Leave Pedro Alvarez Alone!

Go find a Pirates fan forum. Quick, what’s the first thing they’re complaining about? If you guessed Pedro Alvarez, you get a gold star. Is there sufficient reason to be frustrated with Pedro? Sure there is, he’s hitting .173 right now. That’s not what you want to see from a guy who was drafted to be the cleanup hitter for the Pirates, a centerpiece of the lineup for years to come.

Apr 26, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez (24) hits a sacrifice fly against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Pedro is streaky, get used to it. By the end of this year, Alvarez will have another twenty-five to thirty home run season while hitting his weight, which is what the expectation for him should be, going forward for the next few years. Pirates fans should be focused less on Pedro’s current struggles, and more on the good things going for the team right now.

Andrew McCutchen went 4-4 last night, and is hitting .464 over his last seven games, bringing his average up to a respectable .276. Jeanmar Gomez found out he was starting for the Pirates last night at four P.M., and went out and gave the Pirates five scoreless innings.  Starling Marte is quickly proving that he is the five tool player the Pirates hoped he would be, by ripping the league to shreds over the opening weeks of the season.

Despite all these good things going for the team, there always seems to be a group of Pirates fans after Pedro with pitchforks and torches, as if he’s what they need to be most concerned with at all times. Pedro is a notoriously slow starter (as is Andrew McCutchen, in case you haven’t noticed), the panic train needs a few less people riding it right now. The team is winning games, and doing so against good competition. Let’s at least give all of the Alvarez hate a rest until it starts affecting the rest of the team. Recognize the issue with Alvarez, but don’t let it be the only thing you focus on. There are a lot of good things happening for this team right now.

(Brief side note: This week and next week will both be an extended time of studying and exams for me, so please understand  if my posts are a bit rare over that time, or if they see a drop from their already mediocre quality. Thank you.)