Abe Alvarez Promoted

Former Sea Dog Abe Alvarez was promoted to Boston to provide a lefty arm out of the bullpen. This is Abe's fourth cup with the Sox, and he's not had a lot of success (9 runs allowed in 7.1 innings pitched). This, plus the development of studs Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester, had many people forgetting about his prospect status. However, despite his 4.85 ERA in Pawtucket last season, he was the best pitcher on the staff at just 22 years of age. We forget just how young he's been compared to the competition ever since he was drafted out of Long Beach State in 2003.

Alvarez is a Bill Lee-type pitcher. Not a great fastball, but a lot of great junk and terrific control. Reports indicate that he's been working on a cut fastball thus far this season. The results have been pretty good. In 7 starts for the PawSox, he's 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA and a WHIP just over 1.00. His K/BB numbers aren't as good as they have been in the past, which may be the result of him working on other pitches, but his results speak for themselves. I think Abe still has a good career as a mid-rotation starter ahead of him, and could be a 15+ game winner with the right lineup around him. Here's hoping he gets a chance to pitch, and that he takes whatever opportunity to show what he can do.