIs, and a lifetime on base percentage of .371.

He won ten Gold Glove awards, the most by a second baseman, played in 12 All-Star Games, won an All-Star Most Valuable Player Award in 1998, and an American League Championship Series MVP in 1992.

Alomar excelled in October baseball, finishing with a .313/.381/.448 line, with 17 doubles, four homers and 33 RBIs in 11 postseason series. He was a vital contributor to two Toronto Blue Jays World Championship clubs, batting .423 in the 1992 ALCS versus the Oakland A's and .480 in the 1993 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

After a much-debated trade from San Diego to Toronto in 1990, which also sent Joe Carter to Canada in exchange for Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff, Alomar spent five years with the Jays. He played in Baltimore for four seasons, after signing as a free agent with the Orioles in 1996, spent three years with the Cleveland Indians, two with the New York Mets, two with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and three with the Chicago White Sox.

Complete 2010 voting results are as follows:

Roberto Alomar 75%

Jeff Bagwell 70%

Lee Smith 65%

Jack Morris 55%

Barry Larkin 50%

Edgar Martinez 50%

Tim Raines 50%

Larry Walker 45%

Mark McGwire 40%

Fred McGriff 40%

Dale Murphy 40%

Rafael Palmeiro 40%

Alan Trammel 35%

Dave Parker 25%

Don Mattingly 20%

John Franco 20%

Harold Baines 10%

Carlos Baerga 5%

Kevin Brown 5%

Juan Gonzalez 5%

Lenny Harris 5%

Al Leiter 5%

John Olerud 5%

The IBWAA was created July 4, 2009 by Howard Cole, editor of BaseballSavvy.com, to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as an alternative to the Base Ball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).

Among others, IBWAA members include Kevin Baxter, baseball writer for the Los Angeles Times; Tim Brown, YahooSports; Tom Hoffarth, Media/General Columnist, Los Angeles Daily News; Tony Jackson, Dodgers reporter, ESPNLA.com; Ben Maller, FoxSports.com; Gary Warner, Travel Editor, Orange County Register; and prominent baseball authors Peter Golenbock, Seth Swirsky and Dan Schlossberg.

Association memberships are open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available.

For more information on the IBWAA, please contact Howard Cole.

Contact:

Howard Cole
Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy @ aol.com