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 (born April 8, 1987) is a former professional baseball player from Cuba. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). After his playing career, he became an analyst for MLB Network.
Alonso played for several MLB teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Colorado Rockies. Before joining the major 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 father, Luis, played and coached baseball in Cuba. He taught Yonder how to play the game.
In 1996, Yonder's family moved from Cuba to Miami, Florida. There, Yonder played on a Little League team. He attended Coral Gables Senior High School in Coral Gables, Florida.
After high school, the Minnesota Twins picked him in the 2005 MLB draft. However, Alonso decided not to sign with them. Instead, he chose to go to college at the University of Miami.
College Baseball Career
Alonso played baseball for three seasons at the University of Miami. In his first year, he helped lead the team to the College World Series. He also led his team with 69 RBIs. His sister also attended the University of Miami and was a cheerleader.
In his second year, Alonso 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, including the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named an All-Star in 2007.
In 2008, he continued to play well, hitting .373 with 15 home runs. In April 2018, Alonso was honored by being added to the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional Baseball Journey
Cincinnati Reds
In 2008, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Alonso as the seventh overall pick. He signed with the Reds. He started his minor league career in August 2008.
In 2009, Alonso was seen as the top young player in the Reds organization. He played well in different minor league levels. In 2010, he was promoted to the Triple-A Louisville Bats. He hit .296 with 12 home runs there.
Alonso made his major league debut with the Reds on September 1, 2010. He got his first major league hit on September 4. In 2011, he played more games for the Reds, mostly as a pinch hitter. He batted .330 in 47 games.
San Diego Padres
On December 17, 2011, Alonso was traded to the San Diego Padres. He became the starting first baseman for the Padres in 2012. He played 155 games and hit nine home runs. He also set a Padres rookie record with 39 doubles.
In 2013, Alonso continued as the starting first baseman. He had to miss some games due to hand injuries. In 97 games, he hit six home runs and had 45 RBIs.
Alonso faced more hand and forearm injuries in 2014, limiting him to 84 games. In 2015, he also spent time on the disabled list with shoulder and back issues. Despite injuries, he hit .282 with five home runs in 103 games that year.
Oakland Athletics
On December 2, 2015, Alonso was traded to the Oakland Athletics. He signed a one-year contract with them for the 2016 season. In 2016, he hit seven home runs and had 56 RBIs.
In the first half of the 2017 season, Alonso hit a career-high 20 home runs. His strong performance earned him a spot in the 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He finished his time with the Athletics hitting 22 home runs in 100 games.
Seattle Mariners
On August 6, 2017, the Athletics traded Alonso to the Seattle Mariners. He played 42 games for Seattle, hitting six home runs and driving in 18 runs.
Cleveland Indians
Alonso signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Indians on December 20, 2017. In his first season with Cleveland in 2018, he hit 23 home runs. This was a career high for him. He also had a career-high 83 RBIs in 145 games.
Chicago White Sox
On December 15, 2018, Cleveland traded Alonso to the Chicago White Sox. He played 67 games for the White Sox in 2019, hitting seven home runs. He was released by the team in July 2019.
Colorado Rockies
Alonso signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on July 11, 2019. He was called up to the major league team on July 23. He was mainly used as a pinch hitter for the Rockies. He hit three home runs and had 10 RBIs in 73 at-bats.
In February 2020, Alonso signed with the Atlanta Braves, but he did not play for them. He later signed with the San Diego Padres again in August 2020, but the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alonso announced his retirement from baseball on November 20, 2020.
Life After Baseball
On April 27, 2021, Yonder Alonso joined MLB Network as an on-air analyst. He now shares his baseball knowledge and insights on TV.
Family Life
Yonder Alonso's sister, Yainee, is married to another well-known baseball player, Manny Machado.
