Pedro's just been called up to AA after posting some promising numbers in Lynchburg.
.249 AVG : .344 OBP | 14HR/55RBI | 834 OPS | .293 BaBIP
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Pedro's just been called up to AA after posting some promising numbers in Lynchburg.
.249 AVG : .344 OBP | 14HR/55RBI | 834 OPS | .293 BaBIP
"After my fourth season I asked for $43,000 and General Manager Ed Barrow told me, 'Young man, do you realize Lou Gehrig, a 16-year-man, is playing for only $44,000?' I said, Mr. Barrow, there is only one answer to that - Mr. Gehrig is terribly underpaid."- Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio
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In his last 10 games he has batted .300, jacked 4 bombs, walked 5 times, scored 10 runs and drove in 13. In that same span, 7 of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases.
On the slip side of that though....
In two games out of the ten he has batted .444, jacked 4 bombs, walked once, scored 5 runs, and drove in 13 runs. Meaning he batted .258 in those other 8 games(4 points above and below his average for this month and last), jacking no bombs, walking 4 times, scoring 5 runs, while driving in none.
I know his batting average was down because they were teaching him to be more selective, so I expect that to rise as he progresses through the system.
Last edited by Buczilla; 06-22-2009 at 11:41 AM.
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The AVG might be down but his OBP is 100+ pts higher. So the being selective process might be working. I can't wait to see this kid at the ML level!Originally Posted by Buczilla
"After my fourth season I asked for $43,000 and General Manager Ed Barrow told me, 'Young man, do you realize Lou Gehrig, a 16-year-man, is playing for only $44,000?' I said, Mr. Barrow, there is only one answer to that - Mr. Gehrig is terribly underpaid."- Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio
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You and me both. I plan on heading up to Altoona this weekend to check him out.
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Pedro might have hit a speed bump, he isn't doing too well in AA.
.205 | .234 OBP | 2HR/5RBI | 2BB/17K
K% 36.2 | LD 19%
"After my fourth season I asked for $43,000 and General Manager Ed Barrow told me, 'Young man, do you realize Lou Gehrig, a 16-year-man, is playing for only $44,000?' I said, Mr. Barrow, there is only one answer to that - Mr. Gehrig is terribly underpaid."- Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio
LETS GO BUCCOS !!!
He came out the gate flat. His first 7 games out the box .120 | .148 | .400 | .548). After making some adjustments, as well as adjusting to the new level....his line has read .313 | .343 | .594 | .937(next and last nine games).
His walk rate could be better, at the same time, the kid takes pitches and by watching him play live you can tell that he is on the right track(even when going down on strikes), learning to be more selective, not possessing that oh so familiar all or nothing trait.
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Just a little update. This month(19 games) Alvarez has a line of .362 |.408 | .609 | 1.017. He has scored and driven in 12 runs, jacked 4 bombs walked 6 times while striking out 20 times. 9 of his 25 hits have gone for extra bases.
He is not the only one tearing it up this month in AA. Tabata this month(23 games) has a line of .372 | .406 | .511 | .917. He has scored 9 runs and has driven in 11. Jose has only hit 1 HR, but has finally started to pick up those XBs....of his 35 hits 10 have gone for doubles. He has walked 4 times while striking out 9 times.
Then there is Pitt's first All American, 2B Jim Negrych. He has posted a line of .313 | .398 | .475 | .873 in 21 games this month. Jim has scored 17 times, driven in 8 runs, smacked 2 HR, walked and struck out 12 times and has hit 7 doubles. 25 hits is his total
For you Gorkys fans out there. Gorkys Hernandez has gone .284 | .323 | .420 | .743. He has hit 2 HR, scored and has driven in 8, picked up 4 doubles and 1 triple. Gorkys has walked 5 times and struck out 19 times in 22 games this month. He too has picked up 25 hits.
The first three are not gonna be in Altoona that much longer.
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I was actually looking up Pedro yesterday to see if he had picked it up.
I was quite amazed to see how he'd been doing lately.
The kid is gonna be awesome.
"After my fourth season I asked for $43,000 and General Manager Ed Barrow told me, 'Young man, do you realize Lou Gehrig, a 16-year-man, is playing for only $44,000?' I said, Mr. Barrow, there is only one answer to that - Mr. Gehrig is terribly underpaid."- Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio
LETS GO BUCCOS !!!
Well it looks like I will get to see Pedro more than I thought I would this year. Huntington plans on keeping him in Altoona the rest of the season. I personally agree with this decision though. There is no need to rush him through the system. I'd rather him continue to work on that eye. That eye has produced 12 hits, 5 walks to only 5 SO the past 10 games.
He will be in Pittsburgh one way or another though next season. Whether it's out of spring or come June like McCutchen.
On a side note, Tabata has moved up to Indy(AAA).
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That's great news. A full year would do him well.
As for Tabata, that's good news. I was always a fan of the kid and didn't want to see him leave. And now that both players you sent us have been on the DL all year, Huntington clearly got the better deal.
"After my fourth season I asked for $43,000 and General Manager Ed Barrow told me, 'Young man, do you realize Lou Gehrig, a 16-year-man, is playing for only $44,000?' I said, Mr. Barrow, there is only one answer to that - Mr. Gehrig is terribly underpaid."- Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio
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Alvarez would be best served by not being promoted until he has shown he can dominate at a level. Let him stay at AA this year and then move him to AAA. If does well there then you can bring him to the big club in mid-2010.
Buck O'Neil: The Monarch of Baseball
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Alvarez Update:
.329/.401/.575 : 8HR/26RBI
"After my fourth season I asked for $43,000 and General Manager Ed Barrow told me, 'Young man, do you realize Lou Gehrig, a 16-year-man, is playing for only $44,000?' I said, Mr. Barrow, there is only one answer to that - Mr. Gehrig is terribly underpaid."- Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio
LETS GO BUCCOS !!!
He's really been on fire the past two months. I am surprised he hasn't generated much noise around these parts, same with Tabata(pertaining to local media -- sports radio and such). I guess they are too busy slamming the club upstairs.
For the month of August(10 games), Alvarez has a line of .400 | .510 | .625 | 1.135. He has 16 hits, 6 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 9 BB, 11 SO. The only negative in this kids game so far has been the errors....22 E in 108 games.
Tabata hasn't slowed down one bit since being promoted to AAA. In 9 games this month his line reads .385 | .442 | .487 | .929. He has 15 H, 6 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 6 SO. Since putting them personal problems with his wife behind him and coming back from injury(out 6 weeks following a sluggish start to the season), Jose has been a hitting machine.
Last edited by Buczilla; 08-13-2009 at 06:27 AM.
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http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/co...7.html?nav=751Staying put?: Alvarez could finish season in Altoona
By Cory Giger
Altoona Mirror
August 16, 2009
Pedro Alvarez has been fantastic for the Curve, not just living up to the lofty expectations but surpassing them in every way.
The third baseman entered Saturday's game batting .350.
Since a 3-for-25 start, he's hitting .400 in 37 games.
He's hitting .468 in 12 August games.
In his past five games prior to Saturday, he hit .650 (14-for-21).
This guy should not be in Double-A any longer.
The Pirates, however, do not appear to be in any rush to move their prized prospect up to Triple-A Indianapolis. And as for a potential September call-up to the major leagues? Well, the organization may consider it but don't count on one.
"We're not in a hurry to get him to Triple-A, we're not in a hurry to get him to the big leagues," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said this past week during a visit to Blair County Ballpark. "We think there are certain things that are learned at each level, and those things aren't learned in a short period of time sometimes."
Not usually, perhaps, but Alvarez is clearly an exception. He has pulverized the ball for more than a month, putting up the impressive batting average while belting nine homers with 28 RBIs.
"Part of the thought process in moving him here [from Single-A Lynchburg] was that he'd get pitches that were around the plate a lot more, he'd get more opportunities to swing the bat because they wouldn't be as intimidated and they'd challenge him," Huntington said. "And it's come to fruition.
"He still gets a little pull happy at times, still needs to use the whole field. And when he does with authority, he's a weapon."
Enough of a weapon to get a shot with the Pirates in September?
"To be determined whether he'll get the call-up or not," Huntington said.
If it were all about baseball, one would think the Buccos would promote Alvarez to Pittsburgh this year. He has earned it and would benefit from the experience.
It is not, however, all about baseball, despite what Huntington contends.
"It will be a baseball decision," the GM said.
As much as the Pirates may want fans to believe that, the truth is the business side of baseball will play a big part in the September call-up decision. Baseball's contract rules can be difficult to understand, and I have attempted to explain (see related item) how the arbitration process works with regards to Alvarez.
Huntington said the Pirates' thought process concerning a September call-up would go like this:
"For a guy in Pedro's case, it's playing time," he said. "It makes no sense to call a guy up if he's just going to sit on the bench and not play. There's a lot of other things we can do with that time from a development standpoint.
"There are two reasons a guy gets called up. One, he's a player that can help a manager win games. ... And the other is a young player that we're excited to see play. In Pedro's case, it would be the latter, and we need to make sure we need to get him playing time before he gets called up.
"As we sit here right now, Andy LaRoche is doing a nice job for us [at third base]. We want to continue to see him play and develop."
Huntington later added, "We're not fans of guys just getting to the big leagues because they get to the big leagues. We're fans of guys that earn their way, they fight through each level, they fight through adversity at times and then they go up."
All of that sounds like the Pirates will not be calling up Alvarez this year. It's also possible he won't even get a shot in Triple-A.
"He might finish the season here," Huntington said. "We haven't predetermined a time frame for when he would go to the next level. We're still working on some things on a nightly basis with him, and we're pleased with his overall development. But again, we're not in a hurry to get him to Triple-A."
The Pirates already have Neil Walker at third base in Indy, so that could play a part in their decision to keep Alvarez with the Curve. Huntington was asked about Alvarez's play at third and noted, "We've got some work to do."
"We've got some work to do on his footwork, we've got some work to do on his first step and his agility and his quickness and the reliability of the hands and the consistency of the arm," the GM said. "We believe with all of our hearts and all of our minds that he can be a third baseman. It's just a matter of getting the work done and making a play on a consistent basis."
Alvarez is keeping everything in stride and said he will not let the thought of any promotion affect his day-to-day approach.
He credits his success with the Curve to patience at the plate, focusing on hitting his pitch instead of a pitcher's pitch and sticking with a consistent approach.
"It would be a thrill," Alvarez said of getting to the big leagues this year. "I'm sure it would be an exhilarating experience. Obviously that's up to the ballclub and the people in the organization."
He went on to add, "I would obviously love and accept it with open arms. But if [it doesn't happen], I just know that I've got to keep working and just do the same thing I've been doing since day one, which is play hard and have fun."
Alvarez came to the Curve as the most hyped prospect in franchise history, and he has been a joy to watch. He looks like a future star, just as the Pirates hoped he'd be when they selected him with the No. 2 pick in last year's draft.
"I definitely have had a great time so far," Alvarez said of his time in Altoona.
Whenever that time comes to an end, Alvarez will be remembered as one of the best players in Curve history.
-------------------------------------------------------
Fact Box
The basics of arbitration
Speeding up the arbitration timetable is one big reason the Pirates may decide not to promote Pedro Alvarez to the major leagues this season or early next year. Arbitration rules are complex, so we'll try to simplify them here.
For a player to accumulate one year of major league service time, he must spend 172 days on a big league roster. When a player has three full years of service time, he is eligible for arbitration, and usually a big pay raise.
That's the easy stuff, though, and not really a big component of the pending decisions concerning Alvarez.
There's also something called a "Super 2" arbitration-eligible player. The Pirates may not want Alvarez to become one of these so they can avoid going to arbitration for an extra year.
A player can become "Super 2" eligible if:
He has at least two years of MLB service time, and
He accumulates at least 86 days of service time in the immediately preceding season, and
His service time is in the top 17 percent of all players with at least two years but less than three years of service time.
How does all this pertain to Alvarez?
If the Pirates decide not to promote him to the majors until June of 2010, Alvarez will not be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season. The reason? Spending June through September in the majors likely would not give him enough service time to qualify for the top 17 percent of players eligible for "Super 2" designation.
However, if Alvarez were to become a "Super 2" player, he would be eligible for arbitration after the 2012 season. He could build toward that "Super 2" status if he accumulates a good bit of service time in September and early in the 2010 season.
It basically comes down to this: Do the Pirates want to be forced to give Alvarez his big payday in 2012 or 2013?
Last edited by Buczilla; 08-16-2009 at 05:51 AM.
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El Toro has brought the power this month. 7 of his 13 AA homers have come in the month of August. Pedro has also brought his walk rate way up. He started the month with only 10 BB in his 1st 32 games in AA, now he has 34(24 BB in the past 27 games). In the past ten games he has gone multi in the BB department 4 times, taken a BB in 6 games. There were 3 games in that stretch where he went 0-8 at the plate but picked up 7 BB.
His stick and eye have developed well at the plate. At 3B though he needs to put in a ton of work if there is any chance of him sticking there and not being moved to 1B. He might go 30-30 this year(HR-E). In 125 games between A and AA this season, Pedro has picked up 25 E to go along with his 27 HR. Hopefully whatever conditioning program they put him through this off season envolves time spend with our big league fielding instructor Perry Hill. From seeing plenty of Pedro this season at Altoona, the best way I can describe his defense is sloppy. Fielding, throwing, etc....
His stat line for the month reads .366 | .484 | .657 | 1.141. 16 of his 37 hits have gone for XB. He has scored 21 runs and has drove in 20. He has struck out 25 times in 102 AB. As mentioned up above he has smacked 7 HR and walked 24 times.
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He sounds like an exciting prospect. His college numbers weren't earth shattering, so the #2 selection looked risky initially. But it looks like the Pirates sure got the projection part right with Alvarez. Looks like ghe could be a beast with the stick.
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Last 32 games.... 105 AB, 8 R, 15 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 12 BB, 41 SO, .143 AVG, .225 OBP, .229 SLG
From El Toro to K-Dro. Looked like he was pulling his old slow start bounce back, but it only lasted eight days. It's sad to see how far he has fallen.
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Well the last 2 games could be considered a "bounce back"! He's finally back over the Mendoza line again, 4 Homers over the last 2 days. Pedro really took a liking to Progressive Field it appears. If he hits this well this week against the Twins and Tigers, we can then say he's back. This is a pivitol week for Pedro IMO.
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Too me, he won't be back until he sustains some sort of level of consistency. He knows he has a gift(as he mentioned after the game on the FAN yesterday). We all know he has a gift(as seen in spirts here and there). To be fair he has been a slow starter at every level. When Pedro is really on, his overall skill set is more than just homeruns.
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Last 8 games.... 26 AB, 9 R, 11 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 5 BB, 5 SO, .423 AVG, .531 OBP, 1.077 SLG
This shows just how bad of a slump Pedro was in. He is on fire now/again. I hope they keep him batting 6th for awhile. Let him build up his confidence by keeping the pressure off of him(out of his head). He is not always gonna hit like this, but he has the ability to be more patient and selective....when he is, he is an amazing sight to see. Glad to see he is having fun again and that he has that smile back upon his face.
