Henderson Alvarez
Encyclopedia
Henderson Javier Alvarez (born April 18, 1990) is a Major League Baseball
pitcher
for the Toronto Blue Jays
.
, going 1-2 with a 5.61 ERA. He signed with the Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent on August 17, 2008, and subsequently moved to the United States
, where he pitched for the GCL Blue Jays, going 1-4 with a 5.63 ERA and a strikeout to walk ratio of 5.67. He was promoted to the Lansing Lugnuts
of the Single-A Midwest League
for the 2009 season, where he was an All-Star with a 9-6 win-loss record and a 3.47 ERA. He played 2010 with the High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
, where he was a Florida State League
All-Star and was selected to the All-Star Futures Game
, going 8-7 with a 4.33 ERA. He started 2011 back in Dunedin, but was promoted after two bad starts to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
, where he was an Eastern League All-Star and was again selected to the Futures Game, going 8-4 with a 2.86 ERA
. He took the rotation spot of Carlos Villanueva, and made his career debut on August 10 against the Oakland Athletics
pitching 5.2 innings and giving up 3 earned runs on 8 hits, with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk.
On August 31, Alvarez recorded his first career win in a 13-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles
. He pitched 8 full innings, giving up just 3 hits, no walks and 5 strikeouts. He faced former Blue Jay starter Jo-Jo Reyes
, who went only 2.2 innings and surrendered 8 hits and 7 earned runs in his first game against his former team. At 21 years and 135 days, Alvarez becomes the youngest Jays' pitcher to record a win since Kelvim Escobar
in 1997, and the youngest starting pitcher to record the win for the Jays since Phil Huffman
in 1979.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
.
Minor league career
Alvarez made his professional baseball debut in 2007 with the DSL Blue Jays 1Dominican Summer Blue Jays
The Dominican Summer Blue Jays are a baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The DSL is a rookie level competition, and therefore the team is a rookie affiliate...
, going 1-2 with a 5.61 ERA. He signed with the Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent on August 17, 2008, and subsequently moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he pitched for the GCL Blue Jays, going 1-4 with a 5.63 ERA and a strikeout to walk ratio of 5.67. He was promoted to the Lansing Lugnuts
Lansing Lugnuts
The Lansing Lugnuts are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays, that plays in the Midwest League.The Midwest League came to Lansing, Michigan in 1996. The franchise began in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1955; after two seasons it moved to Waterloo, Iowa, where it...
of the Single-A Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
for the 2009 season, where he was an All-Star with a 9-6 win-loss record and a 3.47 ERA. He played 2010 with the High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Dunedin Blue Jays
The Dunedin Blue Jays are a minor league baseball team based in Dunedin, Florida. They play in the Florida State League, and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club...
, where he was a Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
All-Star and was selected to the All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
, going 8-7 with a 4.33 ERA. He started 2011 back in Dunedin, but was promoted after two bad starts to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a minor league baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major-league club....
, where he was an Eastern League All-Star and was again selected to the Futures Game, going 8-4 with a 2.86 ERA
Major League career
On August 9, 2011, Alvarez was called up to replace Wil Ledezma, who was outrighted to the Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas 51sLas Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
. He took the rotation spot of Carlos Villanueva, and made his career debut on August 10 against the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
pitching 5.2 innings and giving up 3 earned runs on 8 hits, with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk.
On August 31, Alvarez recorded his first career win in a 13-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. He pitched 8 full innings, giving up just 3 hits, no walks and 5 strikeouts. He faced former Blue Jay starter Jo-Jo Reyes
Jo-Jo Reyes
Joseph Albert "Jo-Jo" Reyes is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball...
, who went only 2.2 innings and surrendered 8 hits and 7 earned runs in his first game against his former team. At 21 years and 135 days, Alvarez becomes the youngest Jays' pitcher to record a win since Kelvim Escobar
Kelvim Escobar
Kelvim Jose Escobar Bolivar is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed...
in 1997, and the youngest starting pitcher to record the win for the Jays since Phil Huffman
Phil Huffman
Phillip Lee Huffman , is a retired Major League Baseball player who played pitcher in two seasons: 1979 and 1985...
in 1979.