The Frisco RoughRiders, Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, are temporarily housing Hanser Alberto. He joined the club June 1, on a rehab assignment (shoulder) from the Major League club. Alberto has had some time in extended spring training, but his debut on June 1 was the first time he played in an actual game since his injury. He has been on the disabled list since before the beginning of the season.
Just prior to his first game, I watched Alberto warm up. He seemed to work his way through the standard drills and stretches fine. There appeared to be no lingering effect from his injury.
Alberto went 1-4, with a double and a walk in his RoughRiders debut. His double came in his first at-bat. Alberto hit the ball hard, with a loud pop coming off the bat. It was deep enough and hard enough to earn him a double. The swing was seamless. There was no hesitation. He later drew a walk, showing his ability to be patient and not rush into swinging. A lot of players want to absolutely make contact on rehab starts, to show they can hack it. Alberto looked to realize that swinging away wasn’t the smartest thing to do. He waited for pitches, and showed proper restraint.
In his second rehab start, June 3, Alberto hit a single in his first at-bat. He had a strikeout later in the game. Again, Alberto looked solid in his warmups. He took the field, ensuring he made his signature leap over the foul chalk line. During the game, he had a few key defensive plays at shortstop. He showed no signs of any issues in throwing, fielding, or moving around.
Various sources and rumors are giving Albert one to two weeks before making it back to the Texas Rangers. Of course, this depends on how well his rehab time with the Frisco RoughRiders goes. He’s likely to make a few more appearances for the RoughRiders until the Rangers make a decision.
Rangers rehabber Hanser Alberto pops a double into right-center field in his first at-bat and scores on a sac fly! pic.twitter.com/ZOohh2SZmj
— Frisco RoughRiders (@RidersBaseball) June 2, 2017
History On Hanser Alberto:
In 2010, Alberto won the Dominican Summer League batting title. He had a .358 batting average that season, his first in professional baseball. The next season, he played in the United States. He hit .267 over 53 games for Short Season-A Spokane. In 2012, he was named a South Atlantic Mid-Season All-Star with Class-A Hickory. He earned a promotion to Advanced-A Myrtle Beach. Between both clubs, he combined for a .299 average and had 72 RBIs. Ranking second and fifth among all the Texas Rangers full-season farm players, respectively.
In 2014, Alberto received the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, as the best shortstop in all of Minor League Baseball. He averaged a .980 fielding percentage across 114 games that year. Additionally, he was named Rangers Minor League Defender of the Year, and the Rangers Defender of the Month in July. He finished 2014 with the Frisco RoughRiders.
Alberto started 2015 with Triple-A Round Rock. He had hitting streaks of 16 and 15 games. Alberto made his Major League Debut on 5/29/2015. He also filled in for an injured Adrian Beltre during the American League Division Series, hitting a go-ahead two-run single in extra innings of game two.
Last season, Alberto was on the Texas Rangers Opening Day roster. However, he spent most of the season with Triple-A Round Rock. He made three appearances at the Major League Level last year, totaling 35 games. He started at all four infield positions, even earning his first nod at first base.