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Right-handed hurler RJ Alvarez signed a contract with the Brewers’ farm system yesterday, Sunday, April 4.
RHP RJ Alvarez has been signed to a minor league contract.
— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) April 4, 2021
Alvarez factors in as a bullpen piece. A mid-90s fastball dominates his sequences via an exaggerated, kinetic delivery. He also brings a slider and an infrequently used changeup. He can certainly produce strikeouts but is prone to walks and allows a lot of traffic on the basepaths.
Alvarez has made major league appearances with San Diego and Oakland. Alvarez looked major league-ready for the future after 10 appearances and 8 innings with San Diego in 2014. Across that small sample size, Alvarez produced a 1.12 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. He had a rough year in Oakland in 2015, putting up a 9.90 ERA and 2.00 WHIP. Since then, he has bounced around minor league systems for the Cubs, Rangers, Marlins, and Red Sox.
Alvarez will likely start the minor league season with the Triple-A affiliate Nashville Sounds, a club he’s familiar with from his time with the A’s and Rangers systems.
Statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference, Fangraphs, and Baseball America