After being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft, Alexander Alberto reflects on his growth and the challenge in front of him.
The Chicago White Sox are betting on upside with 6-foot-8 right-hander Alexander Alberto, a 24-year-old relief pitcher who showed promise in the Tampa Bay Rays’ minor-league system before being selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft back in December.
By selecting Alberto, the White Sox immediately added him to their 40-man roster. And in order to keep him, they’ll need to carry him on the active 26-man MLB roster for the entire season.
That’s a massive opportunity for any minor leaguer — but especially for a player like Alberto, who signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 and has yet to pitch above High-A.
But when the White Sox evaluate Alberto, they don’t see a career minor leaguer who’s still multiple steps away from being MLB-ready. They see an electric arm that needs polishing, but one with the raw tools to compete against big-league hitters right now.
That’s hard to deny when you see a fastball that touches 101 mph with natural cutting action — paired with an 11.8 K/9 during the 2025 season.
Alberto clearly sees the opportunity the same way. In a recent interview with MLB.com, he discussed being selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft, what he brings to the organization, and the goals he’s setting in hopes of making the team out of Spring Training.
“It’s a big challenge. And that's why I'm working hard to take advantage of it,” said Alberto. “I know there have been cases of players that weren't supposed to be at the level to make their major league debut, and they work hard, and make the team out of spring training. That’s my motivation. Be one of them.”
How is he going to do that? It starts with his body.
Alberto is focused on getting healthy, stronger, and preparing himself for the workload required of an MLB reliever over a 162-game season. He’s only surpassed 40 innings pitched once in his entire professional career. And while he won’t be the go-to guy for Will Venable out of the bullpen — and may even be the last arm the White Sox call on early as he acclimates to the big leagues — there’s still a baseline level of durability and availability required to survive a full season in an MLB bullpen.
“I’ve been working on my body. Trying to strengthen my body. I lost a ton of weight throughout the season, so I've been trying to gain some weight and be stronger,” Alberto said.
Baseball Reference lists him at 203 pounds — undeniably lean for a pitcher standing 6-foot-8.
But more than just physical development, Alberto needs his stuff to be as refined as possible. There’s little doubt the fastball will play against big-league hitters. The question lies with his secondary offerings.
Alberto explained how shortening his arm action and lowering his leg kick during the 2025 season led to a more repeatable delivery — and an uptick in velocity.
The results were real. He walked 8.1 batters per nine innings in 2024 — an unsustainably high number that stalled his minor-league progression. In 2025, that number was cut by more than half, dropping all the way down to 3.9 BB/9.
That’s the consistency the White Sox will be watching closely in 2026.
Alberto will need to show improved fastball command and more reliable breaking pitches. If he does that in Spring Training — and proves that 2025 wasn’t a fluke but a sign of real growth — I like his chances to make the team.
Between Alberto and fellow Rule 5 pick Jedixson Paez, I actually favor Alberto to stick with the White Sox. That’s despite Paez being selected a full round earlier and carrying a higher prospect ranking and theoretical ceiling.
Alberto’s path is narrower — but the arm is loud, the progress is real, and the opportunity is right in front of him.