Right-handed hurler Henderson Alvarez has reportedly inked a minor-league deal with the Nationals that includes a spring invite. It appears that Ángel D. Conde Trujillo had the news first on Twitter, with multiple stateside reporters tweeting the signing as well this evening.
Alvarez, 28, is again trying to make his way back to the majors after his career was derailed by shoulder woes. The former Marlins hurler, who signed with but never threw for the Athletics in 2016, appeared briefly with the Phillies in 2017 but did not pitch in affiliated ball in the most recent season.
While he was away, Alvarez did throw in the Mexican League. He turned in 120 2/3 innings in the Mexican League, working to a 3.58 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. Alvarez has also been pitching in winter ball in his native Venezuela, where he has allowed twenty earned runs on 43 hits over 30 2/3 frames while recording just ten strikeouts and five walks.
Needless to say, those numbers don’t inspire confidence. But it’s fair to note that Alvarez has never been a strikeout pitcher. Indeed, he barely averaged more than a strikeout every other inning as a big leaguer. But he did pitch to a 3.82 ERA in 577 2/3 career MLB innings, owing in large part to his ability to limit the free passes (2.2 BB/9) and long balls (0.87 HR/9) while churning out groundballs (54.8% GB%).
For the Nationals, Alvarez is simply a player who’ll have a chance to show something in camp. The big question, perhaps, is whether he’ll be able to regain some of his lost velocity. After sitting at 94 with his four-seamer and sinker from 2011 to 2014, Alvarez clocked in at less than 92 mph with both pitches during his injury-shortened 2015 effort and short-lived 2017 return.
PRINT THE WORLD SERIES TICKETS NOW is making a come back!
I pity you
Print my award for the FA prediction contest now! I predicted the Nationals would sign the top pitcher on the market.
Does this “joke” have to be made every single time a team signs a minor league player?
At this point its practically tradition.
How about a ‘Bottom 50 Free Agent contest’?
I like it. Only 28. But, anything shoulder, is no joke.
Four years removed from his All-Star / CYA-12 performance. He is young so it’s worth taking a chance, but my expectations are low.
I agree this guy has mild potential. Even as a soft tosser
He’ll always be an answer to a great trivia question. Who was the starting pitcher that was involved in no hitters on the last day of the season in two consecutive years? Once on the winning side, once on the losing side against Max Scherzer.
That second one was JZ, not Max.
You are correct. Didn’t Scherzer also have one on the last day of a season too? The year he had two no nos in the same season I think.
That may be one of the lowest K/9 I’ve seen in a long time….and in the mexican league. yikes.
How were the Phillies not in on him???
They were, but Washington underbid them.
“Alvarez has also been pitching in winter ball in his native Venezuela, where he has allowed twenty earned runs on 43 hits over 30 2/3 frames while recording just ten strikeouts and five walks.”
How was he even on an MLB team’s radar?
low risk depth signing, Look at what the Oakland A’s rotation was last year. Edwin Jackson still is finding work as a starter.
I remember his no hitter, great pitcher.
Sounds like a long-shot, to say the least, but it’s low risk and could add much needed minor league depth if he does well. Doubt very much that he could crack the opening day roto.