SARASOTA, Fla. - He's been an outfielder since the Orioles signed the Cuban native to an $800,000 bonus on July 26, 2013. But this season, Dariel Ãlvarez will be a pitcher and designated hitter when he plays in games in the O's minor leagues.
Long-known for his big-time right arm, Ãlvarez clearly fell behind a host of others on the Orioles' major league depth chart in the outfield. Now the organization wants to move him to the mound as a potential power reliever with hopes he can pitch in the majors and follow a path similar to that of one-time shortstop-turned-pitcher Mychal Givens.
There seemed to be the suggestion that Ãlvarez was reluctant to try pitching again - he pitched briefly in the Cuban pro ranks - but that may not be necessarily so. At least it wasn't at one time.
During an interview yesterday at Twin Lakes Park, Ãlvarez confirmed that he did showcases for major league teams as a pitcher before signing with the Orioles. He also mentioned that he was close to joining another American League East team to take the mound.
"In 2012, I participated in a showcase as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. There was some talk about them signing me as a pitcher, but it didn't materialize," Ãlvarez said through Ramon Alarcon, the Orioles' Spanish translater.
"It was pretty close (to a deal getting done) and I was hoping to follow that opportunity. Unfortunately, some things happened with my previous agent. But I was open to pitching at that time," he said.
It appears that the Red Sox scouts saw Ãlvarez bringing some heat.
"In Cuba, I was 95-96 (mph) with my fastball. In the showcase that I participated in with Boston, I touched 98. So confident in my arm," he said.
During parts of the 2006, 2007 and 2009 Cuban pro seasons, Ãlvarez was used to pitch briefly. Over 32 1/3 innings, he went 1-4 with a 3.62 ERA with 12 walks and 18 strikeouts.
When Givens converted to the mound in 2013, he threw 43 innings in 28 games at Single-A Delmarva. While we don't yet know to which affiliate the Orioles will assign Ãlvarez, he should follow a similar program on the mound as Givens. His outings will be scripted in that he will know which days he will be pitching and which days he won't and the organization figures to give him plenty of rest between outings.
Ãlvarez has been pitching at minor league camp for just over two weeks now, but manager Buck Showalter said the early returns are quite good.
"We had a conversation about him this morning (Wednesday). He's doing great," Showalter said. "He's going to pitch a maximum of 50 innings this year and they've got it mapped out just about through the whole season. And how to go about it.
"Ramon (Martinez, O's special assignment pitching instructor) worked with him a lot during the offseason and kind of laid the foundation for what is going now. You had to do it in parts, so to speak.
"They've already made a couple of adjustments with him that seem to help him. He's got some natural ability as a pitcher, other than his arm, that we want to take advantage of. He can spin the ball, too, and has a pretty good changeup. This is not just a guy that throws hard. I'm excited about where he is and the prospects of that, especially having another option on him next year."
One big difference from Givens is that Ãlvarez is expected to continue to bat and DH on days when he is not pitching. He'll keep active as a hitter, which should help him prepare for winter ball where he may still play some as a position player.
It also provides a rare potential future opportunity: a major league reliever that could also be used as a pinch-hitter or designated hitter.
Ãlvarez hit .288 with four homers and 49 RBIs for Triple-A Norfolk last season. In his O's minor league career, he is a .293/.324/.434 hitter. He was ranked as high as No. 5 as an outfielder at the end of the 2014 season on the club's list of top prospects by Baseball America.
He began spring training this year playing the outfield, and when he was sent to minor league camp on March 7, he officially became an Orioles pitcher with hopes of making the majors, just like every other youngster at Twin Lakes Park.
But this player is 28, older than most other players at minor league camp, and can be optioned to the minors this year and next. It gives the club two seasons to really find out what he can do on the mound.
"There is a pitching program that was designed for me and I am following that program, step by step, 100 percent," Ãlvarez said. "Everything is going well right now. I feel comfortable on the mound and am doing well. This is something I've done in Cuba when I was there. So I feel comfortable right now.
"I feel excited and happy that I get this opportunity. I am also hitting still, so that is just a blessing for me that I can do both. I'm excited for this opportunity."
Ãlvarez is working his way toward pitching in a minor league spring game, a simulated game or live batting practice sometime before O's minor league camp breaks at the end of this month. The tentative plan calls for his first minor league appearance on the mound to be on or around April 10.
"I talk with Brian (Graham, Orioles director of player development) daily and he is asking how my throwing program is going," Ãlvarez said. "I am just happy for the chance to continue to do both (pitch and bat) and then make the team make a decision on me. Just happy to continue to work.
"I am confident in my abilities to learn as much as possible over here. I just know that I can succeed if given the opportunity. Right now I am just following the program and only throwing fastballs. But I do also throw a curveball and a changeup. Right now just working on my fastball command and then later will work on my other pitches."
With a fastball that can touch the mid- and potentially upper-90s, the Orioles have to be intrigued to see what Ãlvarez can do as a pitcher. The possibility for him to also serve as a DH or pinch-hitter could provide the club essentially an extra roster spot of sorts if he can reach the majors and still be used as a hitter at times.
Ãlvarez does not lack for velocity apparently and the same is true of his confidence.
"I am confident that I can be in the big leagues this year," he said. "I believe in myself. I have all the tools. If given the opportunity, I am confident I can do that this year."
Team USA wins the WBC: They had never even played in the championship game in three previous World Baseball Classic tournaments. But last night Team USA won the WBC with an 8-0 victory over Puerto Rico behind right-hander Marcus Stroman. The Orioles' Adam Jones didn't have any hits last night, but he had so many big plays and hits in this tournament, highlighted by his walk-off hit in their first win over Colombia and that amazing catch against the Dominican Republic.
If some fans don't like the WBC after this year's event, I don't know what you are looking for in baseball entertainment. If some Orioles fans don't better appreciate Jones after this event, I don't know what you've been watching. Check out the Twitterverse after the victory.
Jim Leyland: Some players tell me this is the greatest experience of their life.'
-- Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 23, 2017
The homers. The catch. What a #WBC2017 for @SimplyAJ10! pic.twitter.com/8zi2IsRQH7
-- MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 23, 2017
What @WBCBaseball is all about. #WBC2017 pic.twitter.com/w7g4po6THB
-- MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 23, 2017
An emotional Jim Leyland after Team USA's #WBC2017 win. pic.twitter.com/uwctU30m3r
-- MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 23, 2017
Congratulations to the #Orioles own @SimplyAJ10, Mychal Givens and all of @USABaseball on the 2017 @WBCBaseball Championship! #ForGlory 🇺🇸 https://t.co/mXm2kN3CdR
-- Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) March 23, 2017