Alvarez Makes Major League Debut.

Abe Alvarez was called up to start the first game of the doubleheader yesterday afternoon, making his major league debut just over a year after being drafted out of Long Beach State.  He got boxed around a little bit, giving up 8 hits and 5 runs over five innings pitched with an uncharacteristic five walks, but he settled down after a three-run first inning and impressed catcher Jason Varitek in the process. 

Bringing up Alvarez for the start was kind of curious, in my mind.  I would think that the Sox would have wanted their best option to win the game on the mound - and maybe that was Alvarez, but he's never pitched above AA before and he could be expected to be nervous.  Plus, it starts the arbitration clock running for him at an early age, which could be a problem.

I would have expected someone from Pawtucket to make the start, most likely Frank Castillo, with Jamie Brown or John Stevens also in the mix.  All have pitched well for the PawSox, and Stevens and of course Castillo have a fair amount of major league experience.  It could be something as simple as the fact that none of those guys were ready (I haven't checked out the Pawtucket rotation), but since this double header wasn't a surprise, that seems like an issue that could be worked around.

The one other option (and the one that I hope is not the case) is that Alvarez was being showcased for a trade.  He's obviously the top pitching prospect in the organization, and maybe the Sox were putting him on display in hopes that he shows himself to be major league ready.  I don't think that Alvarez did anything to dissuade anybody from trading for him, but I think he obviously needs more seasoning.  If the Sox do end up trading Alvarez, I sure hope they get somebody real good in return.