1976 Profile: Sandy Alomar

"This veteran infielder had trouble getting started but played his best after Martin became manager. Moved to second in the batting order and given the opportunity to run, he pulled his average up from .190 to .239 and finished with 28 steals, his most since 1971.
'I prefer batting second,' he says. 'I always did well there. But how could I complain about being down at the bottom of the batting order the way I was hitting?'
An accomplished second baseman, Sandy made only 11 errors all season and missed only 11 games."

-Phil Pepe, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1976 Edition

"There's a lot of speed left in Sandy Alomar's legs, and he proved it last year when he stole some 20 bases in the last two months of the season. Given the opportunity to run, he responded with a daring reminiscent of his younger days, when he led the California Angels in steals every season; even today, Sandy is still the Angels' all-time stolen base leader.
When one questions his durability, little Sandy can point to a streak of 648 consecutive games played in the American League.
Sandy's role on the '76 Yankees will be significant, for he's a favorite of the manager, and there's a great mutual respect of ability there. The veteran Puerto Rican still has a lot of baseball left in him, and the Yankees intend to make good use of it."

-The New York Yankees Official 1976 Yearbook

"Veteran Sandy Alomar has been the regular Yankee second baseman since he joined the club in July 1974. His fielding has been consistently first rate, and his Yankee batting average for two years is .250 - higher than it had been during his previous years in the big leagues. He's also hit three of his lifetime 11 home runs while in a Yankee uniform.
Sandy came alive in the final two months of last season, coinciding with the arrival of Billy Martin. He moved to the top of the batting order, and given more running freedom, he responded by hitting .286 with 22 stolen bases in 96 games. He was caught stealing only six times all year and recorded his highest stolen base total since 1971, one of five consecutive years in which he topped the Angels in thefts. Sandy was second to Bobby Bonds in base stealing but had a higher percentage of success.
Alomar is still the all-time California leader in stolen bases with 139, with Mickey Rivers second at 125. While with the Angels, Sandy played in 648 consecutive games, the seventh longest streak in the history of the American League, running until May 22, 1973. A member of the 1970 All-Star team, he's one of 18 players to have appeared for both the Yankees and the Mets.
His .985 fielding percentage was tops in the league for second basemen last season, as Alomar made only 11 errors."

-1976 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide