I’ve got to drive this afternoon to make my way back to good ol’ PA for another wedding. Since tonight’s an off-night, I’m going to set up this post and thread because I’m curious to see people’s opinions on Pedro Alvarez after his first minor league season.
How much does his high strikeout rate (129 Ks in 542 PAs) affect your opinion of him as a prospect? Do his struggles at Lynchburg still worry you? When do you expect to see him in Pittsburgh?
I guess it’s not fair if I don’t answer these questions myself; I have downgraded my expectations for him just a little bit after this year. I think he’s probably headed for a career in which he’s a little more one-dimensional (that is, power oriented) at the plate than we had originally hoped; maybe falling somewhere between Carlos Pena and Prince Fielder. That’s not a bad thing. Obviously both of those players provide the sort of thump that the Pirates need desperately even if they don’t generally hit for a high batting average. I think we’ll probably see him next year, maybe around June or July, but not before then because he’s got to prove he can hit Triple-A pitching without flailing at pitches out of the strike zone.
Your turn.
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