Alonzo Rubalcaba Signs Contract with Detroit Tigers
Kentucky catcher Alonzo Rubalcaba has signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers, joining an organization that also selected pitcher Cole Stupp in this month’s Major League Baseball Draft.
Rubalcaba, from Fairfield, California, played two seasons at Kentucky after transferring from Santa Barbara (CA) City College. He began his career at UC Santa Barbara.
His finest moment came when he looped a game-winning single in the 13th inning to defeat No. 1 Tennessee. Earlier in the season he was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week after smacking a grand slam on Sunday that helped the Cats secure a series vs. No. 14 Georgia. For the week, he batted .500 with a team-high seven RBI, eight hits, five runs and a pair of extra-base hits. He led the team with 12 total bases in four games and slugged .750 as part of his 1.279 OPS. He had three multi-hit games and set career-highs on Sunday with three hits and four RBI.
On the season, Rubalcaba batted .238 with 20 runs, 12 extra-base hits, 30 runs batted in and 17 walks. He had eight multi-RBI and six multi-hit games but his greatest value was in his elite defensive skills behind the plate.
For his career, he batted .249 in 189 at-bats, with 57 starts in 65 games played. He missed a bulk of the 2021 season with a thumb injury but still managed to collect 14 extra-base hits and 32 RBI in two seasons.
