Pittsburgh Pirates: Intriguing Non-Roster Invitees to Spring Training

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Utility man Andres Alvarez

After being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 22nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft, 25-year-old Andres Alvarez became a more notable name in the minor leagues last season. The utility man posted a .220/.339/.429 slash line, while hitting 20 home runs and driving in 50 runs. He also posted a 111wRC+ across 110 games.

Alvarez got on-base at a decent clip, walking 14.4% of the time at the plate, and stole 20 bases, becoming a baserunning threat. Alvarez's power came out of nowhere last season, finishing 3rd in home runs on the Curve behind notable power hitters Mason Martin and Aaron Shackleford. After hitting 7 combined home runs in three prior seasons (6 of which were from 2021), Alvarez has clearly figured something out.

While his slash line isn't "All-Star" worthy, he is still very impressive as a power-hitting infielder. With improving power potential and plus speed/baserunning ability, Alvarez could easily compete for a backup infielder role in the future and could surprise fans this spring.