Pedro Alvarez didn’t just take the road less traveled to the major leagues. He took the one without paved roads, dirt, rocks and sticks on top of it.
When it came time to pick a high school, he eschewed nearby PSAL powerhouse George Washington in Washington Heights for elite private school Horace Mann, which is hardly known for its baseball program, in The Bronx. When he was taken in the 14th round by the Boston Red Sox after high school, he opted to attend Vanderbilt instead of going pro.
Each decision paid off as Alvarez was taken as the second overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.
On Wednesday evening, his journey was complete – Alvarez made his big league debut with the Pirates.
“It was surreal definitely to wear this uniform and be on the field,” said the 6-foot-3, 225-pound power-hitting third baseman. “Too many emotions to describe; happy, jittery, excited. I had a lot of fun.”
Alvarez, 23, Pittsburgh’s top prospect, won’t be going anywhere soon. He will be asked to lead the Pirates out of their current abyss, to team with burgeoning outfielder Andrew McCutchen to guide the dormant franchise back to the postseason one day and end nearly two decades of losing. They are 23-44, 14 full games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.
He had 13 homers and 53 RBIs with Triple-A Indianapolis this year and needed just a year and a half in the minor leagues to reach The Show. This, after being named the Freshman of the Year by Baseball America at Vanderbilt and slugging a school-record 22 homers in 2006.
Alvarez, nicknamed El Toro (Spanish for “the bull”) attended Horace Mann and went to Vanderbilt instead of the minor leagues for the same reason: to enhance his education. That was the mandate set forth by his parents, Pedro Sr. and Luz Alvarez.
If Alvarez’s story sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Just over a month ago, Adam Ottavino another private school product, this one from Berkeley Carroll in Brooklyn, made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals. The two, Alvarez and Ottavino, in fact, played together one summer.
“We kind of took the same path,” Alvarez said. “It’s a nice coincidence. … Someone out there is always watching and we took that mentality.”
As he has before, Alvarez is facing a stern challenge. The Pirates have lost all three of his starts thus far and is still waiting for his first hit, although he has scored a run. That has hardly dimmed his optimism.
“Obviously, I want to be in Cooperstown [one day], but I also want people to say I’m a great person, amazing teammates, and just a guy who always works hard and has fun,” he said.