By Brian Bohl
CENTRAL ISLIP, NY- A sold-out crowd once meant performing in front of over 55,000 people in a Queens-based ballpark. They once wore blue, orange and black-adorned uniforms instead of the current green, white and orange digs. The salaries stretched into the multi-million dollar range, but now the four are playing for the love of the game and not much else.
Flash forward in time, and a capacity crowd means just over 6,000 fans at Citibank Park, located across a courthouse complex in Suffolk County. Instead of playing in the major leagues, four ex-Mets are now looking to resurrect their MLB careers by playing for the Long Island Ducks.
Typical minor league games at the Double or Triple-A level might feature some players who own names that resonate with baseball fans. But they usually don’t possess lineups with the type of veterans Ducks manager Dave LaPoint and the front office compiled to make them an Atlantic League force.
Edgardo Alfonzo, Carl Everett and the recently-signed Jose Offerman all spent some time with the Mets during the past 10 years. The three appeared in five major league All-Star games combined, providing the Ducks with a lineup that features players with almost 5,000 games worth of big-league experience.
The Atlantic League, which is not affiliated with any major league organizations, has been a haven for players looking to return to the highest level. It also provides an outlet for less accomplished players to improve their game and sign with an affiliated minor league club.
In the past, the Ducks sent players like Bill Pulsipher and Pedro Borbon Jr. back to the big leagues, with both signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. Along with closer Danny Graves, Long Island stacked the roster with former Mets, though general manager Michael Pfaff said the local connection did not influence the roster moves.
“It is purely coincidence,” Pfaff said. “We look to sign the best players available, regardless of their former affiliation.”
Citibank Park, a 6,002-seat venue, is one of the best minor league parks in the country. The team played to a 101.6 percent capacity the first six years. Despite the manicured field and cozy charm, the facility is a great distance from the soon-to-be demolished Shea Stadium.
Alfonzo called the eyesore home for eight seasons as a Mets infielder from 1995-2002, earning an All-Star appearance during the team’s pennant-winning season in 2000. After playing just 30 games between the Angels and Blue Jays last season, the 33-year-old local fan favorite said he joined the Ducks to stay in baseball and prove to major league clubs he can still contribute at the game’s ultimate level.
“A lot of guys come from this league to the big leagues,” said Alfonzo. “If something happens tomorrow, I’d be ready for (it). But for now, I just have to get my confidence, get my at-bats. The last few years I didn’t get many at-bats. I’m looking to get my stroke, get my power, get my confidence at home plate back. I like to play every day, get my mechanics right. … I’ve been hitting the ball pretty good, with power. I want to get that feeling to hit the ball with power.”
The man known as “Fonzie” helped the Mets reach the National League Championship Series in 1999 and the World Series the following year. He was also part of the infield defense Sports Illustrated highlighted as one of the greatest ever during the 1999 season, where he played second base.
LaPoint has played Alfonzo extensively at third, a position he played with the Mets before Robin Ventura came over and forced the switch to second. After taking a massive pay cut just to continue playing baseball, the position switch was nothing unusual. Most players in the Atlantic League make less than $3,000 a month. That is a stark departure from the $7.5 million he made with the Giants in 2005, according to baseballreference.com.
So if it’s not the money, why do players like Graves, Alfonzo, Everett and Offerman choose to take bus rides along the East Coast when they already have earned millions of dollars over years of service time in the big leagues? It’s the prospect of getting back to the big-time that drives the players, but for a team like the Ducks, the veterans can help some of the young players as well.
Massapequa native Kevin Haverbusch never played in the major leagues despite being drafted by the Pirates. He still entered June with a higher batting average and more home runs than Alfonzo and Everett. Haverbusch said the opportunity to talk with teammates who succeed at the major league level represents one advantage over playing on a Single or Double-A club.
“As the season gets longer, you’ll go through peaks and valleys. Those kind of players can keep the tunnel vision. They just have so much wisdom and experience,” Haverbusch said. “It’s just such a resource that you wouldn’t have playing with a 22-year-old kid from Iowa, as opposed to a [player like] Edgardo Alfonzo.”
The league’s reputation-future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson played for Newark in 2003-has enticed established players to join in recent years. Everett, who was not retained by the Mariners after batting .227 in 92 games last season, said his agent steered him towards Long Island because of the franchise’s past history of reviving careers.
“I didn’t know a lot about this league,” Everett, 36, said. “I have friends on higher levels talk to me about that. I let them choose where they wanted me to come. This team wanted me, so I’m here. I think they made a good choice.”
Ray Navarrete, a second baseman who played in the Pirates organization, said he is glad the Ducks add players like Everett because they can have almost as big of an impact in the clubhouse as they do on the field.
“Just with the experience, these guys help me with hitting and the things that I need to do to hit the ball well,” Navarrete, 29, said. “Being in the clubhouse with guys like Carl, I’m getting big league advice from guys who had such success. That’s going to help me out this year.”