Yadier Álvarez Ventosa (born March 7, 1996) is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher.
| Yadier Álvarez | |
|---|---|
 Álvarez with the Great Lakes Loons | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: March 7, 1996 Matanzas, Cuba | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Career
editÁlvarez defected from Cuba to pursue a career in Major League Baseball (MLB).[1][2] At the time, he had a fastball that touched 98 miles per hour. Scouts believed he had number two starter upside and one National League official said that he was the best 18-year-old pitcher he had ever seen.[3] He received interest from numerous MLB teams including the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.[4][5]
Ranked as the second best prospect by mlb.com heading into the 2015 international signing period, Álvarez signed with the Dodgers on July 2, 2015, for a $16 million bonus.[6][7] He made his professional baseball debut for the Dodgers Arizona rookie league affiliate on June 20, 2016, and struck out seven while only allowing one hit in 3+2⁄3 innings pitched.[8] In five starts for the team, he was 1–1 with a 1.80 ERA and 57 strikeouts.[9] He was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League and struck out 10 in his debut for the Loons on July 21, 2016.[10] He made nine starts for the Loons with a 2.97 ERA and 55 strikeouts in only 39+1⁄3 innings.[11] In 2017, he was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League and chosen to represent the world team at the All-Star Futures Game.[12]
Álvarez began 2017 with the Quakes and was promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers at mid-season. Between the two leagues he made 18 starts (and three relief appearances) and was 4–6 with a 4.68 ERA.[13] He returned to Tulsa in 2018 and was selected to represent the Drillers at the mid-season Texas League All-Star Game.[14] In 17 games (eight starts), he went 1–2 with a 4.66 ERA.[15]
The Dodgers added Álvarez to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.[16] He returned to Tulsa to begin 2019, but he only appeared in two games, allowing six runs in 3+2⁄3 innings.[13] He spent the rest of the season on the minor league injured list before the Dodgers placed him on the restricted list for disciplinary reasons.[17] Álvarez reported for spring training in 2020 with a chance to work his way back into the Dodgers plans but was scratched from his first spring appearance due to health issues and was designated for assignment the next day.[18] He did not pitch again until late in the 2021 season, when he pitched 3+2⁄3 innings over three games on a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League. He allowed three runs to score on three hits and a walk while striking out seven.[13] In 2022, he played for the Oklahoma City Dodgers in AAA, appearing in 23 games and allowing 17 earned runs in 24+2⁄3 innings for a 6.20 ERA.[13] He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.
References
edit- ^ McDaniel, Kiley (February 13, 2015). "Yadier Alvarez Emerges While Other Cubans Move Closer to Deals". Fangraphs. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Townsend, Mark (February 15, 2015). "Meet Yadier Alvarez, baseball's next coveted Cuban prospect". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Sanchez, Jesse (February 17, 2015). "Acclaimed Cuban free agents highly sought-after". mlb.com. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Wolf, Paula (February 13, 2015). "New rumor has Phils interested in Cuban pitching phenom". Lancaster Online. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Gill, Mike (February 13, 2015). "Phillies Interested in Cuban Pitcher Yadier Alvarez". 97.3 ESPN South Jersey. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Sanchez, Jesse (July 2, 2015). "Dodgers open int'l signing period with a flurry". mlb.com. Retrieved July 2, 2015.[dead link]
- ^ Stephen, Eric (July 2, 2015). "Starling Heredia, Yadier Alvarez, Ronny Brito highlight Day 1 of Dodgers international signing period". SB Nation. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Minami, Craig (June 21, 2016). "Yadier Alvarez strikes out 7 in debut, Arizona Dodgers take opener 8-7". SB Nation. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
- ^ "2016 AZL Dodgers Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Bernreuter, Hugh (July 21, 2016). "Dodgers' prize prospect Yadier Alvarez dominates in Loons' debut". Mlive.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ "2016 Great Lakes Loons Statistics". Baseball Reference.
- ^ BA Staff (June 29, 2017). "2017 World Futures Game Rosters And Scouting Reports". Baseball America. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Yadier Alvarez Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball Reference.
- ^ Lewis, Barry (June 13, 2018). "Five Drillers selected for Texas League All-Star Game". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- ^ "Yadier Alvarez Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (November 20, 2018). "Prospect Ruiz among 5 added to 40-man roster". mlb.com. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Trent Dorfman, Jack (September 4, 2019). "Dodgers: Yadier Alvarez has to be out of chances with LA". Dodgersway.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ Miller, George (February 29, 2020). "Dodgers Designate Yadier Alvarez For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)