Pedro Álvarez (baseball)

Pedro Manuel Álvarez Jr. (born February 6, 1987), nicknamed "El Toro" (Spanish for "The Bull"), is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and infielder.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles.

Though he attended a private school, Álvarez's abilities attracted the attention of scouts throughout the New York City area, especially after he led his club team, the Bayside Yankees, to a national title in 2005.

In recognition of his success, Louisville Slugger crowned him the Player of the Year in New York and also named him to its All-America team.

After graduating from high school, Álvarez was drafted in the 14th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft by the Boston Red Sox.

Though offered a substantial signing bonus, Álvarez instead chose to play college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores of the Southeastern Conference.

Álvarez started slowly at Vanderbilt but eventually became an integral member of the lineup, setting a single-season school record in home runs (22).

This production earned Álvarez National Freshman of the Year honors from several publications, including Baseball America.

Álvarez was then selected to the USA National team, leading the team in batting average.

Baseball America ranked him as the second-best pro prospect on the squad.

Álvarez was invited back to Team USA after his strong performance in 2006.

He led the team in homers, RBI, batting average, hits, and slugging percentage.

Before the 2007 season began, Álvarez was named to the watchlist for the SEC and National Player of the Year awards.

He was also chosen as a pre-season first team All-American.

During the season, Álvarez hit .397 with 17 home runs, 65 RBI, 72 runs scored, an on-base percentage of .467, and a slugging percentage of .706 for the 51–11 Commodores.

Vanderbilt captured its first ever SEC regular season championship, and Álvarez was named Tournament MVP.

In addition, Sports Illustrated ranked him as the best pro prospect on the team and said that he was the "early favorite to be drafted first in 2008", due to his impressive performance over the summer and as a freshman.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Álvarez in the first round, with the second overall selection, in the 2008 MLB draft.

He agreed to a $6 million minor league contract with the Pirates on August 15, minutes before the deadline, but did not immediately sign it.

He was placed on the restricted list after the Major League Baseball Players Association filed a grievance against Major League Baseball over draft picks being signed minutes after the August 15 deadline.

On September 22, Álvarez agreed to renegotiated terms on a four-year major league contract at $6.4 million.

In 2009, Álvarez attended Spring training with the Pirates and was assigned to the minor league's spring training on March 16, 2009.

After playing several months with the Pirates High-A affiliate, Lynchburg Hillcats, Álvarez was assigned to Double-A Altoona Curve in late June.

Álvarez led the Pirates organization in home runs and RBI with 27 and 95 respectively.

He also batted .288 with an .917 OPS.

Álvarez started the 2010 season with the Pirates Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, as the 8th-best prospect in Baseball America's 2010 rankings.

In 66 games with the Indians, he hit .277 with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and 4 stolen bases.

Álvarez was called up to the MLB on June 16, 2010, and made his MLB debut against John Danks of the Chicago White Sox.

He went 0-for-2 with a walk, a strikeout, and a run scored.

His first MLB hit came against the Cleveland Indians on June 19, an RBI double off Indians starter David Huff.

The following several weeks of his career did not go so smoothly, however.

He struck out at least once in each of his first 10 games, capped off by a 4-strikeout game in a 14–4 loss to the Oakland Athletics on June 25.

Álvarez stands 6 ft and weighs 250 lb. A third baseman until late 2014, Álvarez transitioned to first base for the Pirates in 2015, and in 2016 became a designated hitter for the Orioles.

On June 19, 2018, he was designated for assignment by the Orioles.

Álvarez was born in the Dominican Republic to Pedro and Luz Álvarez.

As a young boy, he grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan.

Álvarez first attended the Mott Hall School for gifted and talented students in Morningside Heights, where he was an A student.

He then attended the prestigious Horace Mann School in the Bronx, choosing a school known for its high-level education but not for its sports programs.

Álvarez holds numerous baseball records there, most notably home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and RBIs.

Álvarez was named Athlete of the Year his senior season.