Henderson Alvarez Impresses Against The Boston Red Sox
September 7th, 2011
If the Toronto Blue Jays are going to take the next step in the American League East, I think they need a couple of things. First, I think they need another bat to go along with Jose Bautista (Prince Fielder perhaps?) and second, I think they need a couple of their young starters to step up behind staff ace Ricky Romero.
Kyle Drabek didn’t work out for the Blue Jays this season, but Henderson Alvarez is making up for whatever Drabek couldn’t deliver. Fresh off of his eight-inning masterpiece against the Baltimore Orioles on August 31, Henderson faced a much stiffer test in the Boston Red Sox on Labor Day and man, was he good.
Alvarez tossed six shutout innings while striking out six, walking one, and allowing just four hits in the 95-pitch effort. As a 21-year-old, I really liked what Alvarez brought to the table on Monday.
Alvarez featured a two-seam and four-seam fastball to go along with a changeup and slider. I thought his best pitch on Monday was his four-seam fastball. It was Greg Maddux-esque. The best one of the day was thrown to Josh Reddick in the fourth.
The third pitch, the strike out pitch, had tremendous horizontal movement as you can see. The pitch started out at Reddick’s hip and ended up right on the inside corner. It was an unhittable pitch.
What I liked about Alvarez the most was the confidence and command he showed on the mound. So many young pitchers lack confidence in their stuff and nibble. This will get a pitcher in trouble every time.
Alvarez attacked the Red Sox. He threw first-pitch strikes to the 14 of 22 batters he faced and he pounded the zone all day. The Red Sox are an extremely patient team, but it’s hard to be patient when you are down 0-2 every AB. A pitcher who throws strikes on a consistent basis is kryptonite to a patient team.
Alvarez displayed tremendous stuff on Monday and as he matures, he could develop into a legit No. 2 or 3 starter. Outside of stuff, he has another thing going for him: Felix Hernandez. King Felix has helped serve as a mentor to Alvarez and that can only help.
Here are some other things you should know about Henderson Alvarez…
Age: 21
Throws: Right
College: None
Drafted: Signed as an amateur free agent out of Valencia, Venezuela in 2006.
Minor League Stats:
| Year | Tm | Lev | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Blue Jays 1 | FRk | 5.61 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 25.2 | 1.714 | 12.6 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 7.0 |
| 2008 | Blue Jays | Rk | 5.63 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 46.1 | 1.489 | 12.2 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 6.6 |
| 2009 | Lansing | A | 3.47 | 23 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 124.1 | 1.126 | 8.8 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 6.7 |
| 2010 | Dunedin | A+ | 4.33 | 23 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 112.1 | 1.460 | 11.0 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 6.2 |
| 2011 | 2 Teams | AA-A+ | 3.18 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 96.1 | 1.142 | 8.6 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 6.5 |
| 2011 | Dunedin | A+ | 6.48 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 | 1.440 | 11.9 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 4.3 |
| 2011 | New Hampshire | AA | 2.86 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 88.0 | 1.114 | 8.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 6.8 |
| 5 Seasons | 4.02 | 83 | 78 | 2 | 0 | 405.0 | 1.301 | 10.0 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 6.5 | ||
| A+ (2 seasons) | A+ | 4.48 | 25 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 120.2 | 1.459 | 11.0 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 6.1 | |
| A (1 season) | A | 3.47 | 23 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 124.1 | 1.126 | 8.8 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 6.7 | |
| AA (1 season) | AA | 2.86 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 88.0 | 1.114 | 8.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 6.8 | |
| FRk (1 season) | FRk | 5.61 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 25.2 | 1.714 | 12.6 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 7.0 | |
| Rk (1 season) | Rk | 5.63 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 46.1 | 1.489 | 12.2 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 6.6 | |
Keith Law Ranking and Analysis:
Ranking: N/A. Alvarez was not in Law’s top 100 prospect list for 2011, but Alvarez did make his top-10 Blue Jay prospect list. He came in at No. 10
Analysis: N/A
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