Prospect Profile: Kevin Alcantara
The Yankees signed Kevin Alcantara fo $1 million in July 2018, just as the young outfielder turned 16. He made his professional debut this year, while still just 16, making him the youngest player in the stateside Minor Leagues this year. Alcantara is a long way from the Bronx, but expect to see more and more of him on prospect lists in the years to come, as he likely has one of the higher ceilings in the Yankees’ system.
Name: Kevin Alcantara Birthdate: July 12, 2002 Position: Outfield Bats/Throws: R/R Height: 6’6 Weight: 188 Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Alcantara started his professional career in his homeland, making nine appearances in the Dominican Summer League. He hit .237/.348/.368 over 38 at bats. He picked up six RBIs, three doubles, and a triple. The Yankees sent him to Florida, where he continued his professional career in the Gulf Coast League. He hit .260/.289/.358. Alcantara got his first home run and hit five doubles and two triples. He drove in 13 runs, but the young outfielder also struck out 27 times and only drew three walks.
When Alcantara was signed, Donny Rowland, the Yankees’ head of international scouting, gushed over the tall, lanky prospect. He compared Alcantara to Dexter Fowler and Devon White “with more power.” Sure enough, the kid has plenty of potential on both sides of the field.
Alcantara has great bat speed and projects to have significant strength once he puts on some muscle. He is able to use his height to his advantage and has shown an ability to make consistent contact. Both his hit and power scouting grades sit at 50. He is young and raw with a lot of potential at the plate.
On the other side of the ball, Alcantara excels. He has long legs to go with plus speed, allowing him to cover a lot of ground. If he loses some of this speed upon gaining some muscle, he could make the transition to the corner outfield spots, where his arm is plenty strong.
At this point, it’s hard to know what we may see out of the young outfielder, but he certainly is at the start of what could be an exciting career. I am excited to watch how he may develop over the next couple of seasons.
