Andrew Barlow —
Here is what we know about the man they call El Toro. The Pirates drafted Pedro Alvarez with the second pick in 2008 and he was in the majors by 2010, in the midst of a 105 loss season. In 95 games that rookie season, he hit a respectable .256 and smashed 16 home runs, providing a small glimmer of hope on a roster that included he, Andrew McCutchen and little else.
The next year, Pedro spent much of the summer injured or at AAA Indianapolis, hitting a miserable .191 and just four home runs. It was a true sophomore slump and raised a red flag about the big prospect’s development. In 2012, Pedro bounced back with a full season and solid production, batting .244 with 30 home runs.
Last season was his best yet, helping lead the Pirates to that magical 94-win season and playoff run. Despite a mediocre .233 average, El Toro slugged a National League-leading 36 home runs and he drove in 100 runs in a career-high 156 games. He was a participant in the All-Star game, Home Run Derby, and won the Silver Slugger award as the top hitting third baseman in the National League.
All was well and the sky was the limit for the 27 year-old as he and the Pirates went to Bradenton this spring. So…what has happened here? What have we witnessed? It begins with the defense. Pedro has never been an error-free fielder as he had 27 errors in 2012 and 2013, his first two full seasons. In 95 starts this season, he has a league-leading 25 errors, five more than anyone else. A fielding percentage of .924 is bad enough to be the lowest among all non-pitchers.
An astounding 24 of those 25 errors are due to throws, drawing Pedro comparisons to former Pirates pitcher Steve Blass who infamously and suddenly became unable to throw strikes once upon a time. Former second baseman turned television analyst Steve Sax had a similar disastrous defensive season in 1983 for the Dodgers, making 30 errors and getting “Steve Sax Syndrome” named after himself because he could inexplicably no longer make routine throws to first base.
Positive spin on this: Sax righted the ship, eventually leading the American League in fielding percentage in 1989, his first season as a New York Yankee. Perhaps Pedro will too, but he better figure it out sooner rather than later. He is eligible for arbitration in 2015 and free agency in 2017, and is represented by notorious super-agent Scott Boras.
Arbitration may not go well for El Toro if he continues to perform at this level. Aside from the defense, he is batting .230 (similar to last season’s figure in that column) in 116 games/383 at bats with 15 home runs and 51 runs batted in. He has struck out 109 times, on a similar pace to last year’s league-leading 186, which he will not top due to less plate appearances.
If you ask me, he should not get to many more plate appearances. If there was a designated hitter in the National League, maybe there would be an argument to give Pedro regular playing time these days. But alas, there is not, and playing this guy in the field right now is too big a liability to a team battling to remain relevant in the NL playoff race.
Now six games back of the Brewers (71-56), the Pirates (65-62) will need to be nearly flawless down the stretch in order to catch up, so it is more realistic to focus on the wild card race, where they find themselves 2.5 games back of St. Louis and San Francisco.
The unusual and mostly unprecedented position switch to first base has not looked good, even though it was just one game there. Pedro seemed out of position more often than not, and all this defensive work has likely taken even more away from his focus at the plate. The season has, frankly, been a disaster for number 24 and maybe extended time off and focusing on the transition to first base in the long-term would be best for Pedro.
Yes, the team’s investment in him is a bit much to simply not use him the rest of the 2014 season, but there is a difference between perceived talent and actual production. Pedro Alvarez is not a productive baseball player this season…few can argue that. He is, however, an integral part of this organization’s future and management must handle the difficult situation better moving forward than they have up to this point.
With no minor league options remaining, the Pirates must keep Pedro on the 25-man major league roster, limiting him solely to bench duties and occasional at bats if he does not start regularly. Josh Harrison can manage third base while Gaby Sanchez and Ike Davis can continue to play a platoon at first. Pedro can continue to work before the first inning and after the ninth, trying to figure out which direction his career will go.
If he rights the ship, Alvarez can revert to 2013 All-Star form. Let’s hope the 2014 version rides off into the sunset.
Gar Bercury —
No player has been a better symbol of the trying year the Pirates have had in 2014 more than Pedro Alvarez. After winning the silver slugger, appearing in his first All-Star game, and sharing the NL home run title with the Diamondbacks Paul Goldschmidt last year, it would be fair to say that this season has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster.
What’s more, not only has one of the more dangerous power hitters in the game seemingly forgot how to hit a baseball, his defense, or lack thereof, has forced the Pirates to start players like Jayson Nix and Brent Morel at third base. That would be a problem under the best of circumstances, but Nix and Morel have a combined batting average of .253.
It’s Alvarez’s whopping total of 25 errors in 95 starts at the hot corner that has forced manager Clint Hurdle to do the unthinkable, bench an All-Star that hit 36 home runs just last season for essentially AAA fodder. The situation has gotten so bad that the Pirates have moved Alvarez to first base, a position he has never played at any point in his baseball career.
Ultimately, you could write a novel on the ways Alvarez’s season has been a bust, but in spite of that, I will make the argument that the Pirates can’t afford NOT to play him.
First off, I know that it’s difficult to argue Alvarez should be getting regular play right now considering the season he is having. However, even with all the well documented struggles with the bat, Alvarez’s 15 HR’s are only two fewer than co-leaders Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker. Additionally, his 51 RBI trail only McCutchen and Walker.
Considering how little Alvarez has played since the All-Star break, this tells you that he still has the ability to hit for power and produce runs, something the Pirates desperately need right now.
With the struggles both the starting rotation and bullpen have been going through, the Pirates are going to need their offense to pick up the slack. It seems that even with a healthy Gerrit Cole ready to go for the stretch run, the Pirates starting pitching leaves much to be desired. The Pirates might need the offense to carry the Pirates if they are to repeat last year’s playoff push.
Nobody will debate that Alvarez has had a miserable year, but we also have seen what he can do when he gets hot and goes on a tear. Alvarez can look absolutely lost at the plate, and then suddenly get white hot. Considering the Pirates will be playing some key divisional games down the stretch, a player who can be a major run producer could make all the difference.
Still not convinced? I don’t blame you, but at this point, can’t the argument be made that the upside of Alvarez is better than let’s say, Ike Davis? Davis has been the definition of average this season, and his seven HR’s and 34 RBI’s provide little evidence that he is suddenly going to become a consistent run producer down the stretch.
It seems the Pirates feel Alvarez is going to be a first baseman moving forward, well, let’s see what he can do there now. Is it going to be a work in progress? Of course it is, but you might as well get a head start on him getting used to playing the position in game situations.
Plus, if you do plan on trading him before he becomes a free agent, does it not make sense to provide reasons for teams to believe Alvarez is a worthwhile investment? Sitting him on the bench is not the best way to accomplish this. He’s going to get a hefty raise in arbitration this off-season, so see if he can catch fire, so you might have a better chance of finding a viable trade partner.
Would you feel okay with this if let’s say, finding someone to take on his hefty raise in salary might allow you to have additional money to re-sign Russell Martin?
The Pirates don’t look like a legitimate World Series contender even if they somehow right the ship and get into the playoffs. The best bet is to play Alvarez and hope he goes on a hot streak. That will not only help you find a way into the playoffs, but improve his value if you decide to trade him over the next year.
(Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty Images)
