http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Friday, July 23, 2010
Finally, there is a reason to watch baseball at PNC Park that has nothing to do with bobblehead dolls or fireworks promotions.Yet everything to do with bobbleheads and fireworks.
It's about watching Pedro at the plate.
Pedro Alvarez has provided pop the Pirates' lineup hasn't seen since Jason Bay was traded to the Boston Red Sox in a three-way deal. Alvarez provides the most promising power bat by a corner infielder since Aramis Ramirez was traded in 2003.
It's not just the eye-popping numbers the 23-year-old Alvarez has put up in the past week — batting .417 with four home runs and nine RBI in the six games entering Thursday night's matchup with Milwaukee — but that he is turning every at-bat into a must-see event for the Pirates.
Or, at least, a must-hear event.
After watching him whiff with alarming regularity in June, all you have to do is listen to the ball bounce off his bat the way it has this month to know Alvarez is something special. He credits his benching June 27 at Oakland for helping the game slow down for him. After striking out 22 times in his first 46 at-bats, he went 21 for 62 (.339) through the first 16 games of July.
"It's my nature a little bit," Alvarez said. "You've got to keep an even keel. When things are going well, it's easy to get carried away. When things aren't going well, you have to keep that levelheadedness.
"That's what I try to do."
But Alvarez has Pirates fans bobbing their heads in approval with the fireworks that follow his home runs, as he became the first rookie in Pirates history and second major leaguer this season to homer twice in back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday against the visiting Brewers.
"What he's done the last couple days, that's enormous," said Pirates second baseman Neil Walker, who played with Alvarez in Triple-A Indianapolis. "Four hits in an inning can be made up by one hit sometimes with a guy like Pedro, because he's capable of driving the ball out of any part of the yard.
"That's impressive. That's what he's capable of. I've seen him in the minor leagues hit some balls a long, long way. He's just strong. To have a presence like that in the lineup, to watch him get more comfortable over time, that's scary for opponents, really."
Alvarez hit a hanging curve for a grand slam over the 21-foot Clemente Wall and a hanging slider for a solo shot in Tuesday's 11-9 win over the Brewers, then drove one to dead center and added another solo shot that would have sailed out of the ballpark if not for the right-field foul pole in Wednesday's 15-3 win.
That 320-foot right-field fence — already being dubbed Pedro's Porch — should be inviting for the left-handed hitter. But opposing pitchers, who don't have much of a scouting report to go on against Alvarez, are learning that he's not just a pull hitter who thrives on the short side of the diamond.
"With his power, he can be dangerous in any park," said Brewers southpaw Randy Wolf, who watched Alvarez take his fastball down the middle for a 406-foot ride. "I've seen him hit three balls to dead center, and it's a big yard to center here. If you can hit the ball to all fields with authority, you're going to be a good hitter no matter what park you're in."
It was his struggles against breaking balls and left-handed pitching that kept Alvarez in the minors until June 15. The transformation this month shows why he was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2008, one who commanded a club-record $6 million signing bonus that's looking like a bargain.
"Once he gets comfortable and plays within his abilities, then the fun starts," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "We're starting to see that here. He's laying off pitches that he chased early on. He's hitting mistakes, but he's also hitting some pretty good pitches. He's a work in progress. We're going to have some stretches where he struggles, but he's going to be a lot of fun to watch."
That's where we disagree.
Alvarez already is fun to watch.
And just as fun to listen to.
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