Every couple years the Cardinals seem to have an uber-projectable righty turning heads in the lower levels of their system. Sometimes that pitcher turns into Tyrell Jenkins, and sometimes that pitcher develops into Alex Reyes. Alcantara seems to have more in common with Reyes, as he boasts a similar 80-grade fastball that touches triple digits and can sit comfortably around 96 mph. He has a long way to go before he projects to pitch atop a rotation, however, as the command and secondary offerings leave a lot to be desired. His 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame has room to comfortably add mass without sacrificing the electricity that makes him special, and the hope is that this would lead to improved command. Alcantara's changeup is his best secondary offering, already serving as an average pitch. If his curveball can develop into an out pitch in the coming years, then the rest of the ingredients are here for a monster pitcher. This frontline upside is what separates him from some of the more polished arms in the Cardinals' organization.

Alcantara remained at the rookie level for his second professional season, this time pitching stateside after spending 2014 in the Dominican Summer League, and the results were generally strong in 12 starts for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. While the strikeouts were down from the previous season, with his K/9 falling from 8.7 to 7.1, he also cut down on the walks and was once again able to limit the longball. In fact, in 121 innings so far as a professional (514 batters faced), Alcantara has surrendered just four home runs thanks to a 1.90 GB/FB. He has a long, slender frame at 6-foot-4, 170 pounds, which is the kind of build many scouts like for a future MLB starter, but it would be nice to see the 20-year-old fill out a bit in the coming years to ease durability concerns. Alcantara figures to receive his first full-season assignment in 2016.