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Alvarez Out to Show Sox He's Not Forgotten
by Steven Krasner, Providence Journal
February 15, 2007
FORT MYERS, Fla. - If Abe Alvarez were anyone else, he might be
entering training camp with a surly attitude and a chip on his
shoulder the size of the Green Monster.
If Alvarez were anyone else, he would be extremely jealous of young
pitching prodigies Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester because, truth be
told, on the food chain of Boston Red Sox prospects, Alvarez was above
both of them not too long ago.
But that's not Alvarez's style, even if the left-hander is virtually a
forgotten man in camp, sliced from the team's 40-man roster.
Alvarez's personality actually mirrors the way he pitches.
He's under control emotionally, featuring a laid-back, soft- spoken
mentality off the field that manifests itself on the mound in a
relatively soft-throwing arsenal of pitches that have to manifest
themselves in pinpoint control for him to be successful.
A few years ago, Alvarez, the Sox' second-round pick in the 2003 draft
(Papelbon was selected in the fourth round that year), was on the cusp
of major-league life. The then-rising star was plucked from Double-A
Portland to make a start for Boston on July 22.
Now, though, Alvarez is struggling to put his Red Sox pitching career
back together, trying to re-open some eyes because of a difficult 2006
season.
Alvarez got off to a hot start with Pawtucket (5-0, 2.18 ERA), was
battered in one three-plus-innings stint in Philadelphia on May 21 (5
hits, 4 runs, 2 home runs), struggled badly after being returned to
the PawSox (1-9, 7.58) the day after starting in Philly and finished
the season on the disabled list, the result of a broken bone in his
right ankle in an off-field mishap that led to surgery and the
insertion of a plate and seven screws.
The Sox, needing room on their roster, trimmed Alvarez, who ultimately
re-signed with Boston with an invitation to training camp. Alvarez
figured re-signing with the Sox was his best option given the fact
that he was coming off an injury and teams weren't exactly heating up
his agent's phone lines with requests for a rehabbing pitcher with
only nine days of big-league service time spread over three years.
So there was Alvarez yesterday, four days before the Sox' first
official pitchers-and-catchers workout of the spring, getting in some
early work while getting his ankle back in shape.
"All that's different from the last two years is that I'm off the
roster,'' said Alvarez. "I still have to show that I can pitch and
get
people out, show that even if I'm not one of the top guys or in the
mix of guys, that I can compete.''
It's not as if Alvarez is a grizzled veteran. He's only 24 years old,
though the fact that he has been on the fringe of the big leagues
makes it seem as if he's a lot older.
"I pitched with a lot of these (younger guys in camp). I came up
faster, but they're catching up to me on the fast track. And now I
have to get over the hump,'' said Alvarez.
For the first month last year, it looked as if Alvarez was about to do
just that. He was pitching very well in Pawtucket, but then his rhythm
was broken by a string of rainouts, and by the time he was called in
from the bullpen in Philadelphia, he hadn't pitched in two weeks. He
was rusty, and he got lit up, though he refused to use the layoff as
an excuse.
And after the outing, he was told that he was being demoted after a
three-day stay in the bigs. It was enough to send anyone's head
spinning, even a seemingly mellow, even-keel personality such as
Alvarez, and his performances suggest a mental letdown leading to fat
pitches in the strike zone for opposing hitters.
"Of course I was disappointed the way the season went. I had the
injury, the numbers were awful. But I thought I was pitching better at
the end and would end the season the way I started it,'' said Alvarez.
"You have to try to put (the Philly start, the quick demotion) behind
you, but as they say, the mental part is about 90 percent of the
game,'' said the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder, an International League
All-Star in 2005 and an All-American at Long Beach State.
It was difficult for him to do, he admitted.
"You know you had a shot and you come back down and you're thinking
the wrong things,'' he said. "That's why you go out there and give
up
eight runs in three innings (as he did in a start against Columbus),
because your head's not in the game. I talked to (former big-league
pitcher) Bob Tewksbury (about the mental aspects) and people can tell
you things, but you are the one who has to make the adjustments.''
Alvarez is approaching this year with a fresh outlook. His ankle still
swells up at times, so he won't be able to run as much as the other
pitchers, but Alvarez can throw off the mound and do the fielding
drills, he says.
He says he has no animosity toward the pitchers who have passed him on
the prospect-to-big-leaguer ladder. He's also not about to try to
throw the ball 100 mph.
"I have to pitch the way I always have,'' said Alvarez. "That's
what
got me drafted and moved me up. I'm only 24. I'm not worried. I just
have to get guys out.''
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