As the calendar creeps closer and closer to Opening Day of the 2012 baseball season, it has become clear to any Pirates fan who listens to sports talk radio, reads the sports pages and blogs, or, perhaps most importantly, participates on Jim Haller's Pirates Fan chat group on Facebook, that the key to any success that the Buccos might achieve this coming season rests on the shoulders of third baseman Pedro Alvarez.
We all know the back story: highly touted first round (fourth pick overall) draft choice, $4+ million signing bonus, promising (16 HR) rookie season in 2010, and dud of a season (4 HR, 19 RBI, .191 BA, plus two trips to the DL and the minor leagues) in 2011. On a team that has little power, Alvarez is the main, if not only, hope that the Pirates have to provide power and be the catalyst for offensive production. As Spring Training has progressed, Alvarez is perhaps the most closely watched Pirate, and he has become a lightning rod for criticism among many, and not, I believe, for entirely valid reasons.
When you read and listen to the chatter, the criticism seems to come down to three main areas.
#1. He wears his baseball cap down over his ears. Really, this has upset a lot of people. Personally, I don't get the style, but it doesn't really bother me either. Apparently, this fashion statement reflects hip-hop culture among younger folks, and I guess this really grinds some people's gears. If someone else on the team, say Alex Presley or Neil Walker, wore their cap this way, I wonder if the outrage level would be quite so high. I also think that if Alvarez has 14 or 15 home runs by the All-Star break, caps over the ears will be quite the rage at PNC Park.
#2. His lousy season in 2011. A valid criticism and concern. However, we all should keep in mind that Pedro is still a young player who was humbled mightily by major league pitching in his first full season in the big leagues last year. To the gent on the aforementioned Facebook group who was grumbling when Alvarez grounded out with a runner in scoring position in his first at bat in a spring training game this year, I would cite the case of a certain National League rookie in 1973 who, while hitting 18 HR in 443 AB's that year, had only 52 RBI, a .196 BA, a .373 slugging percentage, and a .697 OPS and struck out 136 times. There were probably a lot of people who weren't thinking too highly of Mike Schmidt that season, but, fortunately for the Phillies, members of team management were not among them. At the very least, Alvarez is owed another shot at a full season with the Pirates.
#3. He declined to play winter ball this past off season. This has been viewed as anything from an act of insubordination to an indication that Alvarez just doesn't give a damn. A writer that I respect, Dejan Kovacevic of the Trib, continually takes shots at Alvarez for this decision. I am inclined to agree with a column that Gene Collier did last fall on the subject that stated it would be best if Alvarez did NOT play winter ball this off season. After what had to be an incredibly frustrating season, what purpose would have been served to jump right down to Venezuala or Mexico, spend hours every day in a batting cage, and maybe continue where he left off the season, by NOT hitting and striking out too often. Instead, Alvarez devoted his off season to improving his conditioning (long a sore spot with team management) and losing weight, and these efforts appear to have been successful. We shall see if that decision bears fruit in 2012.
We have long hoped that Pedro Alvarez would be the next Willie Stargell or Dave Parker for the Pirates. We hope that that is the case, but if he instead, as often happens to high draft picks and
"Can't Miss" prospects for every team in baseball, he turns out to be the next Chad Hermanson or Brad Eldred, it will not be because he didn't play winter ball or how he wears his baseball cap.
I too support Collier's column from last year. I just want to see Pedro achieve his potential and succede as a Pirate. I am willing to wait until the end of the 2013 season, before any decision is made as to his future as a Pirate. My biggest fear is we cast him off to soon and he tears it up somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Bob. It's Alvarez's performance that will make the difference. The jury is out if he'll assume the mantle of a power hiting third baseman that the Buc brass (and fans) expect him to be OR if he'll fall from the pedestal of unfulfilled promise.
ReplyDelete