Meet new Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro, who’s ready to do ‘whatever it takes’ to improve
A catcher’s mask pendant hangs at the bottom of a gold chain around Jorge Alfaro’s neck.
The small charm, which is normally concealed behind Alfaro’s shirt, was a gift from his father almost three years ago and serves as a reminder of his journey to where he is now.
Of the initial self-doubt rivaled by a drive to succeed.
Of the challenge of learning a new position while playing the game he grew up with back in Colombia.
Of the eight-year climb through the minor leagues, knowing his dream was so close yet still so far away while expectations loomed around him.
“It’s hard because I was a kid. I told [my parents] ‘I’m never going to make it as a catcher.’ It was a new thing for me. I tried to stay positive, but it was hard.”
On Sept. 12, 2016, his dream became a reality when he stepped into the batter’s box as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, took two pitches and then chopped a fastball down the third-base line for his first career MLB hit. One day later, Alfaro started his first career game as a Major League catcher. Two seasons later, he was an everyday player at the MLB level.
“I’m here,” Alfaro said.
Now, Alfaro is in Miami, the latest new face on a Marlins roster heading into the second season of a full-on roster rebuild. He’s replacing another top catcher in J.T. Realmuto, who was traded away to Philadelphia on Feb. 7 in exchange for Alfaro, pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart, and international money.
Alfaro knows there will be comparisons to Realmuto — and rightfully so — but he doesn’t plan to focus on that.
As the Marlins continue 30-game slate of Spring Training exhibition games on Saturday, the 25-year-old has goals of his own to accomplish.
He has to learn a new pitching staff — their likes, dislikes and tendencies — before Opening Day arrives on March 28 and he takes the first pitch from Jose Urena.
He has to adapt to a new coaching staff, one that has raved about his potential and hopes his talent comes out in full display from the start.
He has to improve his plate discipline and defensive prowess. While a powerful hitter at the plate, he struck out 138 times last year in his first full MLB season. Defensively, he led MLB catchers with 11 errors and was sixth with 10 passed balls.
“Whatever it takes,” Alfaro said, “I’ll do it.”
It didn’t take him long to prove just that.
In the third inning of the Marlins’ Spring Training opener, an eventual 11-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, Alfaro tracked down a high popup in foul territory and tumbled down the dugout steps, colliding with infield coach Trey Hillman in the process. Shaken up and his right knee throbbing in pain, Alfaro made his way back behind home plate and finished the inning.
“He didn’t shy away,” manager Don Mattingly said.
It’s the type of mentality and grit the Marlins were hoping to see — and it provided further evidence for the rave reviews Alfaro received over the first 10 days of Spring Training.
Mattingly has referred to him as a “specimen.” Alfaro has the ideal size of a catcher at 6-2 and 225 pounds, and he’s also light on his feet. He was second among MLB catchers last year in sprint speed, averaging 28.3 feet per second on competitive runs to first base, according to Statcast. He trailed only Realmuto, who averaged 28.6 feet per second.
“Just a good athlete and a guy with tremendous upside that we feel like we can grow,” Mattingly said.
President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill called him “a physical presence” who is “incredibly athletic” and has “legit power.” Alfaro led Major League catchers and was tied for fourth overall last year with an average home run distance of 420 feet.
His average exit velocity on batted balls was 91.6 mph, good for 23rd overall. Behind the plate, his 1.94-second average pop time — the time it takes for a catcher to throw a ball to second base on a steal attempt — ranked third behind Realmuto and the Cincinnati Reds’ Yan Gomes.
“You don’t realize how big these guys are until you really get up on them,” Hill said.
Lewis Brinson, who was Alfaro’s teammate in 2013 with the Texas Rangers’ single-A affiliate Hickory Crawdads, calls him “The Lion King,” an ode to the fully grown beard that Alfaro didn’t have back in their time together in the minor leagues. The beard has since been trimmed.
The son of a professional soccer player in Barranquilla, Colombia, Alfaro began playing baseball around age 5 and signed with the Texas Rangers at age 16 for a $1.3 million signing bonus in 2010, which was a record at the time for a Colombian signee.
He’s a third baseman by trade who converted to catcher shortly after signing with Texas.
The message sent to Alfaro at the time: Catching is your fastest path to the big leagues.
“Give me the glove. Give me the mask,” Alfaro remembers saying. “I’ll catch.”
It wasn’t that easy, though.
Alfaro’s first memories of catching came during a tryout at the Rangers’ academy in the Dominican Republic. Hector Ortiz, who would eventually become the Rangers’ minor-league catching coordinator, pulled him aside during practice. Ortiz placed a bucket on home plate with simple instructions.
Sit down and catch the ball.
The first pitch went straight to his chest.
“I didn’t even touch the ball with my glove,” Alfaro said. “That one hurt.”
Alfaro adapted to his new role and learned from some of the best, including Hall of Famer and former Marlins standout Pudge Rodriguez during his time in Texas.
The biggest piece of advice Alfaro received: Get to know your pitchers.
“It starts with hello,” pitcher Dan Straily said.
It continues on the practice field. Throughout the first week-and-a-half of spring training, the 10 days before the Marlins began a slate of 30 games in 31 days, Alfaro made an effort to get to know his new pitching staff to the best of his ability.
After each bullpen session, Alfaro would meet the pitcher he was working with halfway between the mound the plate, give him a high-five and talk during the brief pause they had before Alfaro had to get ready for the next pitcher to take the mound.
“I have a month and a half to get to know everybody,” Alfaro said. “That’s what I’m going to do.”
He has to get comfortable with his new staff, just like he had to get comfortable in his new position. That took a couple years, Alfaro admitted.
“I knew that it was going to be uncomfortable,” Alfaro said of catching. “It just depends how much you want it.”
And once Alfaro became at ease behind the plate, he began climbing up the minor-leagues.
Advanced-A in 2014. Double-A in 2015 before being traded to Philadelphia. He stayed in Double-A for all of the 2016 season until he was called up to the Majors after rosters expanded in September. A solid season Triple-A in 2017 led to an August callup, during which time he hit .318 with five home runs and 14 RBI in 107 at-bats.
And then came 2018, when he made the Phillies’ Opening Day roster and quickly took over as the team’s everyday catcher at age 24.
He was the youngest catcher in MLB last year to appear in at least 90 games behind the plate and showed flashes of his talent throughout the year. The Marlins saw it first hand. He hit .410 in 14 games against the Marlins (16 for 39) with a pair of home runs — both at Marlins Park — and five RBI.
“He hurt us a couple times last year,” Brinson said. “I’m just happy he’s on our team.”
Alfaro is happy to be in Miami, too.
And he’s ready to show what he can do.
“I don’t try to put too much pressure on me,” Alfaro said. “Just enjoy my time, enjoy this game that I’ve been playing for a long time. It was my dream to come here and make it to the big leagues. ... I don’t want to really think about what people say. I know how hard it is to get here.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 11:12 AM.
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