Roberto Alomar was in New York yesterday for the first time as a Hall-of-Famer, though when he played here he hardly looked like one.
And after disputing on Wednesday the notion that he didn’t give his best effort during his season-plus with the Mets, the second baseman yesterday said he never believed his subpar showing while he was here would keep him out of Cooperstown.
“I didn’t think so,” Alomar said at a press conference with fellow Hall of Fame newcomer Bert Blyleven at the Waldorf Astoria in midtown. “I think as a ballplayer, .266, 11 homers and 60-something RBIs is not a bad year . . . for a normal ballplayer.
“Maybe the expectations I had for myself were too big. I didn’t play the way I wanted to play, but I don’t consider it a bad year. But I didn’t think those kinds of years would dictate if I’d go to the Hall of Fame or not.”
Mets fans would likely disagree about his 2002 season, in which he finished with 53 RBIs — one season after going .336, 20 and 100 in Cleveland.
It was a similar drop-off to the one Jason Bay experienced last year in his first season with the Mets after signing with much fanfare. And while no one questioned the left fielder’s effort the way they did Alomar’s, Bay was beginning to hear boos at Citi Field before he was lost for the season in July with a concussion.
“He just has to keep playing,” Alomar said of Bay. “Prepare every day to play good. New York could be a good place to play if you play good. It depends if the expectations are high, especially with a guy like Jason Bay, who signed a big contract and people want him to produce. I wish him the best and the rest of the Mets. He’s a great ballplayer.”
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Former Met Chris Carter signed a minor league deal with the Rays yesterday.