Once viewed as franchise player, Alvarez returns to PNC humbled

Wearing an Orioles spring training T-shirt, Pedro Alvarez sat atop the bench in the first-base dugout at PNC Park and pointed toward the center field wall.

"So many good memories here," he told reporters Tuesday afternoon before what might be his first game at the ballpark since 2015. His manager, Buck Showalter, doesn't have him in the lineup to face the Pirates.

Although the trip could serve as a reminder of a chapter in his career that did not go as planned, Alvarez was visibly overcome with nostalgia. However, he chose to sleep in instead of visiting any restaurant or landmark in the city. The memories he chose to relive were inside the confines of the ballpark where the slugging former first-round draft pick spent the first six years of his career.



"Different vantage point," he said with a smile. "Different dugout now. I obviously had good moments with the guys who are still here. ... That's what you remember."

There were the familiar faces who greeted him Tuesday, despite his no longer wearing black and gold; former teammates with whom he grew close; and memories of the franchise's renaissance from basement-dweller to playoff contender during his time in Pittsburgh.

Alvarez, who turned 30 in February, gained much more than memories after being drafted by the Pirates with the second overall pick in the 2008 draft. However, his career has taken a far different path.

Alvarez made his major league debut as a third baseman with the Pirates in 2010, hitting 16 home runs with 64 RBI in 95 games as a rookie. He struggled in 2011 before hitting a combined 66 home runs and 185 RBI in 2012 and 2013, being named an All-Star in the latter season. But he was striking out too often, his on-base percentage dipped to .317 in 2015 and he was never strong defensively, shifting from third to first in 2014. A polarizing player among the fanbase, Alvarez never quite lived up to the hype, striking out 809 times with the Pirates, but he insists he never paid attention to the criticism.

After being shopped in trades for nearly two seasons, Alvarez's time in Pittsburgh officially ended in March 2016 when he signed a one-year, $5.75 million contract with the Orioles.

"No one can put more expectations on myself then me," Alvarez said. "If you think (people put too high of expectations on me) then — some people have that belief — but I know for a fact I always try to do the best I can. In terms of pressure, all of that stuff is external. I try to worry about what I can do, what I can control. The attitude and effort I put forth to improve my game and that’s always what’s mattered to me."

Alvarez has appeared in 11 games in the major leagues this season, batting .286 with one home run and two RBI since being recalled as part of rosters expanding in September. Most of his season was spent in AAA Norfolk, where he learned right field and continued to struggle with the same shortcomings that plagued him during his time with the Pirates. He hit 26 home runs and drove in 89 runs with Norfolk, but he batted just .239 with a .294 on-base percentage, striking out 137 times in 595 plate appearances. Offensive production aside, the Orioles simply did not have a position for him.

Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo alternate at designated hitter, and Alvarez has proven to struggle at first base, committing a league-leading 23 errors there with the Pirates in 2015.

“The question has always been where are the at-bats going to come from for Pedro Alvarez,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told reporters last month. “Once we re-signed Mark Trumbo and we traded for Seth Smith and Trey Mancini emerged, we still have Chris Davis, those bats are at a premium, so that’s really been the question with adding Pedro through the season. Where are the at-bats going to come from? And that will be the challenge for Buck to find some spots for him to hit here and there. But in September, I’m sure that he’ll find a few.”

So, Alvarez spent this season learning right field, doing so at Norfolk's Harbor Park, which can be something of a wind tunnel because it sits on the Elizabeth River in downtown Norfolk, Va. Despite the difficult conditions, Alvarez committed only two errors in 42 games.

There is a chance he won't play in this two-game series, which is the final home series for the Pirates this season.

That does not spoil the mood for Alvarez, though: