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Oakland A’s Crystal Ball: How Many Home Runs Will Yonder Alonso Hit?

By Joey Lopez

May 5, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Yonder Alonso (17) hits an RBI single against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
May 5, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Yonder Alonso (17) hits an RBI single against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Crystal Ball is back! Every Thursday, join us on White Cleat Beat as we look into our Crystal Ball and make some mystical projections about the A’s.

The A’s decision to ship a pair of lefties in Drew Pomeranz and Jose Torres to San Diego in exchange for infielder Yonder Alonso and lefty Marc Rzepczynski was not groundbreaking.

Pomeranz pitched well in 2015, posting a 5-6 record with a 3.66 ERA in 86 innings of work. The A’s could have kept him as an option out of the bullpen, but they decided to ship him to San Diego.

With Alonso, the A’s got a good defender with little power that played in a position that is traditionally rich with power hitting players.

Alonso hit .282/.361/.381 with 5 HR and 31 RBI during the 2015 season with the Padres.

Last year, Alonso got off to a less than stellar start. He hit just .181 in the month of April. Through April and May, Alonso’s home run total sat at one.

Overall, Alonso’s first year in Oakland was rather disappointing. In 156 games, Alonso hit .253/.316/.367 with 7 HR and 56 RBI.

But, hey, that was last year. 

Through 32 games this season, Alonso is slashing an impressive .303/.389/.687 with 11 HR and 27 RBI.

Yes, you read that correctly. 11 home runs.

The A’s first baseman has already surpassed his career high with those 11 long balls. He currently sits 2nd on the AL’s HR leaderboard.

What Alonso has done so far this year has been downright silly, to say the least. No one, and I mean absolutely no one could have seen this type of power coming from Alonso.

Can he sustain this level of success for an entire season, though?

It’s possible, but as our Crystal Ball suggests, Alonso’s power numbers should fall a bit in the coming weeks.

He may continue to hit for a solid average, but the power isn’t something we should expect to last.

Crystal Ball Says…

It’s difficult seeing Alonso hitting any more than 25 HR this year. He’s tallied a total of 50 HR for his career. His power surge has been exciting and breathtaking to witness, but all good things eventually come to an end.

Final Projection: 22 HR seems about the max Alonso will hit in 2017.  

What do you think? How many can Alonso hit out of the park? Comment below and let us know!