The Indians on Saturday officially announced the signing of first baseman Yonder Alonso to a two-year deal. It was also the official announcement of their belief that his power surge in 2017 wasn't just a mirage.
Alonso produced 28 home runs, a .501 slugging percentage and an .866 OPS, all career highs by a severe margin. He had never previously reached double-digit home runs in any single season.
It came at a perfect time for Alonso as he neared free agency. The Indians pounced after Carlos Santana left to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies, inking Alonso to a deal worth $16 million guaranteed that includes a vesting option for the 2020 season based on plate appearances and a physical.
It is a bit of a gamble on the Indians' part that Alonso's future performance will mirror or at least be closer to his 2017 levels than what he had done previously. Speaking with reporters on a conference call, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti cited a couple of factors the Indians looked into that gave them confidence in Alonso's future performance.
The first was his patience at the plate. In two of the past three years, Alonso has posted an on-base percentage above .360, a trait that made Santana so valuable to a lineup. The second was how hard he had been hitting the ball. Alonso's hard-hit percentage has seen consistent increases the past couple of seasons, from 28.5 percent in 2015 to 32.3 percent in 2016 to 36 percent last year, according to FanGraphs.
And, perhaps most important, the surge came after Alonso made a conscious effort to try to hit the ball in the air more often, something that has become commonplace with many hitters around the league. It worked in the first half of last season, and it ended with Alonso earning an All-Star selection.
"It was a purposeful adjustment that Yonder made with both his approach and also some things with his swing that led to the increased productivity this year," Antonetti said. "But it's also not a one-year trend. If you look at the underlying numbers for him, he's been a guy who has typically controlled the strike zone, been patient at the plate, and this year he made an adjustment to that approach and hit for some more power."
That success didn't last throughout the year, though. After being traded to the Seattle Mariners, Alonso's production at the plate dipped. After posting a .934 OPS in the first half, that figure fell to .774 in the second half.
"I think a lot of things were going on," Alonso said. "Obviously, outside the game a lot of things were going on. I have a family, and I didn't know where I was going to be tomorrow, and it was tough on that part. And then getting ready for the game was hard as well. For me, it was just learning what guys were doing to me, adjusting to that, and then once I got adjusted to that, I was able to be healthy and my mind was healthy and I was right, and I felt like I was able to overcome all those things they were trying to do to me and adjust to them."
In Alonso, the Indians have attempted to find their replacement for Santana, one that could potentially come at a discount due to his lack of a track record at his 2017 levels. That also means his deal comes with increased risk for their investment. From Alonso's standpoint, he wanted to come to a team with a chance to do some damage in October.
"Like I told Francona and the rest of the guys there, I know all the losses I've had throughout my career and I'm happy now to call Cleveland my home, because I know it's a winning attitude," Alonso said. "It's a winning organization, and everything they do is top-notch. I'm just really excited for obviously getting a chance to contend for a World Series."
