Alvarez Called Up to Big Leagues

[Evilpens]

ScottDMcCauley So thats why he's been smiling w/his family? RT @Dejan_Kovacevic: #Pirates @Colin_Dunlap Pedro Alvarez called up



ScottDMcCauley Great moment in the clubhouse when Pedro called up. Teammates erupted & Pedro's smile stretches from Scranton to Pittsburgh.

[tocchet92]

TUESDAY, 15 JUNE 2010 22:13 WRITTEN BY COLIN DUNLAP
MOOSIC, Pa.
The player many Pirates fans consider hope, optimism and the can't-miss-prospect their favorite franchise hasn't had in decades is on the way.
Pedro Alvarez, the 23-year-old power-hitting No.2 overall pick in the 2008 draft was called up by the Pirates late Tuesday night following a game he played for the Class AAA Indianapolis Indians.
He found out as he walked out of the clubhouse via a cellphone call from Pittsburgh and immediately embraced his family, who was at his game.
More details to follow

[Waiting for LaRoche]

Great News.

I wish I could go to the game tomorrow and blow my vuvuzela the whole game in between chanting Pedro, Pedro, Pedro.

[SteelKeg]

Just got tickets for 6.25 on stubhub...some still there for $3...

[buccoray61]

Alvarez embraces 'the call' to join Pirates
Top prospect jubilant about making debut at PNC Park tonight
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
By Colin Dunlap, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Jake StevensThe Pirates promoted third baseman Pedro Alvarez from Class AAA Indianapolis.MOOSIC, Pa. --The Pirates' top power-hitting prospect in decades is on his way to PNC Park.

Pedro Alvarez, the 23-year-old third baseman and No. 2 overall pick in Major League Baseball's 2008 draft, received the word late Tuesday night following a game he played here for Class AAA Indianapolis against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

As he walked from the clubhouse to the Indians' team bus -- which was bound for Buffalo, N.Y., with his luggage and equipment bag already on it -- his cell phone rang.

It was a call from Neal Huntington, the Pirates' general manager, telling Alvarez to come to Pittsburgh.

He jumped in the air.

His fiancee shrieked, and his sister embraced him. His mother began to cry, and his father shook his head in apparent disbelief.

Pedro Alvarez then looked at them all and said, "That was the call."

Indianapolis manager Frank Kremblas emerged from the clubhouse and pulled Alvarez aside to tell him the Pirates would be in touch to sew up travel arrangements.

Alvarez, showing his youth, cut Kremblas off and replied, "I'll drive there right now. I'll just get in the car and go. Right now."

Truth is, it was Alvarez's swing that propelled him to Pittsburgh: He batted .277 in Indianapolis this season with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.

Alvarez seemed to understand the scope of the move.

"This is the first step in a long journey, hopefully," he said. "It is a big one. All those practices and all those long drives, it pays dividends in situations like this. ... I am at a shortage for words just trying to explain what this feels like right now."

Alvarez's story traces from a Little League phenom in New York City's predominately-Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood, through his time as a big-time NCAA slugger at Vanderbilt University, then his two-year sprint through the Pirates' system after the team paid him a franchise-record $6.355 million signing bonus.

Through it all, Alvarez has cited his tight-knit family as his stabilizing force. Pedro's father, Pedro Sr., woke early in the morning to work as a livery cab driver, his goal being to earn enough to attend Pedro's games and to make extra money to send him to a private school.

"I always told him, 'Pedro, this is a game, but it is a hard job, too,' " the elder Alvarez said Tuesday night through a translator, Pedro's sister, Yolayna. "He knew that he could get as far as he wanted, but he had to work hard."

Asked what will happen when he sees his son make his major-league debut, which will come tonight against the Chicago White Sox and left-hander John Danks, the elder Alvarez said, "I don't know how I will feel to see him on a big league field. I might cry, I don't know. There will be a lot of emotions. It will be an overwhelming moment."

"It is a big step, but it isn't the last one for me to take," Pedro Alvarez said. "It starts right now. I have a huge responsibility."

Late Tuesday afternoon, speaking before the Pirates' ninth consecutive loss, Huntington spoke at length in explaining why Alvarez was not with the team already.

"The reality is that we've got to make sure we make the decision for the right reasons, that we feel like he's ready to come up here and not just survive but do well," Huntington said. "Is he ready to come up and face the best situational lefties? You could probably argue he's not going to be ready to do that for a year-plus. Defensively, is he where he needs to be? We're certainly getting closer to that every day."

Early in the evening, two sources said that the Pirates were planning on sending Alvarez with Indianapolis to Buffalo for two, maybe three games, after which he could make his Pittsburgh debut Saturday or Sunday before the team embarks on a nine-game road trip.

After the game, Huntington would only confirm that Alvarez was "on his way," adding that the move will not be made official until this afternoon. Thus, it was not immediately known what changed in the Pirates' plan over the course of the day.

The Pirates also will announce a corresponding move to clear space on the 25-man roster for Alvarez. That could be the release of $4.85 million second baseman Aki Iwamura, batting .182 and benched recently in favor of rookie Neil Walker.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10167...#ixzz0r05WRbKN

[Steelreign]

Here we go. The future has arrived.

[moneytalks]

Sweet. I am actually going to the game in our work box, so I'll get to see him.

I just hope people are patient with him. We fans tend to be quick to call someone up, then we are even quicker to say how much they suck when they play in the majors.

[The Sodfather]

He better hit a couple of homers with Duke pitching.

[Waiting for LaRoche]

Anyone know what number he will be sporting?

[ihateusernames]

Since he's the stud of the organization, perhaps he'll be donning 9"?

[SteelKeg]

According to pirates.com....#17.

[wiggles]

he is only 1 person, he better be of at least Price Fielder quality, the way he has been hyped to the fanbase or else heads will role.

[exNCite]

According to pirates.com....#17.

Isn't that ironic? Could have been #18 too.

[PE1]

I agree we need to be patient with Pedro. He has struggled at every level before turning it on, so no reason to expect this will be different. He also strikes out a ton, so there will be times he looks bad. That said, we desparately need his 35 HR, 100 RBI bat in the lineup. He could help Jones too, as Jones should eventually see a lot better pitching with Pedro behind him...until Pedro takes over cleanup of course.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

WTF are the Pirates doing over there? They bring him up one game after they start this homestand to face a left handed pitcher when they could of just brought him up for last nights game to face a soft tossing right handed pitcher.

It isn't like he finally showed them what they were looking for to give him his promotion considering he was 0 for his last 12 over his last 3 games.

Glad he is up. Should of been up already.