The Tigres del Licey announced the hiring of catcher and first baseman Jorge Alfaro, as reinforcement for the rest of the 2024-25 season of the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic, dedicated to Don José León Asensio.
“We are hiring a proven hitter, who should change the offensive dynamics of our team and who fits perfectly in our clubhouse, so we understand that his presence will have an impact on our organization,” said the VP of operations and general manager, Audo Vicente.
The Colombian will be in his third campaign with the Licey Tigers tyou want to be part of the roster azul in both seasons of the two-time championship. Alfaro was one of the most important pieces of the 23rd championship where he won the Most Valuable Player award of the Final Series against the Eastern Stars, after hitting two home runs and driving in four runs with an offensive line of .421/.476/ .789.
During the 2022-23 Round Robin, the Colombian posted an offensive line of .383/.471/.633 with two home runs, nine RBIs, seven doubles, eight runs scored and came third in the voting for the Most Valuable Player of the All against All .
The champion reinforcement led the league in batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.434), and slugging percentage (.580) among hitters with a minimum of 100 appearances in all stages in said tournament.
The 31-year-old has played in eight seasons in Major League baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies. With these last three, he combined to play 18 games in 2023, his last campaign at the top level. In Triple A, he had a solid performance that summer where in 64 games he hit seven home runs and 34 RBIs with a line of .291/.342/.457.
Alfaro signed with the Texas Rangers in June 2010 as a 16-year-old international prospect for a $1.3 million signing bonus that was a record at the time for any Colombian prospect. Prior to the 2013 season, he was ranked by MLB.com as the 88th best prospect in baseball and the 54th best by Baseball America.
The Sincelejo native will arrive in the country next Thursday and will be added to the roster when the coaching staff deems it prudent.
