Detroit Tigers Top 25 Prospects: #24 Victor Alcantara
Detroit Tigers minor league pitcher Victor Alcantara joined the organization this offseason. The right-hander holds plenty of upside. He ranks 24th on Motor City Bengals’ list of Detroit’s top 25 prospects.
Detroit Tigers fans have seen few moves of note this offseason.
Outside of the signing of Alex Avila and the Cameron Maybin trade, the team have made relatively minor additions.
Despite just the one trade, the prospect acquired for Maybin has the upside to become an impact player—a player capable of making the trade much more significant.
That prospect would be Victor Alcantara.
Armed with a mid-90s fastball and a potentially potent slider, Alcantara came to Detroit as the sole return in the Maybin deal.
The 23-year-old recently completed the 2016 season at Double-A. In his first taste of action at the level, the former Anaheim farmhand made 29 appearances.
Of those 29 games, 20 were starts. All told, Alcantara pitched to a 4.30 ERA in 111 innings.
He also added 6.4 strikeouts and 4.6 walks per nine frames.
Despite the low strikeout numbers, the significant upside remains for the right-hander.
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Alcantara has generally started, but he could find much more success in the Majors as a reliever given his power stuff.
After logging a 4.73 ERA as a starter at Double-A, the prospect moved to the bullpen for nine games and thrived.
Already, the prospect has found success coming out of the bullpen.
In the span of nine games, totaling 13.2 innings, Alcantara posted a 1.36 ERA while striking out 10 batters.
Role with the 2017 Detroit Tigers
Considering Alcantara has already reached Double-A, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the right-hander make his Major League debut at some point next season.
Detroit has a number of power arms already in Justin Wilson, Bruce Rondon and Joe Jimenez, but the ex-Angels prospect could still find a role.
Teams can never have enough pitching depth, and Alcantara could provide a dynamic bullpen presence if he can limit walks use his off-speed stuff efficiently.
Future Role With the Detroit Tigers
Given Alcantara’s upside, it certainly isn’t hard to imagine him pitching late in games down the road.
A trio of Alcantara, Rondon and Jimenez finishing games could be extremely successful. All three could thrive if they can live up to their respective potential.
Considering the team’s other relief prospects, the future is certainly bright where the bullpen is concerned.
