R.J. Alvarez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Diego Padres #11 prospect in 2015
  An Angels third-round pick in 2012, Alvarez has had no trouble adjusting to pro ball, logging 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings, giving up two home runs and allowing a .197 opponent average through 98 minor league appearances. He didn't allow a run at Double-A Arkansas during the first half of 2014, though he also missed a month with a sore elbow. Not long after his return in late June, Alvarez joined the Padres--along with Taylor Lindsey, Elliot Morris and Jose Rondon--in the trade that sent Huston Street to the Angels. Alvarez works with two plus pitches that played against big league batters during a September callup in 2014. He averages 95 mph on his fastball and backs it with a two-plane, mid-80s slider that consistently stymies righthanders, who hit .117 against him in 2014 and .140 the year before. He throws a changeup infrequently, though like his control it grades as below-average because of a maxeffort delivery that finishes with limbs flying in seemingly every direction. Alvarez profiles as a quality big league setup man, though he could close if he can lower his walk rate. He's big league ready.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #4 prospect in 2014
  The Angels have moved a number of future relievers to the rotation to get them additional innings. But in the case of Alvarez, they aren't messing with a good thing. He struggled to a 5.17 ERA in two years as a starter at Florida Atlantic, then took off as a reliever as a junior, posting a 0.53 ERA. Alvarez's approach suits a bullpen role, seeing as he dishes pure power from a high-effort delivery. The Angels worked to improve his direction to the plate in 2013. Alvarez throws a plus 93-99 mph fastball and now pairs it with a high-80s slider that flashes plus. The slider is a new addition, as it largely replaces a bigger overhand curveball that he struggled to throw for strikes. His violent delivery leads some scouts to see him as an injury risk, but he also has some of the best stuff in the system. Alvarez isn't too far away from being ready to help the Angels as a set-up man, and he could one day close.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #8 prospect in 2013
  Alvarez went a combined 9-7, 5.17 as a starter in his first two seasons at Florida Atlantic, and excelled as a reliever in the Cape Cod League for two summers. The Owls moved him to the bullpen in 2012 and he responded by posting a 0.53 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 34 innings. The Angels, who lost their picks in the first two rounds as compensation for signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson as free agents and had the lowest bonus pool allotment, used their top choice (114th overall) to draft Alvarez in the third round and signed him for $416,300. Alvarez has a quick arm that produces fastballs ranging from 95-97 mph in most outings and reaching as high as 100 mph. He can miss bats with both his fastball and his mid-80s slider, which features late action. He does have a tendency to get around his slider, causing it to morph into more of a power slurve. He has a fringy changeup in his arsenal, though he doesn't need it as a reliever. He has a high-effort delivery and throws across his body, which adds deception but affects his command. The Angels would like to move Alvarez through the system quickly, though his command will dictate that more than his stuff. He has the repertoire to eventually pitch in the back of their bullpen if everything comes together.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #78 prospect in 2012 draft
  Sun Belt Conference schools like Florida Atlantic don't get power arms capable of throwing 95-97 mph very often, so when the Owls got R.J. Alvarez to campus, they naturally put him in the rotation. The quick-armed 6-foot-1, 180-pounder made 26 starts and went 9-7, 5.17 in his first two seasons. In two summers pitching for Bourne in the Cape Cod League, however, Alvarez thrived in short relief roles, at times touching 97 mph with his fastball. Florida Atlantic moved him to that role this spring and he had similar success, going 5-0, 0.53 with 45 strikeouts and nine walks in 34 innings. The Owls use him for more than an inning or two, at times bringing him in during the middle innings and extending him, and he has shown consistent fastball velocity in the 92-97 mph range this spring with a hard slider in the 82-84 mph range with late bite. At times Alvarez gets around his slider, and like most high-effort relievers he has more control than command. He has a chance to move quickly as a pro.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Texas League #19 prospect in 2014
  Alvarez opened the season with 19 scoreless innings before missing a month with a sore elbow. He returned in June, just in time to be shipped to the Padres as part of the Huston Street deal. San Diego kept Alvarez in the TL with San Antonio and he posted similar results in a different jersey, striking out 12.7 batters per nine innings before joining the Padres' bullpen in September. Alvarez mixes an upper-90s fastball that occasionally reaches triples digits and a plus-plus slider with depth and late break. He worked in a setup role in a loaded Arkansas bullpen but converted seven of nine save opportunities for the Missions. Improved command in the zone could put him in the closer role in the majors.
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  Ranked California League #17 prospect in 2013
  No one in the Cal League had a bigger arm than Alvarez, who reached triple digits in the past and pitched at 94-99 mph for Inland Empire. Early in the year, Alvarez looked almost too hyped up whenever he came into games and struggled to command the ball, but he was more under control in the second half, allowing just two runs over his final 12 appearances. ?He has a live arm,? Lake Elsinore manager Shawn Wooten said. ?He probably has the best arm in the league.? Alvarez must clean up some violence in his delivery to further sharpen his control. Nonetheless, his pure stuff can make him a late-inning reliever in the majors. He had no problems missing bats in the Cal League, where his strikeout rate of 14.6 per nine innings ranked second among league pitchers who threw at least 40 innings. He?ll need to refine his hard, slurvy breaking ball to have the same success against upper-level hitters, however, who are less likely to chase it.

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Alvarez went a combined 9-7, 5.17 as a starter in his first two seasons at Florida Atlantic, and excelled as a reliever in the Cape Cod League for two summers. The Owls moved him to the bullpen in 2012 and he responded by posting a 0.53 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 34 innings. The Angels, who lost their picks in the first two rounds as compensation for signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson as free agents and had the lowest bonus pool allotment, used their top choice (114th overall) to draft Alvarez in the third round and signed him for $416,300. Scouting Report: Alvarez has a quick arm that produces fastballs ranging from 95-97 mph in most outings and reaching as high as 100 mph. He can miss bats with both his fastball and his mid-80s slider, which features late action. He does have a tendency to get around his slider, causing it to morph into more of a power slurve. Alvarez has a fringy changeup in his arsenal, though he doesn't need it as a reliever. He has a high-effort delivery and throws across his body, which adds deception but affects his command. The Future: The Angels would like to move Alvarez through the system quickly, though his command will dictate that more than his stuff. He has the repertoire to eventually pitch in the back of their bullpen if everything comes together.