Raúl Alcantara (minors01)

Raúl Alcantara

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 167 lbs.

• Born January 22, 2001 in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional D.R.

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Not to be confused with fellow Dominican hurler Raúl Alcántara, Raúl Alcantara was signed by the Seattle Mariners organization on September 25, 2017. His debut season, 2018, didn't go as hoped. In 18 games - all in relief - for the DSL Mariners, Alcantara had a 6.87 ERA and a ghastly WHIP of 2.073. He was hit hard again in his sophomore season, which was split between the DSL Mariners and the AZL Mariners. His ERA and WHIP both went down, but only to 5.33 and 1.678 respectively. His hit rate increased from 10.3/9IP to 12.4/9IP.

The 2020 minor league schedule was erased due to the coronavirus pandemic, so Alcantara's third season had to wait until 2021. In the interim, the minor leagues were reorganized. He began 2021 with the Everett AquaSox of the new High-A West league (formerly the [[Northwest League), but pitched one unimpressive inning before being sent down. He found himself in the new Arizona Complex League (which was effectively the same level with which he ended his previous season in 2019). In 12 games, his ERA was a more-than-respectable 3.11, his WHIP was a more-than-manageable 1.295, his hit rate decreased dramatically to 7.6/9IP, and his strikeout rate went way up to 11.5/9IP.

In 2022, he started out with the Fresno Grizzlies at the low-A level. He appeared in 35 games, all in relief, and posted an ERA of 4.09 across 50 2/3 innings. He was back in Everett for 2023, and went into the AquaSox' starting rotation. But through July 4, his ERA was 8.84, his WHIP was 1.789, and he had walked 44 batters in 57 innings. Worse yet, he began to serve up home runs at a greater clip, throwing 8 gopher balls to that point in the season, one more than he had allowed in his entire minor league career going into '23.