Been a pretty good year for Hanser Alberto.
First, he filled in for ailing Adrian Beltre with a key hit to win Game 2 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays back in October. Now, the Rangers’ infielder won the batting title in the Dominican Republic Winter League with the highest average in four years.
The performance bodes well for Alberto to continue being an important utility infielder for the Rangers entering Spring Training.
It was Alberto, remember, who replaced Beltre and his bad back and hit the go-ahead single in the 14th inning against Toronto. At the time his heroics gave the Rangers a seemingly insurmountable 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 series.
Alberto, 23, hit .364 in 154 at-bats for his Dominican team, Gigantes del Cibao. It was the league’s best average since Joaquin Arias hit .387 in 2011.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
