Position: IF
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 151 lbs
Bats/Throws: B/R
Born: 07/10/1996
Country: Dominican Republic
Signed: International Free Agent, 2012 (Diamondbacks)
How Acquired: Minor League Free Agency
Bonus: $700,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: Yes
Minor League Free Agency: 2024
Options Left: 0
Overview
Arizona gave Alcantara a sizeable bonus at age 16 in 2012 as an advanced infielder with good defensive skills. He’s an above-average defender at short and he’s played a lot at second and third as well. Hitting has been a greater challenge. Alcantara has generally had good walk rates and does reasonably well at putting the bat on the ball, but he has very little power. His speed is about average and he’s not a big base stealing threat. He’d been with four different organizations prior to signing a minor league deal with the Pirates for 2024, including four stints with the D’backs and two with the Cubs.
2013-17
Arizona sent Alcantara straight to the Arizona League, skipping the Dominican Summer League despite his young age. He advanced slowly as he struggled to hit. He made it to Low Class A for 20 games in 2015 and batted just .113. He returned to that level in 2016 and had a .641 OPS.
Alcantara went to High A in 2017, then in July went to Detroit in a trade. Between the two High A affiliates, he had a .673 OPS. Throughout this time Baseball America ranked him in the latter part of the two teams’ top 30 prospects, including 26th with Detroit after the 2017 season. The Tigers added him to their 40-man roster that fall.
2018-20
Alcantara spent 2018 and 2019 in AA. He hit about the same as before, with a solid walk rate, decent contact ability and no power, leading to OPS figures in the mid-.600s. In 2020, he got into ten games with the Tigers, going 3-for-21.
2021-23
Alcantara bounced around quite a bit from 2021-23. Detroit lost him off waivers to the Cubs in February 2021, and Chicago outrighted him two weeks later. He opened the season in AAA, but the Cubs called him up in May and he spent the rest of the year with them. The Cubs traded him to Arizona just before the 2022 season. The D’backs lost him off waivers to the Padres in May, then re-claimed him two months later. After the season, Arizona removed him from the roster and he signed as a minor league free agent with the Cubs. Chicago released him in July and he signed a minor league deal with Arizona again.
During the course of all his travels, Alcantara spent all of 2022 in the majors and all of 2023 in AAA. In 2022, he had a .617 OPS. In 2023, he hit a bit more than usual, putting up a 268/374/402 line in AAA, albeit in the high-offense Pacific Coast League. He continued to draw walks at a good rate and managed eight home runs in 2023, which amounted to 40% of his career minor league total.
The Pirates signed Alcantara to a minor league deal for 2024, with an invitation to major league spring training.
Stats
Transactions
July 10, 2012: Signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent.
July 18, 2017: Traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks with Dawel Lugo and Jose King to the Detroit Tigers for J.D. Martinez.
November 20, 2017: Contract purchased by the Detroit Tigers.
February 5, 2021: Claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs from the Detroit Tigers.
February 20, 2021: Outrighted to AAA by the Chicago Cubs.
May 30, 2021: Called up by the Chicago Cubs.
March 27, 2022: Traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash.
May 9, 2022: Claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
July 5, 2022: Claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the San Diego Padres.
November 18, 2022: Designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks; refused assignment and became a free agent.
December 19, 2022: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Chicago Cubs.
July 25, 2023: Released by the Chicago Cubs.
August 1, 2023: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
November 6, 2023: Became a free agent.
December 11, 2023: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates.