|
2007 The lanky lefty with the skewed hat (which compensates for the legal blindness in his left eye by adjusting the light), Alvarez climbed the ladder quickly in his first two years out of Long Beach State. Last year`s fast start (2.18 ERA, 30 hits in 41 1/3 innings) was interrupted a brief stint in Boston in late May. Upon returning to Triple-A, he was beaten like a rented mule (7.51 ERA and 2.11 HR/9) before a season-ending ankle fracture. With stuff as fringy as a Dolly Parton outfit, he`s in danger of becoming organizational fodder. 2006 A 2nd-round pick in 2003, Alvarez has been fast-tracked through the system due to his maturity and good control of all his pitches. He`s a classic finesse lefty, who with a fastball topping out at 85-88 MPH requires deception and command of multiple pitches. The organization loves his approach, and he has been rewarded with brief call-ups each of the past two seasons. The Red Sox believe Alvarez is still growing into his body, and will give him every opportunity to remain a starter while he does. But a move to the bullpen is possible, depending on the team`s needs. 2005 If you haven't heard of Alvarez before, you will, but not necessarily because he's a decent pitching prospect in the upper part of the Boston system. Rare as that is, Alvarez will gain attention if he continues to pitch well because he's legally blind in one eye. It hasn't affected his performance yet, so consider it a non-issue. As a pitcher, Alvarez is another one of a long line of soft-tossing lefties the Sox are stockpiling. His fastball maxes out in the 85-88 range, but he mixes in a variety of soft stuff, particularly a solid curveball. He had a good year in Portland and made an injury-replacement start against Baltimore, confirming only that he's not quite ready for the majors just yet. Look for him to compete for the fifth-starter role soon if he keeps it up.
|