Long before he was the recipient of the MLB’s most prestigious Honor Sandy Alcántara grew up in the Dominican Republic just one Adam 11 children to parents Francisca and his father, whose name is unknown.
When he was 11 years old, his parents sent him to live with a relative in Santo Domingo where he could go to school and at the same time study the game of baseball.
Fast forward a couple years, Alcântara was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals when he was just 17 years old in 2013. However, he did not make his debut with the team until 2017. After finishing the season with a seven and five record and 4.31 ERA for the minor-league affiliate Springfield Cardinals, he was then promoted to the major leagues where he made his official debut with the St. Louis Cardinals.
His career with the Cardinals was not long, however, as they once again relegated him to the surprise Saguaros of the Arizona fall league in surprise, Arizona he wasn’t selected to the All-Star team of that league. In his career in the Arizona fall league, he averaged five games started 15 total innings, a 1-2 record, and a 4.20 ERA.
Fast forward to now, he has found tremendous success with the Marlins since coming to them in 2018. He made his debut with the team as a starting pitcher against the New York Mets pitching five innings in which he gave up one run on three hits and five walks.
Alcantara the All Star
But his success doesn’t end there, he was also the sole representative of the Miami Marlins in the 2019 MLB All-Star game. He finished the 2019 season with a 6–14 record and a 3.88 ERA over 197 innings in 32 starts. In the 2020 season, he went 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 42 innings. ( keep in mind. This season was shortened by 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic) in 2021, Alcântara signed a contract extension with the Marlins after a stellar season in which he broke many franchise records.
The contract was worth $56 million dollars breaking the record for the largest contract for a pitcher under team control with less than four years service time set by fellow Dominican pitcher Carlos Martinez. In 2022, he achieved even more success he posted a 14–9 record with a 2.28 ERA in 32 starts covering 228.2 innings with a BWAR of 8.0. In that same season, he also made history by becoming the first Marlins player in the history of the organization to win the prestigious Cy Young Award.
Personally, as a Marlins fan, he has been one of my favorite players to watch throughout his career. His electrifying pitching style captivates anyone who turns on their TV sets.
Keep making DR proud sandman!
