Pedro Manuel Álvarez Jr. (born February 6, 1987), nicknamed "El Toro" (Spanish for "The Bull"), is a Dominican-American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

and infielder. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. Álvarez stands and weighs . A

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

until late 2014, Álvarez transitioned to first base for the Pirates in 2015, and in 2016 became a designated hitter for the Orioles. On June 19, 2018, he was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Orioles.

Early life

Álvarez was born in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

to Pedro and Luz Álvarez. As a young boy, he grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

High school career

Álvarez first attended the Mott Hall School for gifted and talented students in Morningside Heights, where he was an A student. He then attended the prestigious

Horace Mann School , motto_translation = Great is the truth and it prevails , address = 231 West 246th Street , city = The Bronx , state = New York , zipcode = 10471 , countr ...

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, choosing a school known for its high-level education but not for its sports programs. Álvarez holds numerous baseball records there, most notably

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

. Álvarez was named Athlete of the Year his senior season. Though he attended a private school, Álvarez's abilities attracted the attention of scouts throughout the

New York City area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan are ...

, especially after he led his club team, the Bayside Yankees, to a national title in 2005. In recognition of his success,

Louisville Slugger Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

crowned him the Player of the Year in New York and also named him to its

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

team.

Vanderbilt career

After graduating from high school, Álvarez was drafted in the 14th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

. Though offered a substantial signing bonus, Álvarez instead chose to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the National ...

of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

. Álvarez started slowly at Vanderbilt but eventually became an integral member of the lineup, setting a single-season school record in home runs (22). This production earned Álvarez National Freshman of the Year honors from several publications, including '' Baseball America''. Álvarez was then selected to the USA National team, leading the team in batting average. ''Baseball America'' ranked him as the second-best pro prospect on the squad. In addition, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'' ranked him as the best pro prospect on the team and said that he was the "early favorite to be drafted first in 2008", due to his impressive performance over the summer and as a freshman. Before the 2007 season began, Álvarez was named to the watchlist for the SEC and National Player of the Year awards. He was also chosen as a

pre-season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

first team All-American. During the season, Álvarez hit .397 with 17 home runs, 65 RBI, 72 runs scored, an on-base percentage of .467, and a slugging percentage of .706 for the 51-11 Commodores. Vanderbilt captured its first ever SEC regular season championship, and Álvarez was named Tournament MVP. Álvarez was invited back to Team USA after his strong performance in 2006. He led the team in homers, RBI, batting average, hits, and slugging percentage.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Álvarez was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (second overall) in the

2008 MLB draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

. He agreed to a $6 million minor league contract with the Pirates on August 15, minutes before the deadline, but did not immediately sign it. He was placed on the restricted list after the

Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the union representing all current Major League Baseball players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held a signed contract with a Major League cl ...

filed a grievance against

over draft picks being signed minutes after the August 15 deadline. On September 22, Álvarez agreed to renegotiated terms on a four-year major league contract at $6.4 million.

Minor Leagues

In 2009, he attended Spring training with the Pirates, but was assigned to the minor league's spring training on March 16, 2009. After playing several months with the Pirates High-A affiliate,

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

, Álvarez was assigned to Double-A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

in late June. Álvarez led the Pirates organization in home runs and RBI with 27 and 95 respectively. He also batted .288 with an .917 OPS.

2010

Álvarez started the 2010 season with the Pirates Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, as the 8th-best prospect in Baseball America's 2010 rankings. In 66 games with the Indians, he hit .277 with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. Álvarez was called up to the MLB on June 16, 2010, and made his MLB debut against

John Danks John William Danks (born April 15, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox. Personal life Danks graduated from Round Rock High School in Texas in 2003 and wa ...

of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. He went 0-for-2 with a walk, a strikeout, and a run scored. His first MLB hit came against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

on June 19, an RBI double off Indians starter David Huff. The following several weeks of his career did not go so smoothly, however. He struck out at least once in each of his first 10 games, capped off by a 4-strikeout game in a 14-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics on June 25. Pirates manager John Russell then gave him a day off. His first MLB home run came against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 3, 2010, a solo shot to left field off of Phillies starter

Kyle Kendrick Kyle Rodney Kendrick (born August 26, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Kendrick was born in Houston, Texas ...

