Sandy Alcántara

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Alcántara and the second or maternal family name is Montero.

Sandy Alcántara
Alcántara with the Miami Marlins in 2023
Miami Marlins – No. 22
Pitcher
Born: (1995-09-07) September 7, 1995 (age 28)
Azua, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 3, 2017, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record41–55
Earned run average3.32
Strikeouts789
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Sandy Alcántara Montero (born September 7, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Alcántara signed with the Cardinals as an international free agent in 2013, and made his MLB debut with them in 2017. The Cardinals traded Alcántara to the Marlins after the 2017 season. He was an All-Star in 2019 and 2022, and won the National League Cy Young Award in 2022.

Early life[edit]

Alcántara was born in San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic.[1] He is one of 11 children.[1] When he was 11 years old, his parents sent him to live with an older sister in the capital, Santo Domingo, where he could both study for school and attend baseball practice.[2] He dropped out of school in eighth grade to concentrate on a baseball career.[1]

Career[edit]

St. Louis Cardinals[edit]

Alcántara with the Springfield Cardinals in 2017

In July 2013, at age 17, Alcántara signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an international free agent.[3] He made his professional debut in 2014 with the Dominican Summer League Cardinals and spent the whole season there, going 1–9 with a 3.97 ERA in 12 games (11 starts). He spent 2015 with the Gulf Coast Cardinals where he pitched to a 4–4 record and 3.22 ERA in 12 games started, and started 2016 with the Peoria Chiefs.[4] During a start in May he tied the Chiefs record with 14 strikeouts.[5][6] He was promoted to the Palm Beach Cardinals in July 2016. He finished the 2016 season with a combined 5–11 record with a 3.96 ERA in 23 games started between both clubs.

Alcántara began 2017 with the Springfield Cardinals. After pitching to a 7–5 record and 4.31 ERA while 4th in the league in walks and leading it with 20 wild pitches in a career high 125.1 innings,[7] the Cardinals promoted him to the major leagues on September 1, 2017.[8] After the season, the Cardinals assigned Alcántara to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League (AFL),[9] where he was selected to the Fall Stars Game. He pitched 15 total innings in the AFL, finishing the season with five games started, a 1–2 record, and a 4.20 ERA.

Miami Marlins[edit]

Alcántara with the Marlins in 2021

On December 14, 2017, the Cardinals traded Alcántara, along with Magneuris Sierra, Zac Gallen, and Daniel Castano to the Miami Marlins for Marcell Ozuna.[10] MLB.com ranked Alcántara as Miami's third-best prospect going into the 2018 season.[11] He began 2018 with the New Orleans Baby Cakes, and was recalled by Miami on June 28.[12] He made his Marlins debut on June 29 as the starting pitcher, pitching five innings in which he gave up one run on three hits and five walks while striking out two, earning the win as Miami defeated the New York Mets 8–2.[13] He was placed on the 10-day disabled list on with a right axillary infection.[14] On May 19, 2019, Alcántara pitched his first career shutout, an 89-pitch two-hit Maddux against the New York Mets.[15]

Alcántara was the sole Miami Marlins player named to the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[16] Pitching the eighth inning, he retired the side.[17] He finished the season with a 6–14 record and a 3.88 ERA over 197+1⁄3 innings in 32 starts, leading the National League in losses and shutouts.

In the shortened 2020 season, Alcántara was 3–2 with a 3.00 ERA in 42 innings.

Alcántara owns Marlins franchise records of most innings pitched by a rookie, and most innings pitched and strikeouts by a Dominican-born player.[18] On November 28, 2021, the Marlins signed Alcántara to a contract extension worth $56 million, breaking the record for the largest contract for a pitcher under team control with less than four years service time set by Carlos Martinez.[19]

In 2022, he was 14–9 with a 2.28 ERA in 32 starts covering 228.2 innings. With a bWAR of 8.0, Alcántara led the National League, and led all pitchers across both leagues.[20][21] He unanimously won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award, over second-place pitcher Max Fried.[22]

Alcántara regressed from his Cy Young campaign in 2023, making 28 starts and posting a 7–12 record and 4.14 ERA with 151 strikeouts in 184+2⁄3 innings pitched.[23] On September 4, 2023, he was placed on the injured list with a right forearm flexor strain.[24] An MRI later revealed a sprain of Alcantara's ulnar collateral ligament, putting his season in jeopardy.[25] He began a rehab assignment with the Triple–A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, but was shut down for the remainder of the season on September 23 after experiencing forearm tightness.[26] On October 6, Alcántara underwent Tommy John surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow, ruling him out for the 2024 season.[27]

