Pirates prospect watch: Omar Alfonzo gets promotion to Double-A Altoona
Omar Alfonzo
Position: Catcher
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 235 pounds
Level: Double-A Altoona
Notable: Alfonzo packed his bats and gear and headed off to Altoona this week after being promoted from High-A Greensboro to Double-A.
The 21-year-old left-handed hitting catcher entered this week hitting .357 (10 for 28) with three doubles and two home runs in his last eight games.
His five home runs in June were tied for the second most in the South Atlantic League.
The Pirates’ 19th-ranked prospect according to MLB, he went 1 for 3 in his Altoona Curve debut Tuesday.
So far this season, he is batting .262 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs and boasts a .829 OPS.
Signed to a minor-league contract in 2019, this is his fifth season in the Pirates’ system, and he carries a career batting average of .245 with 32 homers and 141 RBIs.
Defensively, he has thrown out 30.7% of runners.
Strikeouts have been a problem for the young catcher. He had 117 last year and is already at 79 this season, a 33% strikeout rate in 2025.
Alfonzo does have some pedigree to his credit. He is the son of former pro catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, and his older brother, Eliezer Alfonzo Jr., is a catcher in the Tigers minor league system.
Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.
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