Yonder Alonso Q&A

Yonder Alonso is a freshman from Coral Gables High School. He hit .551 in his senior year and had five homeruns with 33 RBI. He was selected 465th overall by Minnesota in the Major League Baseball draft, but decided to become a Hurricane. He is projected as the starting first basemen for the 'Canes.

Q: How was your summer?

A: “My summer was pretty good. I really didn’t go out and play a lot of baseball. I just stayed working out at Miami. I tried to polish up a little bit on my fielding and hitting. I spent my summer getting in shape and getting stronger so I could adjust quickly to the college game. ”

Q: What position will you play at Miami?

A: “Currently I am playing 1st base and I am the back-up catcher. I think I will end up being a first baseman at Miami.”

Q: How was fall ball?

A: “Fall ball went pretty well. The first two days I was kind of shaky because I really didn’t understand how everything worked. It took me a little while to adjust but I ended up doing pretty well.”

Q: What will be the biggest adjustment in switching from high school to college baseball?

A: “It is really not that big of a difference. Its still 90 feet to each base and 60 feet to home plate from the mound. There is obviously a lot more talent in the college game, but it is still the same game.”

Q: Who has impressed you the most so far?

A: “A lot of players have impressed me so far. The older players have definitely been the most impressive. Guys like Jon Jay, Eddy Rodriguez, Roger Tomas, and Walter Diaz are just so talented. Those are guys you definitely look up to. The coaches have also impressed me. They are just very knowledgeable. They are very well-known because they are great coaches.”

Q: What do you think of the pitching at the college level so far?

A: “Every single pitcher you face is a challenge. I am also with these guys every day so they know my weaknesses. You just have to grind it out and take it one pitch at time. All these guys throw hard and each one presents a challenge.”

Q: What do you think of this year’s team?

A: “This is a very hungry team. We have a lot of young guys that just want to play some ball. We are very anxious to go out there and win. We want to get to Omaha and achieve all our goals. We are going to surprise a lot of people this year.”