Miami seems like an odd place to find an Olympic short-track speed skater, but that is where Eddy Alvarez is from, and that is what he was. Alvarez won a silver medal in the 5,000-meter relay at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February, but skating is now part of his past.
After being a standout shortstop in high school, he moved to Salt Lake City to focus on speed skating, but he did spend one season playing baseball at Salt Lake Community College before suffering a serious leg injury and choosing to focus all his attention on the Olympics.
Now that he accomplished his goal of representing the USA in the Olympics he has turned his efforts toward his first love, baseball.
Early this month, Alvarez signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox and has been assigned to their short-season affiliate in the Arizona League where he is playing second base.
I had the chance to see him play on Wednesday, where I caught his worst game as a pro thus far. He was 4-11 in the three games leading into the game Wednesday and had already come through with two doubles and a triple. On Wednesday, I saw him go 0-5 including a strikeout and him grounding into a pair of double plays.
He was the shortest player on the field, standing 5’9”, and he is the type of hitter you would expect given his size and sport he participated in prior to coming back to baseball, a slap hitting lefty that can move pretty well.
His swing looks a lot like many Japanese hitters, where his body moves forward and through the ball allowing him to get out of the box quickly. His time from home to first was not that impressive, but that is not a result of him not having the speed needed to put together a good time. Instead, his momentum from his swing takes him out of the box toward the mound rather than toward the bag, causing him to cover more ground than he needs to.
There is no current of future power in his swing or body, but there is a chance of him putting up a solid average. That said, it is clear he hasn’t focused on baseball in a number of years as he has a hard time sticking with a good breaking ball, as do many other hitters at this level.
In the field, his speed skating background really shines through, especially when it comes to his lateral quickness. He is able to get to balls to his left and right very quickly, and is able to stay squared up to balls for longer than most because his first move is so explosive.
Overall, Alvarez was not someone that would stand out above the rest had it not been for the fact he was a former Olympian, but he is also very deserving of spot in the starting lineup based on his baseball skills. Despite being 24, which is very old for the level, he is still very raw because baseball has never been his sole focus. He certainly has the ability to stick in pro ball for a while, and could even get a few promotions to higher levels in time.