Yonder Alonso
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Yonder Alonso (born April 8, 1987) is a Cuban former professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
and current MLB Network analyst. He played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds,
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
,
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
,
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
,
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
,
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
and
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
. Prior to entering the major leagues, he played
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...
at the University of Miami.


Early life

Yonder Alonso was born in
Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Industriales of the Cuban National Series, and taught Alonso to play as well. The family defected from Cuba in 1996 and settled in Miami, where Alonso played on a Little League team funded by Jose Canseco. Alonso attended Coral Gables Senior High School in
Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
, and was selected by the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
in the 16th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign, choosing instead to attend college at the University of Miami.


College career

Alonso attended the University of Miami, where he played three seasons for the Hurricanes. He led the team to the College World Series as a freshman, with a team-leading 69 RBIs. His sister attended the same school and was a member of the cheerleading squad. His sophomore year he batted .376, led the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
with 18 home runs, knocked in 74 runs, and scored 57 times. He also ranked second in the ACC with a .519 on-base percentage and .705 slugging percentage. Alonso played in the Valley Baseball League, located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 2007. In 2007 and 2008, he 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 ...
for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star in 2007. In 2008, he hit .373 with 15 home runs, 51 RBIs, and eight stolen bases. Alonso was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame at its 50th annual induction in April 2018.


Professional career


Cincinnati Reds

In 2008, Alonso was drafted for the second time with the seventh overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds. He signed with the Reds for $4.55 million. Alonso made his
Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...
debut on August 26, 2008, for the High–A Sarasota Reds against the Clearwater Threshers. He went 1–for–3 with a double and a walk. In just six games for Sarasota, he went 6–for–19 with two RBI. After the 2008 season, Alonso joined the Waikiki BeachBoys of the Hawaii Winter Baseball league and hit .308 with four home runs and 21 RBI in 29 games. He had 32 total hits in 104 at–bats. Alonso entered the 2009 season ranked as the number one overall prospect in the Reds organization by Baseball America. He started the season with Sarasota, played 49 games, and hit .303 in 175 at–bats with seven home runs, 13 doubles, and 38 RBI. After receiving a promotion to the Double–A Carolina Mudcats, he hit .295 in 105 at–bats, with 11 doubles, two home runs, and 14 RBI over 29 games. He also played for the Peoria Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League in 2009, .267 in 23 games. Alonso started 2010 in Carolina playing left field, as he was blocked at first base in Cincinnati by Joey Votto. In May, Alonso was promoted to the Triple–A Louisville Bats where he played 82 of his 101 games at first base, hitting .296 with 12 home runs. Alonso was called up by the Reds on September 1 after the rosters expanded. He made his major league debut that day, pinch hitting for Brandon Phillips. On September 4, in his second at bat as a pinch hitter, Alonso doubled off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mike MacDougal for his first major league hit, and scored his first major league run that inning. Alonso began the 2011 season at Triple–A, playing the majority of his games in left field and batting .296. On July 26, 2011, Alonso was recalled to the Reds after they traded Jonny Gomes. He served mostly as a pinch hitter, picking up 98 plate appearances over 47 games and batting .330 with a .943 OPS. Alonso made 14 starts in left field and one each at first and third base. Alonso was projected as a left fielder for the Reds in 2012, although he struggled defensively at the position during 2011.


