CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -Yonder Alonso has been losing sleep about the day he'll become a millionaire.
The Miami Hurricanes' first baseman will likely be among the first selections Thursday in the baseball draft. But to Alonso, who arrived in the United States from Cuba in a small airplane 14 years ago, that simply isn't good enough.
``You want to go No. 1, right?'' he said.
Of course he does.
And he wants to make sure his Hurricanes stay No. 1, too.
Miami, the top seed in the NCAA tournament, hosts Arizona in a best-of-three super regional series starting Friday night at Mark Light Field. The winner goes to Omaha and claims one of eight spots in the College World Series. With all that and the draft coming up, it's a thrilling time for Alonso and his family.
``I would be lying if I said that we aren't excited,'' Alonso's father, Luis Alonso, said Wednesday.
As it is for so many native Cubans, baseball is part of the Alonso DNA. Luis Alonso was a catcher who played and coached with the Industriales, a team in Cuba that has as much notoriety as the New York Yankees. He taught his son the game.
The family was disappointed three years ago when Yonder Alonso was selected in the 16th round by Minnesota after a stellar career at Coral Gables High. He decided to enroll at Miami, where he was an instant star - and his draft stock has steadily soared.
``I can't see him doing anything else with his life,'' Luis Alonso said in Spanish. ``He's nervous and the moment is building up, so he might be just talking about other things. But I know that this is the only thing he wants to do with his life.''
That's not to say baseball is the only thing in Yonder Alonso's life.
The self-described quirky and laid-back slugger says he's down with any activity, baseball-related or not. He even took ballet as an elective class this spring.
``It helped me with my flexibility in baseball,'' said Alonso, whose sister also dances. ``I'm Cuban, so of course I know how to move.''
Alonso's bat also moves pretty well.
Scouts love the left-hander's powerful swing and patient approach. Virtually every mock draft says he'll be chosen in the first round; Baseball America predicts Alonso goes 17th to the Toronto Blue Jays, and some suggest he could go significantly sooner.
Somehow, Alonso isn't dwelling on it.
``I try not to think about it because I just don't want to get my hopes up,'' Alonso said. ``You want to stay as humble as possible, just kind of soak everything up and stay quiet and just know that everything is going to take care of itself.''
Alonso is one of several Hurricanes who expect to be drafted, and with the super regional looming, that provides quite the distraction. Miami coach Jim Morris has seen worse.
``It's always tough,'' Morris said. ``I know the toughest case was in 1998. Pat Burrell was on deck and someone told him at the College World Series, 'Pat, you went first in the country.'''
The '98 Hurricanes - still considered by some longtime observers as the best lineup in school history - didn't win that national title. And a decade later, Morris still wonders if the draft buzz was part of the reason.
Alonso and his teammates insist their focus won't be compromised this time. Alonso's numbers are eye-popping: 21 home runs, 66 RBIs, a .370 average and a strong strikeout-to-walk ratio (30-to-69). He's led two ninth-inning comebacks with home runs this season, plus has two grand slams.
``He's just a naturally talented hitter,'' said his father.
Yonder gets his humble ways from his mother and father, who worked two or three jobs when they first moved the family to Miami in 1995.
While in Cuba, Luis played baseball on scholarship at one of Cuba's sports academies, Manuel Fajardo, for six years.
``You had to iron your clothes, make your bed, study, and that was a lot for someone my age,'' Luis Alonso said. ``It taught me a lot.''
Luis doesn't take credit for Yonder's hitting ability, but believes his son's talent is natural.
``The things that he does in the weight room and on the field and all the preparation, sure they help, but his hitting is just natural,'' Luis Alonso said. ``Those are things you are born with.''
Those things off the field, like this past offseason when he trained with the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, have helped Yonder in other ways.
``You mature every month when you're my age,'' Yonder said. ``That experience helped me to see things from a different perspective.''
When signing day comes, and that guaranteed money - probably around $2 million - comes through, the first thing Yonder Alonso wants to do is take his parents for a nice dinner, one of the many ways he'll thank them.
Luis Alonso doesn't care where they go. He's just enjoying the journey.
``He can invite me to McDonald's for all I care,'' he said. ``I just want a place with a booth and where I can have a good conversation.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