Pitching style[edit]

Alcántara's fastball velocity generally sits around 97 mph,[28] maxing out around 101 mph. He uses both a four-seam fastball and a sinker, which possess above-average vertical and horizontal movement. His secondary pitches are the changeup (90-94 mph average velocity), slider (89-93 mph) and curveball (82 mph), although his use of the curveball is scarce.[29]

Philanthropy[edit]

In partnership with The Giving Much More (GMM) Foundation, and The Baseball Club. Alcántara hosted multiple fundraising events in 2019 to collect baseball equipment for underprivileged youth in his native Dominican Republic. This included the first annual "Softball with the Sandman" Charity Baseball Tournament on his 24th birthday.[30]

After completing his 2019 season, Alcántara traveled to the Dominican Republic to deliver the equipment directly to the children.[31]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Ortiz, Jose de Jesus (September 24, 2017). "Ortiz: Faith and family steer Cardinals rookie Alcantara". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  2. ^ Martinez, Andy (May 29, 2019). "Faith, family help Alcántara's Major League ascent". La Vida Baseball. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "Cardinals Sign Dominican Righthander Sandy Alcantara - BaseballAmerica.com". July 2, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  4. ^ Eminian, Dave. "Radar love: Chiefs starter Sandy Alcantara has hit 102 mph on the speed gun". Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  5. ^ Eminian, Dave. "Chiefs Helsley celebrates his Cherokee Indian heritage; Alcantara strikes out 14 but Peoria loses, 5-4". Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  6. ^ "Alcantara Strikes out 14, Chiefs Fall 5-4 - MiLB.com News - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  7. ^ "Sandy Alcantara Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  8. ^ Ortiz, Jose de Jesus (September 1, 2017). "Alcantara overwhelmed by surprise call-up". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  9. ^ Goold, Derrick (September 2017). "Elite prospects Alcantara, Hicks among eight young Cards headed to AFL". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  10. ^ Frisaro, Joe (December 14, 2017). "Trade finalized: Ozuna dealt for STL prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  11. ^ "Brinson leads Marlins' revamped Top 30". MLB.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  12. ^ DeFranks, Matthew (June 28, 2018). "Sandy Alcantara 'can't wait to get out there' for Marlins debut Friday night".
  13. ^ "Sandy Alcantara wins Marlins debut vs. Mets". MLB.com.
  14. ^ "Sandy Alcantara placed on 10-day DL". MLB.com.
  15. ^ "Alcantara pitches 2-hitter, Miami beats reeling Mets 3-0". USA Today. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  16. ^ McPherson, Jordan (June 30, 2019). "Sandy Alcantara representing Miami Marlins at All-Star Game". Miami Herald. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  17. ^ Levin, David (July 11, 2019). "Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara needs to build on All-Star performance". marlinmaniac.com. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  18. ^ "Most Strikeouts in a Single Season, Florida/Miami Marlins pitchers born in Dominican Republic". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  19. ^ "Sandy locks up deal: 'I love the city so much'". mlb.com. mlb.com. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  20. ^ "2022 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  21. ^ "Sandy Alcantara Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
  22. ^ "Fried finishes runner-up in NL Cy Young race". MLB.com.
  23. ^ "Sandy Alcantara has UCL sprain, putting 2023 return in doubt; Marlins shut out Brewers". sun-sentinel.com. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  24. ^ "Marlins' Sandy Alcantara: Lands on IL with flexor strain". cbssports.com. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  25. ^ "MRI reveals Sandy has UCL sprain; Marlins taking it 'day by day'". mlb.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  26. ^ "UCL sprain ends Sandy Alcantara's season. Marlins' ace discusses 'frustrating' injury". amp.miamiherald.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  27. ^ "Marlins' Sandy Alcantara has Tommy John surgery; out for 2024". espn.com. October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  28. ^ "Sandy Alcantara - Stats - Pitching | FanGraphs Baseball".
  29. ^ "Sandy Alcantara Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | MLB.com". baseballsavant.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  30. ^ Sussman, Ely (September 7, 2019). "Sandy Alcantara hosts charity softball tournament to fundraise for Dominican youth league". Fish Stripes. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  31. ^ "Sandy Alcantara on Instagram: "Over the weekend #SoftballWithTheSandman came full circle. Our goal was to collect as much equipment as possible to bring back to DR for…"". Instagram. Retrieved December 22, 2019.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sandy Alcántara.
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