Yonder Alonso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yonder Alonso |
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Alonso with the Oakland Athletics in 2016
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: April 8, 1987 Havana, Cuba |
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| debut | |||
| September 1, 2010, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 29, 2019, for the Colorado Rockies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .259 | ||
| Home runs | 100 | ||
| Runs batted in | 426 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Yonder Alonso was born on April 8, 1987, in Cuba. He is a former professional baseball player who played as a first baseman. After his playing career, he became a baseball analyst for MLB Network. Yonder played for several teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), including the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Colorado Rockies. Before joining the big leagues, he played college baseball at the University of Miami.
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Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Yonder Alonso was born in Havana, Cuba, on April 8, 1987. His parents are Luis and Damarys. Yonder's father played and coached for a team called Industriales in Cuba. He taught Yonder how to play baseball from a young age.
In 1996, Yonder's family moved from Cuba to Miami, Florida. There, Yonder played on a Little League team. He went to Coral Gables Senior High School in Coral Gables, Florida. After high school, the Minnesota Twins picked him in the 2005 MLB draft. However, Yonder chose to go to college instead of signing with the Twins.
College Baseball Career
Yonder Alonso went to the University of Miami and played baseball for the Hurricanes for three seasons. As a freshman, he helped his team reach the College World Series. He led the team with 69 runs batted in (RBIs) that year.
In his second year, Yonder had a great season. He batted .376 and led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 18 home runs. He also brought in 74 runs and scored 57 times. He played in summer baseball leagues, like the Valley Baseball League and the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2007, he was named an all-star in the Cape Cod League.
In 2008, his final college year, he hit .373 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs. Yonder was honored for his college career in April 2018. He was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional Baseball Journey
Starting with the Cincinnati Reds
In 2008, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Yonder Alonso as the seventh overall pick. He signed with the Reds. Yonder started his minor league career on August 26, 2008. He played for the Sarasota Reds.
After the 2008 season, Yonder played in the Hawaii Winter Baseball league. He hit .308 with four home runs there. In 2009, he was ranked as the top prospect for the Reds. He played for the Sarasota Reds and the Carolina Mudcats.
In 2010, Yonder was promoted to the Louisville Bats, a Triple-A team. He played most of his games at first base and hit .296 with 12 home runs. On September 1, 2010, Yonder was called up to the major leagues by the Reds. He made his MLB debut that day. A few days later, he got his first major league hit.
In 2011, Yonder started the season in Triple-A again. He was called back up to the Reds in July. He played in 47 games, mostly as a pinch hitter, and batted .330.
Time with the San Diego Padres
On December 17, 2011, Yonder was traded to the San Diego Padres. He was expected to be their starting first baseman. In 2012, Yonder played 155 games for the Padres. He hit .273 with nine home runs. He also set a Padres rookie record with 39 doubles.
In 2013, Yonder continued as the starting first baseman. He had to miss some games due to hand injuries. In 97 games that year, he hit .281 with six home runs.
Yonder faced more hand and forearm injuries in 2014. He played in 84 games, hitting .240 with seven home runs. In 2015, he also spent time on the disabled list with shoulder and back injuries. He played in 103 games, hitting .282 with five home runs.
Moving to the Oakland Athletics
On December 2, 2015, Yonder was traded to the Oakland Athletics. In 2016, he batted .253 with seven home runs. In 2017, Yonder had a fantastic first half of the season. He hit a career-high 20 home runs and was named to the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. In 100 games with the Athletics that year, he hit .267 with 22 home runs.
Playing for the Seattle Mariners
On August 6, 2017, the Athletics traded Yonder to the Seattle Mariners. He played 42 games for Seattle, hitting .265 with six home runs.
Joining the Cleveland Indians
On December 20, 2017, Yonder signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Indians. In his first season with Cleveland, he continued to hit for power. He hit 23 home runs and had a career-high 83 RBIs in 145 games.
With the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies
On December 15, 2018, Cleveland traded Yonder to the Chicago White Sox. He played 67 games for the White Sox in 2019, hitting seven home runs. In July 2019, he signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. He was called up to the Rockies later that month. Yonder was mainly used as a pinch hitter for the Rockies, hitting three home runs in 73 at-bats.
In February 2020, Yonder signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. However, he did not play in a game that year because the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Retirement and New Role
Yonder Alonso announced his retirement from baseball on November 20, 2020. After his playing career, he joined MLB Network on April 27, 2021, as an on-air analyst. This means he talks about baseball on TV.
Personal Life
Yonder Alonso's sister, Yainee, is married to another well-known baseball player, Manny Machado.
