Five breakout candidates for the 2015 Oakland Athletics
By Matt McHugh
Feb 25, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher R.J. Alvarez (37) throws during a workout at Fitch Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
R.J. Alvarez
Alvarez was acquired with Hahn from the Padres, which is why I think the Derek Norris trade was ridiculously lopsided. Alvarez was the Padres reward for Huston Street in their trade deadline deal with the Angels, and he had great success in both systems. He eventually made it to the big leagues in San Diego where he had a 1.13 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.
In 38 games in the minors last year he had a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a ridiculous 12.7 K/9 rate. While those numbers probably aren’t sustainable at the big league level, even if his ERA triples he would still be a productive reliever. Strikeout rates like that project future closer-level material, and he could very well contribute that level of production as soon as this year.
While I’m not sure if he’ll make the opening day roster, I think he’ll thrive in AAA and get called up in May or June. He’ll be a solid right-handed reliever for the rest of the year, with a WHIP around 1.10 and a K/9 over 9.0.
Next: Craig Gentry