. Following his benching, Álvarez responded with an eight-game hitting streak from June 28 – July 6 that included 2 home runs, 3 runs scored and 4 RBI. Álvarez recorded his first MLB career multi-homer game on July 20, 2010 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

in the first inning off Brewers starter Dave Bush and then followed with a solo home run in the following inning. He finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs. He hit two home runs again the next night against the Brewers, going 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs. The home runs came against Milwaukee starter

Randy Wolf Randall Christopher Wolf (born August 22, 1976) nicknamed "Wolfie", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, ...

and reliever

Kameron Loe Kameron David Loe (born September 10, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, and Atlanta Braves. At , Loe was o ...

. After the game, Álvarez had raised his

over 60 points, from .197 to .259, in just 11 days. "Obviously, those first few weeks, it's a million miles an hour, and as time goes on you get used to it a little bit more and more." said Álvarez of his early struggles. "It's very fun to go out there and play some good baseball and come out winning. It makes it that much better when you have a good day that you can celebrate with your teammates." On August 7, 2010 Pedro hit a walk-off 3 run

against the Colorado Rockies closer

Huston Street Huston Lowell Street ( ; born August 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels. After ...

. Álvarez was named National League Player of the Week for September 20–26 for his performances. He finished the week 10-for-24 (.417) with 2 home runs and 13 RBIs. Álvarez continued his hot streak, going 4-for-5 with 5 RBIs on September 30 against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

while raising his season batting average 8 points from .249 to .257. Álvarez finished the season by winning the NL Rookie of the Month Award for September, hitting .311 and leading all Major League rookies with 26 RBIs in his final 27 games.

2011

Álvarez compiled a .208 batting average and a .587 OPS in 36 games. On May 21, 2011 Álvarez was placed on the 15-day disabled list. After being reinstated from the DL on July 9, 2011 he was optioned to the AAA Indianapolis Indians. For the season, with the Pirates he batted .191/.272/.289 in 235 at bats.Pedro Alvarez Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref>

2012

Álvarez decided not to spend the 2011–12 offseason playing winter league ball. After the first nine games of the 2012 season, he struck out 13 times in his first 27 at-bats. In an

interleague Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. Pri ...

series against the

, Álvarez hit two home runs in back-to-back games on June 16 and 17, making him only the second Pirates' player with multi-home run games in back-to-back games since 1918, with

Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Foll ...

being the other player. Álvarez hit a go-ahead home run in the 19th inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 19, the longest game in the majors to that point in the season and tied for the longest in terms of time at 6 hours, 7 minutes. Álvarez hit a 469-ft home run, the longest hit by a Pittsburgh Pirate in the history of

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...

at the time, in a two-homer game against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 28. For the season, he batted .244/.317/.467, was second in the National League with 180 strikeouts, and led all NL players with 27 errors at third base.

2013

Álvarez was selected to the National League All-Star team in 2013. He also participated in the Home Run Derby, where he hit six home runs. On September 13, he hit an inside-the-park home run. He finished the 2013 season with 36 home runs, tied with

Paul Goldschmidt Paul Edward Goldschmidt (born September 10, 1987) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Lightly recruited out of The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, Golds ...

for most in the National League and third-most in the majors, and 100 RBI, which was tied for fifth-most in the NL. On October 9, 2013, he became the first player in baseball history to record an RBI in each of his first 6 postseason games. In Game 3 of the NLDS vs. the St. Louis Cardinals, Álvarez had the game-winning RBI in the 8th inning that gave the Pirates a 2-1 series lead. For the season, he batted .233/.296/.473, led the National League in strikeouts with 186, and led all NL third basemen with 27 errors. He also won the National League

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...

for third basemen.