San Diego Padres

Alonso, Edinson Vólquez, Yasmani Grandal, and Brad Boxberger were traded to the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
in exchange for Mat Latos on December 17, 2011. He was projected to start at first base ahead of Anthony Rizzo, who was eventually traded. Alonso came into 2012 still classified as a rookie with only 117 career at–bats. Alonso played 155 games for the Padres in 2012, including 144 starts at first base, and posted a batting line of .273/.348/.393 with nine home runs. He set a Padres franchise record with 39 doubles as a rookie, breaking the old rookie mark of 33 by Benito Santiago in 1987. Alonso also had 10 multi–double games, the most in the major leagues since 2006. Alonso committed 12 errors at first base, tying for the league lead. He finished 6th in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Alonso was the starting first baseman to begin 2013. On April 10, Alonso started at first base against the Dodgers. In the 9th inning, with second baseman Alexi Amarista having been pinch–hit for the previous inning, Alonso moved to second base for the first time in his professional career. With left–handed hitter Andre Ethier up after Adrián González hit a ground ball to second that Alonso couldn't come up with, Alonso and third baseman Jedd Gyorko switched positions. After Ethier was hit and two right-handed hitters were due, Alonso and Gyorko switched again, and the Padres got out of the inning after A.J. Ellis grounded out to third. On June 6, Alonso was placed on the 15–day disabled list after he got hit on the hand by a pitch from Aaron Loup on May 31. Kyle Blanks and Jesús Guzmán then entered a platoon while Alonso was out. At the time, he was hitting .284 with six home runs and 29 RBI. He was activated on July 12. On August 30, Alonso suffered a separate injury to his right hand, which caused him to miss most of September. Blanks and Guzmán filled in initially, but when Tommy Medica was called up, he started the rest of the season at first. Alonso returned to action on September 28, and appeared in two games as a pinch–runner. In 97 games in 2013, he hit .281/.341/.368 with six home runs and 45 RBI. On June 19, 2014, Alonso was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right hand tendinitis. On July 26, after missing 30 games, Alonso was activated off the disabled list. After playing almost a month, Alonso was ruled out for the season on August 17 because of a forearm strain. In 84 games in 2014, Alonso hit .240/.285/.397 with 7 home runs and 27 RBI. In 2015, Alonso would spend time on the 15–day disabled list but would be activated on June 2. In 2015, Alonso hit .282 with five home runs and 31 RBI over 103 games; he had two separate stints on the disabled list because of a shoulder injury and strained lower back.


Oakland Athletics

On December 2, 2015, the Padres traded Alonso and Marc Rzepczynski to the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
in exchange for Drew Pomeranz, José Torres, and a
player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
or cash considerations (later specified as Jabari Blash). On January 13, 2016, the A's and Alonso announced that they had agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.65 million to avoid arbitration. In 2016, Alonso batted .253/.316/.367 with seven home runs and 56 RBI. Alonso avoided salary arbitration with the Athletics for a second consecutive season, by agreeing to a $4 million contract for the 2017 season on December 3, 2016. During the first half of the 2017 season, Alonso hit a career–high 20 home runs. He was named to the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. In 100 total games, he hit .267/.369/.527 with 22 home runs and 49 RBI.


Seattle Mariners

On August 6, 2017, the Athletics traded Alonso to the
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
in exchange for Boog Powell. In 42 games for Seattle, Alonso slashed .265/.353/.439 with six home runs and 18 RBI.


Cleveland Indians

On December 20, 2017, Alonso signed a two–year contract with the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
worth $16 million. The deal became official on December 23. In his first season in Cleveland, Alonso continued his power surge from the previous season, hitting 23 home runs with a career–high 83 RBI in 145 games. He had the lowest fielding percentage among major league first basemen, at .990.


Chicago White Sox

On December 15, 2018, Cleveland traded Alonso to the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
in exchange for minor league outfielder Alex Call. On June 28, 2019, Alonso was designated for assignment after he hit .178 with seven home runs and 27 RBI in 67 games. He was placed on release waivers on July 3.


Colorado Rockies

On July 11, 2019, Alonso signed a minor league contract with the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
. On July 23, the Rockies selected Alonso's contract. Alonso was mainly used as a pinch hitter for the Rockies, hitting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 73 at–bats. On February 14, 2020, Alonso signed a minor league contract with the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
. He was later outrighted off of the roster before the season began on July 23. On August 11, Alonso was traded to the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
in exchange for cash considerations. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Alonso became a free agent on November 2. Alonso announced his retirement via
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
on November 20, 2020.


Post-baseball career

On April 27, 2021, Alonso joined MLB Network as an on-air analyst.


Personal life

Alonso's sister, Yainee, is married to Manny Machado.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alonso, Yonder 1987 births Living people Baseball players from Havana Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States American League All-Stars Major League Baseball first basemen Cincinnati Reds players San Diego Padres players Oakland Athletics players Seattle Mariners players Cleveland Indians players Chicago White Sox players Colorado Rockies players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente infielders Miami Hurricanes baseball players Sarasota Reds players Waikiki Beach Boys players Gulf Coast Reds players Carolina Mudcats players Peoria Saguaros players Criollos de Caguas players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Louisville Bats players Tucson Padres players Arizona League Padres players El Paso Chihuahuas players Albuquerque Isotopes players All-American college baseball players Brewster Whitecaps players Major League Baseball broadcasters MLB Network personalities Coral Gables Senior High School alumni