Marion, IL (March 10, 2020) – The Southern Illinois Miners announce that they have signed relief pitcher Alejandro Chacín for the 2020 season. He becomes the second player with experience in Major League Baseball to sign with the club in their 14-year history, after former Atlanta Braves right-hander Williams Perez in 2018.
A native of Maracay, Venezuela who was teammates with Miners catcher Arturo Nieto in the Venezuelan Winter League, Chacín appeared in six games with the Cincinnati Reds in 2017, striking out six and walking four in six innings. He made his MLB debut on August 23 against the Chicago Cubs, fanning Jason Heyward for his first major league strikeout.
The 25-year old played nine total seasons in the Reds organization from 2010-18, posting a 2.60 ERA in 44 games with 63 strikeouts and 27 walks in 69 1/3 innings at Triple-A Louisville in 2017 to earn his call-up to the “big leagues.” The prior year at Double-A Pensacola in 2016, Chacín was named a Double-A All-Star by Baseball America as well as a Southern League Midseason and Postseason All-Star, going 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA in 52 games, and amassed a league-best 30 saves while striking out 75 and walking 26 in 60 2/3 innings. That summer, he was also named a Reds Organizational All-Star by MiLB.com, the second time he had earned that distinction in his career (2014).
“We are thrilled to add Alejandro to our roster,” Miners manager Mike Pinto said. “His experience closing out games at the highest levels of baseball could have a significant impact on our pitching staff, not to mention what some of that experience will do in helping some of our younger pitchers as well.”
Chacín has pitched in the Atlantic League for the last two seasons, appearing in 41 games with the Lancaster Barnstormers in 2019 and striking out 52 with 38 walks in 55 2/3 innings. In 2018, he posted a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings over 10 games with the Sugar Land Skeeters, and was subsequently re-signed by the Reds, finishing the season at the Double-A level.
Overall for his career, the right-hander boasts a 32-27 record and 3.36 ERA in 471 professional appearances, along with 98 saves, 640 strikeouts, and 269 walks in 595 innings pitched, while also surrendering just 37 home runs, an average of 0.6 per nine innings.
