I want to bring you guys back to the 90‘s for a second. I’m talking about anyone past 25 years old on this one. No disrespect to the younger ones. You know I love you too. When you thought of star power in the MLB, you had to think of Moises Alou. He was a first round pick in 1986 with a lot of talent and expectations that came with it. A young and aspired player that came from the Dominican Republic that came to make his mark in the United States and the league. Alou comes from a strong background of family members that played baseball; one is his father Felipe which was once a former MLB player and manager for many years. He once guided his son through baseball to see him flourish in which he definitely did. Alou was no scrub! In the beginning of his career he wasn’t a power hitter at all. He would get some hits and maybe a couple of home runs, but that was it.
But later on in his young career, you started to see Alou blossom into a superstar in the league. For a good 4-5 years straight he was hitting over 30 home runs while driving in 115 plus RBI’s. Now you tell me Alou wasn’t your guy! Just want to let you guys know, that he was one of my favorite players of my life time. The reason was when I was growing up I use to watch him play and he made the game look so easy. Alou played with finesse and always had a hit to get on base. Years ago that’s what it was all about. Then the game got commercial and everyone was looking for the home run or what they call “the big splash”.
Alou is considered as one of the best outfielders that has ever done it. He ruled the 1990’s and the 2000’s (Incredible People, n.d.). That boy can definitely field! Today to get a good to great outfielder is rare in the game. So I just want to appreciate the players that came before us that we tend to forget about. But I can tell you that I wont. Alou played a hard 17 years in the league making millions while doing it, but staying humble at the same time. Something that will gross you guys out that you don’t know about Alou. He is one of the only players that don’t use a glove to bat and to make him have a better grip on the bat, he would urinate on his hands to make them stiff. Wow! Sorry if you just ate. I know that can turn your stomach a bit. This is just to show you how much baseball is different. Players weren’t back in the day to get a cheating edge on their competition. They were looking to do it the right way.
Since his retirement from baseball in 2009, Alou has been laying low. It is very hard to see him around or just hear anything about him. I guess the spot light just wasn’t for him. I can see him coming back like his father and become a manager one of these days. Alou isn’t done with baseball as we might think. One day we might even see him in the Hall of Fame. What are your memories of Moises Alou?
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