Yonder Alonso, First Base, Retired

Date of Birth: 4/8/1987
Birthplace: Havana, Cuba
College: University of Miami

Yonder Alonso, retired first baseman, was first drafted in 2005 by the Minnesota Twins but he opted for college. Three years later, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and he signed a five-year, $4.55 million contract with them. Alonso started in the minor leagues in 2008 and two years later, he played in his first game in the major leagues. He stayed with the Reds for just two years, playing in 22 games with them in 2010 and in 47 games in 2011.

In December, 2011, the Reds traded Alonso to the San Diego Padres. He batted .273 with 150 hits, 39 doubles, and 62 RBIs in 155 games in 2012, his rookie year in the major leagues. In 2013, he suffered from hand injuries and he played in just 97 games with the Padres. He finished the 2014 season with 64 hits, 19 doubles, and a .240 batting average in 84 games.

Alonso spent time on the DL in 2015. He finished the season with 100 hits, 18 doubles, and a .282 batting average in 103 games. Defensively, as a first baseman, he made 54 assists, 71 double plays, 817 putouts, and 3 errors in 102 games. He had a .997 fielding percentage.

Alonso was traded to the Oakland Athletics on December 2, 2015. He finished the 2016 season with 122 hits, 34 doubles, 56 RBIs, and a .253 batting average in 156 games. Defensively, as the Athletics' first baseman in 145 games, he made 70 assists, 118 double plays, 1,155 putouts, and 4 errors.

The Athletics traded Alonso to the Seattle Mariners on August 6, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 120 hits, 22 doubles, 28 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 118 strikeouts to 68 walks in 100 games with the Athletics and 42 games with the Mariners. Defensively, as a first baseman in 135 games, he made 63 assists, 96 double plays, 964 putouts, and 10 errors.

Alonso became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He signed with the Cleveland Indians on December 23, 2017. He finished the 2018 season with 129 hits, 19 doubles, 23 home runs, 83 RBIs, 123 strikeouts to 51 walks, and a .250 batting average in 145 games. Defensively, as the Indians' first baseman in 138 games, he made 54 assists, 89 doubles plays, 980 putouts, and 10 errors. In the postseason, he had no hits in 6 at-bats in 2 games.

The Indians traded Alonso to the Chicago White Sox on December 15, 2018. He was released on July 3, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on July 10th. He finished the 2019 season with 58 hits, 37 RBIs, 70 strikeouts to 39 walks, and a .199 batting average in 67 games with the White Sox and 54 games with the Rockies.

Alonso became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves on February 14, 2020. He was traded to the Padres on August 12th. He didn't play in 2020.

Alonso elected free agency on November 2, 2020. He announced his retirement on November 20th.

Career batting statistics for Alonso through 2019 include:

• 1,072 games played
• 872 hits
• 181 doubles
• 100 home runs
• 426 RBIs
• 648 strikeouts to 366 walks
• .259 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Alonso at first base through 2019 include:

• 879 games played
• 457 assists
• 593 double plays
• 6,767 putouts
• 48 errors
• .993 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Yonder Alonso
ESPN - Yonder Alonso