GLENDALE, Ariz. – On the floor, there’s nothing out of the bizarre a couple of 22-year-old getting tabbed for the Arizona Fall League. It’s typically the place that serves as a remaining proving floor for younger gamers on their solution to changing into huge leaguers.
The uncommon graduated prospect suiting up for the Glendale Desert Canine, Alvarez has 218 Main League at-bats underneath his belt, 188 of which got here this season for the Braves. But when all had gone in line with plan, he would have far exceeded that mark and sure not wanted some offseason fine-tuning within the first place.
First, a left wrist damage sustained throughout Spring Coaching that worn out the early portion of Alvarez’s season. He did not return till early June, however after two weeks with Triple-A Gwinnett, an indirect pressure put him again on the shelf. As July hit, he had simply 50 plate appearances underneath his belt, none on the Main League stage. He was champing on the bit.
“The sport received taken away from me and I used to be dropping my thoughts for about two-and-a-half months,” Alvarez stated. “Being round [Ronald] Acuña [Jr.] whereas he was coming again after which [Jurickson] Profar was down there, being round these guys, I really feel like that basically helped me going into the season since you get to construct a relationship with these two guys and so they they helped me loads simply from the psychological [side of] the sport.”
Alvarez hit third on Thursday in the course of the Glendale Desert Canine’ 13-7 win over the Scottsdale Scorpions, going 1-for-4 with a pair of walks and runs scored.
Simply 19 days in the past, Alvarez had the defining sport of his huge league profession up to now. He socked his first two MLB homers in Detroit in entrance of a frenzied Comerica Park crowd earlier than delivering the game-tying hit within the ninth. It was a glimpse into the most effective of his swing, one which carried him up the Braves’ prospect checklist and Minor League system on the similar age as many school upperclassmen.
“I am by no means gonna neglect that day,” Alvarez stated. “I imply, simply silencing the group within the ninth inning and getting the game-tying knock, I imply it is one thing that you just dream of. When conditions like that occur, I can not even put it into phrases how superior that was.”
It was a uncommon shiny spot. With out the good thing about a full Spring Coaching, and even a lot of a sustained rehab stint after accidents funneled him again to Atlanta, Alvarez was continuously working from behind. That’s troublesome for any hitter to do, however particularly so on the Main League stage, all at 22 years previous. All advised, it led to a .234 common and a .626 OPS.
So getting Alvarez at-bats main into 2026 turned paramount. Whereas he says he’s excited to “be round these younger guys once more,” the Fall League additionally provides him a possibility to see premium velocity and stuff for an additional 75-90 at-bats main into subsequent spring as he seems to be to carve out a distinct segment for himself amongst a Braves group making an attempt to bounce again into Nationwide League East rivalry.
Gamers within the Fall League typically solely rub elbows with huge league All-Stars throughout Spring Coaching or whereas rehabbing accidents on the advanced. Alvarez can attest to each of these issues, however he additionally has the firsthand expertise of what it’s like day in, day trip to look throughout the locker room and see Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley, after which need to try to drive them in later within the night time.
Lest anybody assume Alvarez hasn’t picked up a factor or two from notoriously Ironman-like Braves hitters reminiscent of Olson, his main focus isn’t at all times on the outcomes – it’s on simply having the prospect to supply by having the kind of capability that each one organizations search: availability.
“Simply the best way that they carry themselves on a day-to-day foundation is simply how I wanna carry myself from right here on out,” Alvarez stated. “Displaying up early and doing what you need to do to prepare for the sport and be prepared for [game time at] 7:15 as a result of that is all that issues – getting on the sphere and enjoying as exhausting as you may and going on the market for 162 [games] as a result of I imply, we receives a commission to play, so why not play all 162?”
