Stephen Gavin Alemais (born April 12, 1995) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

for the

Staten Island FerryHawks The Staten Island FerryHawks are an American minor-league professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Staten Island. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner leag ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for three seasons with the

Tulane Green Wave The Tulane Green Wave are the athletic teams that represent Tulane University, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference (The American). There are 14 Green Wave interco ...

, and was drafted in the third round of the

2016 MLB Draft The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be d ...

by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. Alemais played four seasons in the Pittsburgh minor league system and earned attention for his defensive skills. However, he was released in 2022 after undergoing multiple shoulder surgeries.

Early life and amateur career

Alemais was born in

the Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York ...

to Ernies Alemais and Joan Salcedo. His father was a building maintenance worker, but left his job to open a sports complex with

batting cage A batting cage (or tunnel) is an enclosed area for baseball or softball players to practice the skill of batting. The optimal material for batting cages is netting, and they are typically rectangular in shape. Chain-link fence is not required but ...

s due to his son's interest and talent in baseball. Stephen began his high school career at

All Hallows High School All Hallows High School (formerly known as the All Hallows Institute) is a Catholic boys' high school in the South Bronx, New York, United States. Located at 111 East 164th Street, near Yankee Stadium, the school has an enrollment of approximate ...

. However, he tore the labrum in his left shoulder on a swing at a high fastball during his junior season, which led him to transfer to the Elev/8 Sports Institute in Florida for his senior year. Alemais earned all-state honors in his junior and senior seasons, and all-district, all-city, and all-league honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior. He currently holds the All Hallows High School single season hit record. Undrafted out of high school in the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

, Alemais enrolled at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

to play for the

Green Wave A green wave occurs when a series of traffic lights (usually three or more) are coordinated to allow continuous traffic flow over several intersections in one main direction. Any vehicle traveling along with the green wave (at an approximate spe ...

. He began the 2014 season as the team's starting shortstop and

leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in any inning. Strategy Traditionally, the leadoff hitter has been utilized as a contact-oriented position. The leadoff hit ...

, and initially performed well. However, midseason struggles in the plate and in the field spurred interim coach Jake Gautreau to bench Alemais for several games. The shortstop's play improved after he was reinserted into the starting lineup. He finished the season batting .241 with one home run and 19 RBI, and led the Green Wave with 11 stolen bases and two triples. Alemais improved in his sophomore season, batting .312 with 22 RBI and a team-leading 27 stolen bases, which garnered him a spot on the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...

All-Second Team and helped Tulane make the

NCAA Division I Baseball Championship The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the eight-team Men's College World Series at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebr ...

for the first time since 2008. In the summer of 2015, Alemais played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. In 2016, his junior year at Tulane, Alemais

slashed ''Slashed'' is a low budget independent horror film, financed and directed by Ash and written by Jed Shepherd.

.311/.368/.401 with one home run, 28 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 53 games, earning American Athletic Conference First Team honors. He led the team in batting average, stolen bases, and tied for first in doubles, and a double play he turned against

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

was featured as a highlight on

SportsCenter ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...

. After the season, he was selected in the third round of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be d ...

by the

with the 105th overall pick.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Alemais signed with Pittsburgh and made his professional debut with the

West Virginia Black Bears The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Granville, West Virginia, and play their home games at Monongalia County Ballpark, which is across the Monongahela River from Morganto ...

. He missed time at the start of the season due to a sprained wrist. On July 16, a double play he turned was ranked seventh on SportsCenter's Top Ten Plays. Alemais was promoted to the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

in August. In fifty games, he hit .249 with one home run and twenty RBIs. In 2017, he played for the Power and the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as th ...

, and made a rehab appearance with the

Gulf Coast League Pirates The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its h ...

. In 67 total games, Alemais batted .265 with four home runs and 34 RBIS. In 2018, Alemais played for the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...

, where he was primarily a second baseman for the first time in his career. He produced a slash line of .279/.347/.346 with one home run, 34 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 120 games. Alemais began the 2019 season with Altoona, but tore his labrum on a slide after 12 games, necessitating season-ending surgery. He underwent a fourth shoulder surgery in February 2021. Alemais was released by the Curve in March 2022.

Staten Island FerryHawks

He signed with the

of the Atlantic League in June 2022.

Personal life

Alemais has multiple tattoos, the first of which he got when he was 17. His family is of Dominican origin, and the first language Alemais learned was Spanish. His grandfather Felipe is a friend of

Robinson Cano Robinson may refer to: People and names * Robinson (name) Fictional characters * Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719 Geography * Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 1960 ...

's grandfather.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alemais, Stephen 1995 births Living people Tulane Green Wave baseball players West Virginia Black Bears players West Virginia Power players Gulf Coast Pirates players Bradenton Marauders players Altoona Curve players Baseball shortstops Cotuit Kettleers players Staten Island FerryHawks players Estrellas Orientales players Leones del Escogido players Sportspeople from the Bronx Baseball players from New York City