1. Overview
Raúl Alcántara is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who has played in various international leagues, including Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, the KBO League for the KT Wiz and Doosan Bears, and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hanshin Tigers. He is currently a pitcher for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. Throughout his career, Alcántara has been recognized for his dominant pitching style, achieving significant success in the KBO League, including a 20-win season and multiple awards.
2. Biographical Information
This section details the personal background of Raúl Alcántara, including his birth date, place of birth, and nationality.
2.1. Birth and Nationality
Raúl Alcántara was born on December 4, 1992, in Santa Cruz de Barahona, Barahona Province, Dominican Republic. He holds Dominican nationality.
3. Career
Raúl Alcántara's professional baseball journey spans across several leagues in North America and Asia, marked by his development in minor leagues, a stint in MLB, and significant tenures in the KBO League and Nippon Professional Baseball.
3.1. Minor League Baseball
Alcántara began his professional career in the minor league systems, developing his skills before reaching the highest levels of baseball.
3.1.1. Boston Red Sox organization
Alcántara signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2009, beginning his professional career in 2010 with the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Red Sox. In 2011, he played for both the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox and the Class A Short Season Lowell Spinners.
3.1.2. Oakland Athletics organization
On December 28, 2011, Alcántara was traded to the Oakland Athletics along with Josh Reddick and Miles Head, in exchange for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney. He spent the entire 2012 season with the Class A Burlington Bees. In 2013, he played for the Class A Beloit Snappers before being promoted to the Class A-Advanced Stockton Ports mid-season. On November 20, 2013, he was added to the Athletics' 40-man roster.
The 2014 season began with Alcántara playing for the Double-A Midland RockHounds, but his season was cut short after only three starts due to the need for Tommy John surgery. He returned to play in 2015, making 15 starts for the Class A-Advanced Stockton Ports, where he recorded a 3.88 ERA but no wins. During that off-season, he played with the Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Winter League. In 2016, he started the season at Double-A Midland before being promoted to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds on July 20. Across both Double-A and Triple-A, he made 25 starts, achieving a 9-6 record with a 3.58 ERA and 105 strikeouts.
3.2. Major League Baseball
Alcántara made his debut in Major League Baseball with the Oakland Athletics, experiencing both initial opportunities and challenges at the highest level of professional baseball.
3.2.1. Oakland Athletics
Alcántara was called up to the Athletics and made his major league debut on September 5, 2016, starting against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In his debut, he pitched 3 innings, allowing 5 earned runs, and was charged with the loss. During his 2016 MLB stint, he made 5 starts, accumulating a 1-3 record with a 7.25 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP over 22.1 innings. Notably, he gave up 9 home runs in that limited time.
He began the 2017 season on the Athletics' major league roster. However, after making three appearances and posting a 16.71 ERA, he was designated for assignment on April 25. He was then sent outright to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds on April 29. On September 5, his contract was selected from Nashville, and he was added back to Oakland's active roster. For the 2017 season, he made 8 appearances (4 starts), with a 1-2 record, a 7.13 ERA, and a 1.42 WHIP over 24 innings. He was cleared waivers and sent outright to Nashville before the 2018 season. He played the entire 2018 season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, without a Major League call-up. Alcántara elected free agency on October 5, 2018.
3.3. KBO League
Alcántara's time in the KBO League was a significant period of his career, marked by considerable success and recognition.
3.3.1. KT Wiz
On November 18, 2018, Alcántara signed with the KT Wiz of the KBO League, joining the team as a replacement for Ryan Feierabend. In the 2019 season, he recorded an 11-11 record. Following the season, he became a free agent and was not re-signed by the KT Wiz.
3.3.2. Doosan Bears (first stint)
On December 23, 2019, Alcántara signed a one-year contract worth 700.00 K USD with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League. He served as the team's opening day starter on May 5, 2020. On September 1, 2020, in a game against the Hanwha Eagles, Alcántara pitched 7 scoreless innings, leading to his achievement of securing a victory against all KBO teams in a single season, a feat completed with the help of relievers Park Chi-guk and Lee Young-ha.
The 2020 season was highly successful for Alcántara, as he posted a dominant 20-2 record with a 2.54 ERA over 198.2 innings pitched, averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.4 walks per nine innings. His 20 wins led the league, and his winning percentage of .909 was the highest among pitchers with double-digit wins in KBO history at the time. This record was later surpassed by William Cuevas in 2023, who achieved a 1.000 winning percentage (12 wins, 0 losses). Following the season, Alcántara was awarded the Choi Dong-won Award, considered the equivalent of the Cy Young Award in the KBO, and also received the KBO Golden Glove Award for pitchers. After the season, he became a free agent, and the Doosan Bears signed Walker Lockett as his replacement.
3.3.3. Doosan Bears (second stint)
On December 11, 2022, Alcántara re-signed with the Doosan Bears, returning to the KBO League as a replacement for Robert Stock and Brandon Waddell. In 2023, he made 31 starts for the Bears, compiling a 13-9 record with a 2.67 ERA and 162 strikeouts over 192 innings of work.
On December 21, 2023, Alcántara re-signed with the Bears on a one-year contract valued at 1.30 M USD. He began the 2024 season as an ace for Doosan but experienced a month-long absence due to injury. After his return, he pitched 64.1 innings across 12 starts, compiling a 2-2 record with a 4.76 ERA and 34 strikeouts. Due to his declining performance, Alcántara was released by the Doosan Bears on July 4, 2024. Jordan Balazovic was signed as his replacement.
