Miami Marlins Season in Review: Lazaro Alonso

Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 139…of 286. Stay tuned.

Lazaro Alejandro Alonso is a 6’3″, 220 lb. lefty-batting, righty-throwing first baseman from Pinar del Rio, Cuba, the same place where 1964 American League Rookie of the Year Tony Oliva (43.1 career WAR) was born. Born on December 17th,1994, he signed through free agency by the Miami Marlins on September 5th, 2016. You can follow him on Twitter @lazaroalonso74.

After signing, Alonso joined the short-season-A Batavia Muckdogs in the New York-Penn League. A strong point for Alonso reared its head early in his development – his strongly developed patience at the plate. In 58 games, he drew a team-leading 37 walks, and slashed .255/.366/.348 with a team-leading 30 RBI. He struck out 56 times in 243 plate appearances, and the Muckdogs went 30-45, finishing in fifth place in the Pinckney Division. Defensively, Alonso made seven errors in 197 innings, over 202 total chances for a .965 fielding percentage.

In 2018, Alonso started the campaign with the single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in the South Atlantic League. Alonso went 16-for-27 through his first six games with the club, with three homers and 11 RBI. After 43 games, Alonso had slashed a robust .336/.428/.517, walking 23 times in 174 plate appearances. He hit four homers for 25 RBI through his promotion to the high-A Jupiter Hammerheads in the Florida State League on June 27th.

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After joining the Hammerheads, Alonso hit a much more subdued .194/.295/.288 over 48 contests, although his patience at the plate was still front-and-center. He drew 23 walks in 187 plate appearances, with three home runs and 19 RBI. Between the two clubs, he struck out 113 times, a concerning figure over just 361 plate appearances.

Alonso’s performance from the Muckdogs carried over to his time with the Grasshoppers, but hit a speed bump while in Jupiter. Expect him to repeat the season with the Hammerheads in 2019. Continued progression through the Miami Marlins system would see him with the double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 2020, whoever is the Marlins triple-A affiliate in 2021, and with a good shot to make the Miami Marlins out of camp in 2022.

Next. Scott Sebald's 2018 Season Review. dark

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