Ya know, I wish they had a radar gun pointed on the fielders. Pedro owns a cannon of an arm. It would be interesting to see where it ranks among other 3rd basemen.
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Looking over this thread, I recall all the praise and the promise. Too much, too soon maybe?
I still think that Pedro can be a very good player, but he's got to work on that patience. Look at what learning patience did for Robinson Cano.
I've been seeing alot of ESPN Highlights of him lately and I hope it's something that he learns from.
I still think it's there's plenty of time for Pedro to change. I would love to see him become a star and see the Andrew and Alvarez show in Pittsburgh for many years.
"After my fourth season I asked for $43,000 and General Manager Ed Barrow told me, 'Young man, do you realize Lou Gehrig, a 16-year-man, is playing for only $44,000?' I said, Mr. Barrow, there is only one answer to that - Mr. Gehrig is terribly underpaid."- Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio
LETS GO BUCCOS !!!
The expectations for Pedro like everything else here over the years had the bar set extremely too high(see LaRoche signing hoopla). Especially considering how he hit in the spring his first year. When he was making his way through the minors most folks here had not a single clue what he was doing down on the farm. You could hardly find a Pirate game on in any establishment. Wearing anything Pirate brought ridicule. Speaking Bucco baseball brought laughter and more ridicule. Pick up the paper and once in awhile you find some bits about what was going on in the minors. Shock radio was getting big here and all you ever got out of them was the same attitude one got around town....the Suckos....they hardly got any positive lip service. When they did though, it was about this kid in the minors who can hit the ball a mile.
Somewhere around there someone made that all too familar comment about being at BP, hearing this sound one had never heard before, turning around and noticing it coming from Pedro's bat. A sound hasn't heard since ____________... Yeah, you've heard that one before.
Pedro had a respectable second spring and was sent down to triple A. Knocking on the door there was more Pedro talk coming out. Power, homeruns, power homeruns. In a perfect world Pedro would have been given a full season of AAA. With every long ball though came calls for Pedro. Game after game, loss after loss. The front office was playing the Super 2 game, so it wasn't hard to figure out when he was gonna get the call up.
Pedro finally arrives. I can't believe how fast the bust stuff came along and it was all because he wasn't hitting homers or hitting much of anything for that matter right out the gate, the strikeouts were there, no sign of patience was. That was understandable though. More players than not struggle straight out the gate, they have to make adjustments and get used to the new league. The good ones get better as they take more hacks. By the end of the season Pedro looked like he finally put it all together. The future looked bright.
Last year Pedro lays an egg. In all honesty and like you said it was all too much, too soon. Huge things were expected. Interview after interview homeruns and power again is what Pedro was constantly fed. That is what all the talking heads and fans continued on about.
The same thing again this year, except this time it looked like he was turning it around. to make a long story short.... He is loved when he is hitting homeruns, he is a bum when he doesn't, nobody cares about the rest of his game. Pedro has stretches where you can tell he is in search of the homerun. All patience is lost. All is well though when the balls leave the yard. Here in Pittsburgh the fans overrate players because of maybe one or a few big moments. That is why you can break out a conversation about replacing the worst hitting everyday SS in all of baseball(all with as many as 130 PA) and you are handed Barmes is clutch for his game winning hit again such and such, we don't need to get rid of him, he is part of us winning. Seriously?
Pedro had a big homerun last night. It was his fourth bomb since the break. He is also batting .185 in that stretch with five hits, 1 walk and 14 strikeouts. Pedro is not in a funk now because he is hitting homeruns though and thats what everybody wants. This Pedro couldn't be trusted to bat 4th where his potential belongs.
I am still a fan of Pedro's though, the talent is there and one day he is finally put it all together. He has only 252 games and 963 trips to the plate thus far in the majors, so it is way too early. I personally think his struggles are mental related and once he is able to block stuff out like that constant barrage of homer and power speak he will be fine. As he will when the huge expectation cloud passes by and he can go back to being just Pedro.
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