Cleveland Indians: Three non-tendered players for Tribe to pursue

Hanser Alberto

One of the best players on the market to be non-tendered, when looking at WAR, is Hanser Alberto. A utility infielder, Alberto can play second, third or shortstop and began to emerge during the 2020 season.

At 28-years old, Alberto is still young enough that he could contribute for multiple years in Cleveland if needed. During the 2020 season, Alberto played 52 of his 54 games at second base, which is where he could slot in for the Cleveland Indians. The Indians have a double play duo of the future in the minors, but both Tyler Freeman and Gabriel Arias won’t be ready for another year or so.

Alberto is a strong second baseman, having a .987 fielding percentage over the duration of his career, playing 1,273 innings at second. While he struggled at the plate early in his career, he improved greatly the last two seasons.

During the 2019 season Alberto was able to slash .305/.329/.422 while knocking 12 home runs over 139 games and 524 at-bats. Those numbers dipped a bit this past year in 2020. Registering 231 at-bats, Alberto slashed .283/.306/.393 while the rest of his numbers stayed consistent with a slight improvement in doubles.

While he doesn’t jump off the page, Alberto would be able to fill in across the diamond, specifically at second. He has a steady average and could be a cheaper player for the Indians to sign.

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