2014

The 2014 season saw Álvarez's defense struggle, with an MLB-leading 24 errors by August 3. As a result, Álvarez was removed from the everyday lineup and utility player

Josh Harrison Joshua Isaiah Harrison (born July 8, 1987) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics and ...

received the starting job at third base for an indefinite time period. This led to the Pirates' considering a move for Álvarez from third base to first base in order to keep his offensive capabilities in the lineup. On August 18, Álvarez made his first Major League appearance at first base against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. The Pirates announced on September 10 that Alvarez had been diagnosed with a

stress fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

in his left foot stemming from an injury he sustained in-game on August 26. He missed the remainder of the regular season, and was left off of the Wild Card Game roster against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. For the season, he batted .231/.312/.405, and for the third season in a row led all NL players in errors, with 25 at third base.

2015

In the 2015 season, Álvarez transitioned to first base full-time. Álvarez played 150 games in 2015, hitting .243/.318/.469 with 27 home runs and 77 RBIs. However, he also made 23 errors in 124 games at first base, leading the National League, including a major-league-leading 19 fielding errors. On December 2, 2015, Álvarez was non-tendered by the Pirates, making him a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

for the first time in his career.

Baltimore Orioles

2016

On March 10, 2016, the

signed Álvarez to a one-year, $5.75 million deal, which also included performance bonuses between $1.25 million and $1.5 million. Álvarez got off to a slow start with the O's, as he was hitless in his first 12 at-bats, while hitting only .182 over his first 15 games. His struggles continued, as he hit just .194 through the end of May while playing in 34 games. In June, Álvarez raised his average up to .230. At the All-Star break, he slashed .249/.320/.462 while hitting nine homers and driving in 26 runs. On September 2 he hit his 20th home run of the season, becoming the sixth Oriole to hit 20+ homers on the year. It was his second career home run to land on Eutaw Street. For the season, he batted .249/.322/.504.

2017

In 2017, Álvarez only had 32 at-bats with the Orioles, and made four errors in nine chances at third base. With their AAA affiliate, the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

, he batted .239/.294/.442.

2018

On February 25, 2018, Álvarez re-signed with the Orioles on a minor league contract. He had his contract purchased on March 29. On June 19, he was

; at the time, his

slash line S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an ...

was .180/.283/.414. Alvarez declared free agency on October 9, 2018.

Miami Marlins

On December 3, 2018, Álvarez signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins. He was released on March 25, 2019, after opting out of his contract.

Post-playing career

On February 4, 2022, Álvarez was hired by the Milwaukee Brewers as an assistant to the baseball operations team.

Awards and honors

* 2013 National League Silver Slugger * 2013 National League All-Star * 2013 National League home run title * 2013 Major League Baseball National League Player of the Week for the period ending June 23 * 2010 National League Rookie of the Month for the month of September * 2010 National League Player of the Week for the week of September 20–26 * 2009 All-Star Futures Game starter * 2007

Golden Spikes Award The Golden Spikes Award is bestowed annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. The award, created by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association, was first presented in 1978. It is given to ...

finalist * 2007 Baseball America First Team All-American * 2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association First Team All-American * 2007 American Baseball Coaches Association Second Team All-American * 2006 ''Baseball America'' National Freshman of the Year * 2006 ''Baseball America'' First Team All-American

Personal life

Álvarez has been married to his wife, Keli, since 2011. Keli is the daughter of former San Diego Padres manager Pat Murphy. Álvarez earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in medicine, health and society from Vanderbilt in 2022.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Pedro 1987 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Altoona Curve players American sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Bradenton Marauders players Dominican Republic emigrants to the United States Gulf Coast Pirates players Horace Mann School alumni Indianapolis Indians players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball third basemen National League All-Stars National League home run champions Norfolk Tides players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States People from Washington Heights, Manhattan Pittsburgh Pirates players Silver Slugger Award winners Sportspeople from Manhattan Baseball players from New York City Sportspeople from Santo Domingo United States national baseball team players Vanderbilt Commodores baseball players Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games