The Orioles had only just begun converting outfielder Dariel Alvarez into a pitcher, but it seems that move will be put on hold. Alvarez has suffered an elbow injury that is likely to require Tommy John surgery, Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter.
Alvarez, 28, began the move to the mound mid-way through camp. At the time, manager Buck Showalter explained that the reason for the timing was that the club wished to see what it had while Alvarez still had options remaining. Though he had two entering the season, he likely won’t be ready to pitch again until the 2018 campaign is already underway.
It’s unclear what the future holds for Alvarez in the Baltimore organization. He could make it back much sooner from the surgery if he were to return to playing the field, though obviously the club had soured on his prospects of contributing in that capacity. Though Alvarez cracked the majors briefly in each of the past two seasons, he hadn’t done enough with the bat in the upper minors to justify more than spot duty. (Last year, he slashed just .288/.324/.384 at Triple-A.)
Perhaps there’s a scenario where Alvarez returns as a hitter and then attempts to pitch again when he’s ready. Regardless, while the team can place him on the 60-day DL for the time being, it’ll be hard for the O’s to continue carrying him on the 40-man roster at the end of the current season.
Best of luck to Dariel. Hope the Os know what they’re doing.
It’s crazy how devalued batting average must be these days when a .288 hitter needs to be converted to a pitcher on an AL team because he doesn’t hit for enough power.
I look at that and hope that it means teams are smartening up and valuing other things more.
That one slash line doesn’t tell the whole story. He’s shown an enormous lack of plate discipline during his time with the Orioles. He rarely walks, and the only reason he doesn’t strike out 25% of the time is that he can make weak contact on those crappy pitches he swings at rather than missing them completely. He has a cannon for an arm, but overall was regarded as a below average outfielder. He never developed any of the promise he showed as 21 year old in the Cuban league.
Neither do most of the Cubans.
Its not because he doesnt hit for enough power. He has no walk skills. Thats the huge issue. 68 walks total last three years combined in almost 1700 plate appearances in the minors. That would NEVER fly in the majors. Cant even get on base at an average clip in the minors even at 27 years old, his OBP would easily be below .300 in the majors.
Except there are players in the majors with less ability to draw a walk. The only difference is that they provide power. The easiest example is Odor. 59 walks, 290 K’s, in 1,531 PA’s. Not drawing walks will ALWAYS fly in the majors if the player can provide value elsewhere
So the Os don’t value his bat and told the kid hey you need to pitch so let’s see what you have. Then just a few weeks he blows out his elbow. I seriously wonder how liable the Os are now at this point for hurting this guys chances of being a baseball player at all. I think it’s horribly reckless for the Os to switch someone to a pitcher mid camp.