Hall induction no guarantee for first-timers
04.01.10
Overall, there are 26 players on the 2010 ballot. Since the first class was inducted in 1936, only 44 of the 108 players elected by the BBWAA were on the ballot for the first time. "I'm not nervous, I'm excited," a confident Alomar told MLB.com recently when reached at home in Tampa, Fla., by phone. "I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a big moment for all Puerto Ricans, especially my family. We're all expecting me to get elected." Cito Gaston, who managed Alomar on two World Series-winning Blue Jays teams in 1992-93, said first ballot or not, there's no doubt about the 10-time Gold Glove second baseman, who batted .300 with 2,724 hits during a 17-year career for seven teams. Ryne Sandberg, the last second baseman elected by the BBWAA (in his third shot at it in 2005), batted .285 and had 2,386 hits in 16 seasons, all with the Cubs. "He was like my son -- a great player who played with a lot of confidence," Gaston told MLB.com about Alomar. "If we're talking about Hall
Source: MLB.com