Baltimore Orioles bring back Pedro Alvarez on minor league deal

The Baltimore Orioles have brought back one of their free agents, inking Pedro Alvarez to a minor league deal.

There was a time when Pedro Alvarez was expected to be one of the better players in the game. He was one of the top prospects in the game, a top ten talent that was expected to be a feared slugger for the Pittsburgh Pirates into this decade. However, while he did hit for some power, with three seasons with over 25 homers. In 2013, Alvarez made his only All Star Game and won the Silver Slugger at first, while leading the National League with 36 homers.

However, Alvarez had trouble making consistent contact, striking out in more than 30% of his plate appearances in his first four years. With Josh Bell the future at first, Alvarez was allowed to enter free agency following the 2015 campaign. He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles, turning in a typical Alvarez season while splitting time between third and DH. In 2016, he hit 22 homers, producing a .249/.322/.504 batting line, striking out 97 times in 376 plate appearances.

Last year, he barely made an impact in Baltimore, spending most of the season in AAA. He appeared in 14 games, and managed to hit a homer, but also struck out 10 times in his 34 major league plate appearances. A free agent once again, Alvarez has decided to return back to the Orioles, signing a minor league deal.

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The contract includes an invitation to the major league portion of Spring Training, although it is likely that he will remain in the minors for the majority of the year. Should Alvarez make the major league roster, he would earn $1 million, with a chance to get another $2 million in bonuses.

However, Alvarez would face quite the uphill battle to make the Orioles 40 man roster. The experiment of putting him in the outfield, as the Orioles did at AAA last year, has ended, leaving Alvarez as a first baseman/designated hitter. Baltimore has those slots filled with Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo, leaving little room on the roster for Alvarez.

Unless an injury occurs, he is likely to resume his role as minor league depth once again. Last year, Alvarez posted a .239/.294/.442 batting line with the Norfolk Tides, hitting 26 homers and 31 doubles. The power is still there, but Alvarez just has not made the consistent contact needed to become the star he was expected to be.

Next: Orioles taking chance on Rasmus

The Baltimore Orioles are bringing back Pedro Alvarez on a minor league deal. Chances are, he will not make that much of an impact this year.