White Sox feel right-hander Alexander Alberto can be a 'big weapon' out of the bullpen
Right-hander Alexander Alberto has been on the White Sox’ radar for a while.
The Sox were the first team to take a look at Alberto before he signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic with the Rays in 2019. So when Alberto was left unprotected ahead of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft, he knew it was a possibility that he would be on the move.
“I always remembered that,” Alberto said Tuesday on Zoom. “And about this opportunity, [I’m] just excited to just take advantage of it and be in spring training.”
Alberto hasn’t pitched above Class A, but he brings tantalizing stuff to a Sox team that was middle-of-the-pack in strikeout rate (22.6%) and had the sixth-highest walk rate (10.4%). Across two levels last season, Alberto posted a 2.59 ERA with 64 strikeouts.
“That’s a guy we feel like can be a big weapon in the back of a bullpen,” general manager Chris Getz said after December’s Rule 5 Draft. “Obviously, he’s got to get eased into the big leagues, but he’s got stuff that can stack pretty well against any hitter. He’s got some command issues that we need to hone in on, but [we] look forward to getting to work with him.”
The Sox have revamped their coaching staff this season, hiring new pitching coach Zach Bove and assistant pitching coach Bobby Hearn. Bove has a reputation for working well with young pitchers during his time in Kansas City. He’s adept at synthesizing information and making it digestible for pitchers.
“We’re coming into this year and trying to be as efficient a staff as possible and really all pulling in the same direction and really maximizing our ability to develop players and think [about] balance — you always hear about this balance between winning and development, manager Will Venable said in December.
For us, creating a winning culture and winning games is about developing, and so that was kind of at the forefront of what we wanted to do and the way that we structured our staff, the kind of coaches we got.”
The Sox felt comfortable with Alberto’s skill set to select him in the Rule 5 Draft — Alberto will have to remain in the majors for the entire 2026 season or they will have to place him on waivers and offer him back to the Rays for half of his $100,000 selection price.
The new coaching staff will be tasked with helping Alberto harness his talent and stay in the zone. If they succeed, they’ll have a potential weapon in the back end of the bullpen to get outs in high-leverage moments. Alberto is a low-risk bet with high upside, particularly after coming off his best season in 2025.
Alberto said that his shortened arm action and lower leg kick helped him repeat his delivery, which led to him throwing more strikes. But with a mid-80s slider and a fastball that can reach 101 mph, Alberto has the arsenal that the Sox’ bullpen needs. Now, it’ll be on the Sox’ pitching staff to see if that approach works in 2026.
“I know that it’s a big challenge [making the majors] and that’s why I’m working hard to take advantage of it,” Alberto said. “I know there have been cases where players weren’t supposed to be at the level to make their major-league debut, and they worked hard and made the team out of spring training. That’s my motivation, to be one of them.”