A Closer Look at Dodgers’ Yadier Alvarez

Yadier Alvarez may be a ways off from the majors, but he could be a major asset for the Dodgers down the road

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The Dodgers signed Cuban pitching prospect Yadier Alvarez to a $16 million bonus on July 2, 2015. Having never thrown a pitch in any of the top leagues in Cuba, he was a major unknown. Based off only a showcase for scouts, the Dodgers felt comfortable blowing past the international spending limit to sign the soon to be 20 year-old righty.

Frankly, he’s still a little bit of a mystery due to having no track record pitching to advanced hitters whatsoever. As of February 29^th, Bill Plunkett of the OC Register reports that Alvarez has reported to minor league camp after having cleared any documentation issues coming into the US. Now that he’s in camp we should start to learn a little more on who he is and how he pitches.

Until then, we know that he’s a lanky 6’3” weighing in at just 175, so he may have some more growing to do. Despite the slight frame he puts some serious juice on his fastball. He’s reportedly been clocked as high as 98 with his fastball but usually sits in the mid 90s range. If that’s not enough to pique your interest, scouts think his slider also has the potential to be a plus pitch in the future.

Seemingly the only knock against him as a player is his tendency to be a little wild with his pitches. This could limit his effectiveness as a starter, ultimately forcing him into a relief role. With his fastball-slider combo and velocity that wouldn’t exactly be the end of the world though.

In a word, Yadier Alvarez is promising. He’s currently ranked as the Dodger’s 10^th overall prospect by Baseball America. With all that promise comes some risk though. To sign him, the Dodgers exceeded their international bonus pool and will be limited to signing players to $300,000 bonuses or less for the next two signing periods. Couple that with his age and the lack of a track record, and you have a very risky prospect.

Given his age and inexperience, seeing Alvarez pitching for the Dodgers anytime before 2018-19 is a long shot. If everything goes according to plan, the Dodgers’ risk could pay off in a big way when he reaches the majors.