GABRIEL ALVARADO

5/19/87; NDFA '06; Venezuela
R/R; 6-0, 175

Level

W-L-Sv

BB/9

K/9

WHIP

OAVG

ERA

2006 VSL

3-3-0

54.2

4.9

1.35

.218

2.96

2007 VSL

8-4-0

70.2

2.3

5.0

1.22

.250

2.67

2008 A-

0-1-0

2.1

11.6

3.9

3.00

.364

11.57

2008 R

4-3-0

50.1

2.2

4.1

1.17

.249

3.04

2009 A

6-10-2

114.0

135

2.6

7.6

1.47

.290

5.05

Alvarado had an ugly K/BB ratio in 2006, although his GB/FB ratio was over 2-to-1. He got a chance to win a spot in the GCL after just one season in a Latin American summer league, which is unusual with the Pirates, so they must have been impressed with something about him. He didn't make it, though. He improved in his second VSL season, although he still didn't strike out many hitters. He stuck in the GCL in 2008 and was one of the mainstays in the team's rotation. His K rate remained extremely low, but the Pirates cited Alvarado as one of the most promising players on their GCL roster.

Surprisingly, Alvarado made the West Virginia roster out of spring training and spent the year in the rotation, except for some relief appearances late in the year when the team appeared to be reducing his workload. He got hit pretty hard throughout the year, but his K rate improved dramatically and he didn't walk many. The Pirates obviously like Alvarado, as they stuck with him despite the mediocre performance, even after all the trade acquisitions late in the season. I've never seen him pitch and have never read anything about what he throws, so I don't know what kind of pitcher he is. He could be in the Bradenton rotation in 2010, although there will be a lot of competition for spots.

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