Less than a week after calling up top prospect Brett Lawrie, the Toronto Blue Jays are set to debut their second minor league stud in 6 days. This time it’s a pitcher.
Henderson Alvarez got the call yesterday and is set to make his debut tonight for the Jays when they take on the Athletics. The 21 year old was brought up to replace starter Carlos Villanueva in Toronto’s rotation.
After only two starts in High-A this season, Alvarez was bumped up to the more challenging Double-A level. He was unfazed by the increased competition, compiling an 8-4 record while posting a 2.86 ERA over his 15 games pitched.
Alvarez kept his WHIP below 1.20 and showed excellent command, allowing only 1.7 BB/9 which is right in line with his career average.
While he’s not known as a strikeout artist, Alvarez has been developing a slider this season in the minors. Alvarez believes that adding this new pitch to his repertoire will help those numbers increase over time.
"“I never pitch to strike out anybody,” Alvarez said. “I pitch to contact. I’m not thinking about strikeouts. I’m thinking about quick outs, pitch deep into games and now with the slider that’s the pitch I’m going to probably increase my strikeout ratio.”"
To make room for Alvarez, the Blue Jays demoted pitcher Wilfredo Ledezma to Triple-A.
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