Jorge Alcala

Alcala had a bounceback year after two injury-plagued seasons. He threw just 17.1 innings in 2023 with an ugly 6.23 ERA and missed more than four months with a stress fracture in his right forearm. He threw just 2.1 innings in 2022 due to an elbow injury that required season-ending arthroscopic debridement surgery. Alcala has outstanding velocity with a 97.9 average mph fastball, reaching a career-high 101.2 mph last summer. His strikeout rates haven't been as overpowering (8.95 K/9 last season) as he's struggled to get hitters to chase (just 19th percentile Chase% per Baseball Savant), but he limits hard hits (91st percentile Hard-Hit rate per Baseball Savant). When he's struggled it's usually due to his control, but Alcala reduced his walk rate last season (3.1 BB/9) from his previous two years. He should be in the setup mix again this season if he can stay healthy and could be a good source of holds. Read Past Outlooks