Posted by Mike Caprio April 22, 2009

Yesterday we continued our week-long feature on Top Prospects on the Farm, with a 2009 update on the Rangers’ Prospect Neftali Feliz.

Throughout the week we will continue to highlight Keeper League GM’s top prospects still on the farm, not named Wieters or Price, how they’ve fared in their early season debuts and what that means to fantasy baseball owners as we get deeper into the season.

Courtesy: Icon Sports Media Inc.

Pedro Alvarez, Third Base, Pittsburgh Pirates (KLGM Hitting Prospect #5)

In any draft, signability plays an enormous role in draft position…especially when you have Scott Boras in the mix.

Last year was no exception, with power-hitting college 3B Pedro Alvarez viewed by many as the top MLB-ready hitter in the draft falling to the Pirates at #2.

For the Rays who owned the first pick, haggling with Boras, especially with a main-stay already at 3B in Tampa, proved to be unpalatable for Andrew Friedman, who instead selected high school shortstop Tim Beckham #1 in last year’s amateur draft.

The drama didn’t end for Alvarez on draft day however, with the Pirates and Boras entering dangerous ground in their last minute (and some would say over-the-limit) negotiations prompting commissioner intervention.

As a result, Alvarez, though eventually signed by the Bucs, didn’t play his first professional game until this Spring Training.

Alvarez profiles as a power hitter corner infielder from the leftside of the plate.  At Vanderbilt as a freshman, Alvarez hit .397 with 17 home runs, 65 RBI, 72 runs, an on-base percentage of .467, and a slugging percentage of .706 (1.173 OPS).

So far in 13 games this season for the Pirates Hi-A affiliate Lynchburg Hillcats his line is:

.268 AVG, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 0 SB, .389 OBP, .512 SLG (901 OPS)

Alvarez has taken some knocks on his attitude and work ethic, as well as lingering doubts about his ability to consistently hit top southpaws (500+ point difference in OPS from L/R).

However, this run by Pittsburgh notwithstanding, Alvarez is a draw and could help the Bucs for the stretch run.  Look for Alvarez, unless there is a dramatic regression at the plate  to be up in Pittsburgh when rosters expand in September.

Alvarez is a must-own in all Keeper Leagues and remains a “wait and see” in traditional Roto or PPA leagues for this season.

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