August 16, 2011 at 11:12 AM
Raul Alcantara promoted to Lowell
Right-handed pitcher Raul Alcantara has been promoted to Lowell from the Gulf Coast League.
Alcantara, 18, has been a revelation in his first season in the United States. Working off a fastball that has reportedly hit 95 miles per hour, Alcantara began the campaign with 3 scoreless starts and didn't allow an earned run until his 19th inning of work. He wasn't charged with an earned run in 6 of his 9 Gulf Coast League starts. In 48 innings of work, Alcantara had a 0.75 ERA and held opponents to a .147 batting average. He allowed no more than 5 hits in a start and picked up 11 of his 36 strikeouts in his final Gulf Coast League game on Aug. 11.
As a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League, Alcantara was 5-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 13 starts, though his ERA was ballooned by a pair of July starts in which he allowed 9 earned runs in 6.2 innings. Without those two starts, Alcantara had a 2.16 ERA.
Alcantara rebounded to finish the 2010 season with an impressive four-start run in which he gave up just 3 earned runs in 21.0 innings. He signed on July 2, 2009 and recieved a $500,000 signing bonus.