Sandy Alderson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sandy Alderson |
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Alderson in 2010
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| Born: November 22, 1947 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
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Richard Lynn "Sandy" Alderson (born November 22, 1947) is an American baseball executive. He was most recently the president of the New York Mets. He also served as the general manager for the Mets from 2011 to 2018. Sandy worked for the Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres teams. He also worked for Major League Baseball's main office. As a leader, Alderson helped the Athletics win the 1989 World Series. He also led the Athletics to the World Series three times in a row. Later, he helped the Mets reach the 2015 World Series.
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Early Life and Education
Sandy Alderson was born on November 22, 1947. His father was an Air Force pilot. Sandy went to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. After college, he joined the United States Marine Corps. He served in Vietnam. Later, he earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1976. After law school, he worked as a lawyer in San Francisco, California.
Baseball Career Highlights
Starting with the Oakland Athletics
Sandy Alderson joined the Oakland Athletics in 1981. He became the team's general manager in 1983. As general manager, he helped rebuild the team's minor league system. This led to new talented players joining the team. Under Alderson, the Athletics won four division titles. They also won three league championships. The team won the 1989 World Series during his time there.
In 1995, the team got new owners. They asked Alderson to spend less money on players. So, Alderson started using new ways to find players. He looked for players who were good but not too expensive. He also helped teach Billy Beane, who later became the Athletics' general manager.
Working for Major League Baseball
Alderson left the Athletics in 1998. He went to work for Major League Baseball's main office. He was an Executive Vice President there until 2005. In 2010, he helped the commissioner deal with issues in baseball in the Dominican Republic. This country provides many players to Major League Baseball.
Leading the San Diego Padres
Sandy Alderson became the chief executive officer for the San Diego Padres in 2005. He worked there until 2009. During his time, the Padres won their division two years in a row. This happened in 2005 and 2006. He also taught at the University of California, Berkeley's business school.
Time with the New York Mets
The New York Mets hired Alderson as their general manager in 2010. He signed a four-year contract. At this time, the Mets' owner was dealing with financial problems. So, Alderson had to work with a limited budget. Because of his past work with Billy Beane, some people called the team the "Moneyball Mets."
One of his first big moves was signing David Wright to a long contract. This was unusual because the team usually avoided big contracts for older players. But Alderson saw Wright as a great leader. He also believed the Mets had many talented young pitchers coming up.
From 2012 to 2014, Alderson lowered the Mets' player costs. He traded older players for young talent. He brought in players like Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, and Travis d'Arnaud. He also helped develop players like Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Steven Matz. The Mets won the National League Championship in 2015. This led them to their first World Series appearance since 2000.
In July 2018, Alderson took a break from the Mets due to health reasons. He decided not to return to his position after that season. He has been healthy since then.
Returning to the Athletics
In January 2019, Alderson went back to the Oakland Athletics. He worked as a senior advisor to general manager Billy Beane. He left this job after the 2020 season. He then returned to the Mets.
Second Time with the Mets
In September 2020, the new Mets owner, Steve Cohen, hired Alderson. He became the team president. He took over from Saul Katz. In September 2022, it was announced that he would step down as president. He moved into a special advisory role. By February 2023, Alderson was no longer the team president.
Personal Life
Sandy Alderson is married to Linda Alderson. They have two children, Bryn and Cate. Both of their children also went to Dartmouth College. Sandy and Linda have five grandchildren. Alderson lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.
