FLUSHING, NY — Former six-time MLB All-Star and 1990 American League Rookie of the Year Sandy Alomar Jr., a Puerto Rican baseball icon, was named Team Puerto Rico’s first base coach for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, per an announcement made by the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation earlier this week.
Currently the first base and catching coach of the Guardians, a coaching staff he has been a part of for the last 16 years—Alomar Jr.—after playing 20 seasons in the Majors, including 11 in Cleveland, is set to join Team PR’s general manager Carlos Beltrán, skipper Yadier Molina, third base coach Joey Cora, and bench coach Alex Cintrón in next year’s WBC.
Sandy Alomar Jr. will join Yadier Molina, Joey Cora and Alex Cintrón on Puerto Rico’s coaching staff for the 2026 World Baseball Classic – Image Credit: Al Pereira/Latino Sports
“It’s an honor to be a part of the Puerto Rican team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic,” the 59-year-old said in an interview with Latino Sports. “It’s the first time I’m going to be representing Puerto Rico as a coach. It’s a privilege and an honor.
Thank you to Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltrán and those in the (Puerto Rico Baseball) Federation for choosing me as one of their coaches.”
Beltrán said in a statement regarding Puerto Rico’s recent coaching assignments of Alomar Jr., Cora and Cintrón, “I feel confident and proud of the talent we will have representing Puerto Rico in the Classic. I fully trust in the knowledge and experience of each of our coaches. I know that everyone shares the commitment to work as a team and to give the best for our country.”
Francisco Lindor was named the captain of Team Puerto for the 2026 World Baseball Classic after being the leader for his homeland in the 2023 WBC – Image Credit: Al Pereira/Latino Sports
Coming from a baseball family, Alomar Jr., the son of Sandy Alomar, and brother of Roberto Alomar, has experienced nearly all one could imagine when it comes to the sport throughout his childhood, illustrious playing career, and impressive line of coaching.
All-Star Games, postseason matchups in hostile environments as a player and coach, World Series appearances (1995, 1997 + 2016 as a coach). You name it, he’s done it.
However, the magnitude of the World Baseball Classic with fans dialed in on every pitch while those participating are representing their country are elements no individual can prepare for beforehand.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will mark Sandy Alomar Jr.’s first WBC experience throughout his baseball playing and coaching career – Image Credit: Al Pereira/Latino Sports
“It brings a lot of excitement and baseball awareness all over the world,” Alomar Jr. noted of the WBC. “Every coach that I have talked to about it, they say, ‘this is something different.’ I have participated in three World Series so far, and this is kind of similar to that, but for your country.”
For Alomar Jr., born in Salinas, Puerto Rico, he may have a slight advantage heading into March of 2026, as Team Puerto Rico, assigned to Pool A, with Canada, Panama and Colombia, will play its group stage games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Hiram Bithorn Stadium, just an hour drive from where Alomar Jr. grew up alongside his older sister Sandia and younger brother Roberto in Salinas, is also a ballpark he coached Major League Baseball games in previously.
Sandy Alomar Jr. grew up just an hour away from where Team Puerto Rico will be playing its 2026 WBC Pool A games – Image Credit: Al Pereira/Latino Sports
In April of 2018, the Twins and the then called Indians, squared off in two regular season contests at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, marking the first time since 2010 where a MLB regular season game took place in Puerto Rico.
Though, at this time—April 17th-18th of 2018—more than half of a year after Hurricanes Irene and Maria struck Puerto Rico, the island was still in deep recovery from the catastrophic natural disasters.
So much so, the whole island suddenly lost power during the teams’ stay in Puerto Rico. Yet, that didn’t stop there from baseball being played as MLB along with the assistance of the stadium installed generators in the ballpark.
“The excitement of the Puerto Rican fans when the team plays over there is second to none, I experienced it a little bit when we played in Puerto Rico against Minnesota,” explained Alomar Jr. “It was an incredible experience when (Francisco) Lindor hit a home run to win one of the games. There was no electricity in the whole country, but in that ballpark, there was electricity. They had two generators, the fans were electric. I’m looking forward to being a part of that.”
Speaking of Lindor, a multiple-time LatinoMVP Award recipient and back-to-back captain of Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 and 2026 World Baseball Classic, Alomar Jr. had high praise for the man who will be leading their homeland out on the diamond next March.
“From being here in Cleveland and seeing the passion he has for Puerto Rico and representing his country—he is the perfect guy to be the captain of the team,” Alomar Jr. said of Lindor. “He plays hard and sets a good example on and off the field.”
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