3.4. Nippon Professional Baseball
Alcántara also spent time in Japan's top professional baseball league, contributing to the Hanshin Tigers.
3.4.1. Hanshin Tigers
On December 23, 2020, Alcántara signed a two-year contract with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), with an estimated annual salary of 210.00 M JPY. He was assigned jersey number 44.
He made his NPB debut on May 16, 2021, starting against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome. Despite giving up 5 earned runs over 6 innings, he earned his first victory in Japan. His first strikeout in NPB was a swinging strikeout against Zelous Wheeler in the first inning of that game. After the Tokyo Olympics break, he was transitioned to a relief role, primarily pitching in the seventh inning. On August 15, 2021, he recorded his first hold in NPB against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp at Kyocera Dome Osaka, pitching one scoreless inning in relief. For the 2021 season, he appeared in 24 games (7 starts), with a 3-3 record, 6 holds, and a 3.49 ERA. He also recorded his first NPB hit and RBI on May 27, 2021, against Roki Sasaki of the Chiba Lotte Marines at Hanshin Koshien Stadium.
In February 2022, during spring training, Alcántara suffered a left ankle sprain. He returned to the first team as a reliever on March 31, 2022. On June 17, 2022, he recorded his first save in Japan against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Hanshin Koshien Stadium, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in relief of Yuki Iwazaki. However, his performance declined in the latter half of the summer, and he spent September and beyond in the minor leagues. On December 2, 2022, he was officially released as a free agent by NPB.
3.5. Mexican League
After his second stint in the KBO League, Alcántara joined a team in the Mexican baseball league.
3.5.1. Leones de Yucatán
On February 15, 2025, Alcántara signed with the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League.
4. Pitching Style and Statistics
This section analyzes Alcántara's on-field performance, detailing his pitching mechanics, repertoire, and statistical achievements across his career.
4.1. Pitching Style and Pitch Types
Raúl Alcántara is known for his dominant pitching style, primarily relying on a powerful fastball. In the 2020 season, his average fastball velocity was around 93 mph (150 km/h) to 98 mph (158 km/h), with a maximum velocity recorded at 98 mph (158 km/h). His pitch repertoire in 2020 included:
| Pitch Type | Usage (%) | Average Velocity (km/h) |
|---|---|---|
| Four-seam | 51 | 94 mph (152 km/h) |
| Slider | 22 | 86 mph (139 km/h) |
| Splitter | 14 | 85 mph (137 km/h) |
| Sinker | 9 | 94 mph (151 km/h) |
| Curve | 2 | 80 mph (128 km/h) |
| Changeup | 1 | 86 mph (138 km/h) |
4.2. Career Statistics
Alcántara's career statistics across Major League Baseball, the KBO League, and Nippon Professional Baseball are detailed below.
| Year | Games | Starts | Complete Games | Shutouts | No-BB | Wins | Losses | Saves | Holds | Win% | Batters Faced | Innings Pitched | Hits | Home Runs | Walks | Intentional Walks | Hit Batters | Strikeouts | Wild Pitches | Balks | Runs Allowed | Earned Runs | ERA | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | OAK | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .250 | 103 | 22.1 | 31 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 18 | 7.25 | 1.57 |
| 2017 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | 108 | 24.0 | 22 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 19 | 7.13 | 1.42 | |
| 2019 | KT | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 724 | 172.2 | 189 | 15 | 27 | 0 | 8 | 100 | 2 | 0 | 80 | 77 | 4.01 | 1.25 |
| 2020 | Doosan | 31 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .909 | 795 | 198.2 | 174 | 12 | 30 | 0 | 9 | 182 | 3 | 0 | 58 | 56 | 2.54 | 1.03 |
| 2021 | Hanshin | 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | .500 | 243 | 59.1 | 55 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 23 | 3.49 | 1.16 |
| 2022 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 17 | .250 | 156 | 38.1 | 38 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 20 | 4.70 | 1.20 | |
| MLB: 2 years | 13 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .286 | 211 | 46.1 | 53 | 14 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 39 | 37 | 7.19 | 1.49 | |
| KBO: 2 years | 58 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 13 | 0 | 0 | .649 | 1519 | 371.1 | 363 | 27 | 57 | 0 | 17 | 282 | 5 | 0 | 138 | 133 | 3.22 | 1.13 | |
| NPB: 2 years | 63 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 23 | .400 | 399 | 97.2 | 93 | 11 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 77 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 43 | 3.96 | 1.18 | |
Alcántara's fielding statistics are as follows:
| Year | Team | Pitcher (P) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Putouts | Assists | Errors | Double Plays | Fielding % | ||
| 2016 | OAK | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | |
| 2019 | KT | 27 | 8 | 24 | 2 | 0 | .941 |
| 2020 | Doosan | 31 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2021 | Hanshin | 24 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 |
| 2022 | 39 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| MLB | 13 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | |
| KBO | 58 | 9 | 47 | 2 | 0 | .966 | |
| NPB | 63 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | |
5. Awards and Honors
Raúl Alcántara has received several significant accolades throughout his professional baseball career, particularly during his time in the KBO League.
5.1. KBO Awards
In the KBO League, Alcántara achieved notable recognition in 2020:
- Most Wins: 1 time (2020)
- Highest Winning Percentage: 1 time (2020)
- Choi Dong-won Award: 1 time (2020) - This award is considered the KBO's equivalent to the Cy Young Award.
- Golden Glove Award: 1 time (2020) - Awarded to the best defensive player at each position.