How Sandy Alcantara will still play large role in 2024 Marlins season

JUPITER, FL— Good luck keeping Sandy Alcantara away from the field this year.

As players, coaches, and media filed into the clubhouse at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium for the first official day of camp for pitchers and catchers on Thursday, Alcantara was already dressed out in his locker before 8 a.m. He worked out in the weight room with his teammates and went through agility drills out on the field with them. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear he didn’t suffer a UCL tear in his throwing arm last September, requiring Tommy John surgery.

The Dominican right-hander is ready to fill whatever role he can.

“Maybe this year I want to be a coach, because I’m going to be talking too much,” Alcantara said prior to workouts. “So I just got to be there. Having fun with my teammates, trying to support them any way I can, and don’t be sitting in my house. Because I don’t want to go crazy. So I just got to be on the field and do my best.”

When Alcantara first came to Marlins spring camp in 2018, he said there were veterans who helped him acclimate to the Major League life and make him into the pitcher he is today. Now, the 28-year-old is doing the same for Eury Pérez and other young arms.

Throughout Pérez's climb through the minor leagues and continuing into his rookie season last year, Alcantara was often by his side. Pérez—also from the Dominican Republic—has always made clear how grateful he is of Alcantara’s help. But now, he said it’s time to reciprocate that appreciation.

“He’s a huge support for all of us, because you know he's there, always helping us, pushing us to do better,” Pérez said. “But also, we want to do the same for him. We want to stay close to him, because he's going to go through a difficult situation…You know the relationship I have with him. He's been with me for a few years, helping me and guiding me. So it's amazing just to have him around.”

Alcantara is still planning on traveling with the team this year, which isn’t terribly common among pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery.

About four-and-a-half months after the surgery, Alcantara said his right elbow feels good. While he sits out for 2024, he has confidence in a rotation that dragged a poor offensive team to their first playoff berth since 2003.

Expected 2024 starters Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, Eury Pérez, and Braxton Garrett recorded a 3.65 ERA last season. They will also add back lefty Trevor Rogers who missed most last season with a strain in his non-throwing lat. Relief pitcher A.J. Puk, a starter in college, will also get some starts during Spring Training, and prospect Max Meyer will have the opportunity to fight for a rotation spot after missing all of 2023 and part of 2022 with the same injury as Alcantara.

Alcantara won the NL Cy Young Award in 2022, recording a 2.28 ERA in 228 ⅔ innings pitched. In each of his last four years—excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season—he has recorded at least 180 innings. Even during his struggles last season in which he pitched to a 4.14 ERA, Alcantara still gave the Marlins 184 ⅔ innings.

Asked if this group has what it takes to replace the innings and production Alcantara has provided the Marlins for the last six years, Sandy said: “yeah, why not?”

“I believe in my teammates. I believe in Luzardo, Cabrera, Eury, Braxton. So I think everyone wants to do good.”

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker likened Alcantara to his former St. Louis Cardinals teammate Adam Wainwright, who missed the 2011 season with a similar injury as Alcantara, then pitched 12 more MLB seasons before finally retiring this past year.

“He was our biggest cheerleader and still helped us a ton in that clubhouse,” Schumaker said. “I anticipate Sandy being the same way. He was in the weight room early this morning. You saw him doing his agility work today. You ask him, he's gonna be ready for Opening Day probably. But I look forward to seeing him around as much as he wants to be around on the road and at home. I think he's going to still be a huge part of what we're trying to do and try to be.”