Ruben Alaniz
| Ruben Alaniz | |||
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| Detroit Tigers – No. 80 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
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Born: June 13, 1991 McAllen, Texas | |||
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Ruben Alaniz (born June 14, 1991) is an American baseball pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization.
Playing career
Alaniz was born in McAllen, Texas and attended Juarez-Lincoln High School in La Joya, Texas. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Astros on August 14, 2009 after participating in a tryout camp run by scout Rusty Pendergrass. He was signed for $160,000, with Pendergrass and scout Clarence Johns claiming Alaniz has the "stuff to be a major league starter."[1] He began his professional career the next year. With the Greenville Astros in 2010, he was 6-4 with a 4.21 ERA and the following year, he was 7-10 with a 4.44 mark for the Lexington Legends. In 2012, Alaniz went 6-2 with a 5.04 ERA for the Lancaster JetHawks and in 2013, he was 9-9 with a 4.53 mark for the Corpus Christi Hooks. He was 1-1 with a 6.64 ERA for the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2014 before being suspended 50 games for using a drug of abuse in late August.[2] It was his second suspension. He returned in 2015 to go 6-4 with a 4.55 ERA for the Hooks;[3] he became a free agent following the season and signed with the Tigers on December 3.[4]
Alaniz was once rated as having the best curveball in the Astros system and had been named among the club's best prospects.[5] He appeared in major league spring training in 2012.[6]