It's Alvarez's job to lose: The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said 3B Pedro Alvarez and LF Alex Presley "will get the first shot" to win starting jobs at their respective positions this spring. The Pirates added Casey McGehee and Nate McLouth in the offseason in case Alvarez and Presley struggle. "We've seen Pedro good, and we've seen him not so good," Hurdle said. "We're looking to see a different quality to his at-bats this spring than we saw last year. And the same with Alex." (Updated 02/06/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 2/12/12).
Fantasy Analysis
It didn't go well for Alvarez from the get-go in 2011. He showed up at camp overweight, which raised some concerns. Alvarez then struggled to stay healthy and productive at the plate, which landed him in the minors a few times. But the No. 2 pick in the 2008 MLB draft has immense potential, especially as a power hitter, so Pittsburgh isn't giving up on him after one bad season. Let's hope Alvarez has a strong camp in 2012. If that happens, then he is back on the radar as a Fantasy sleeper. (Updated 02/06/2012).
01/03/2012 11:45 'Roids taint adds to tangle of debate, but HOF is really about impact
Listen up, Steroids Era players: Getting into the baseball Hall of Fame is a privilege, not a right. Jon Heyman says the stench of PEDs is likely hurting deserving players, but for him a HOF vote is all about impact.
Pedro Alvalrez showed some solid potential during his call-up in 2010 but regressed severely last season -- both with the glove and bat. He hit 16 homers with 64 RBI in 347 at-bats in his first year in the majors, but batted just .191 with four home runs and 19 RBI in 235 at-bats in the majors last season. The Pirates tried everything to get him back on track, including demoting him to the minors twice, but nothing seemed to work. Eventually they had to take him off the field because he was a liability on both offense and defense. The former No. 2 overall pick will have to show something during spring training if he plans on keeping his job at the hot corner as Pittsburgh brought in Casey McGehee this offseason to compete with Alvarez. The 24-year-old has the potential to be a solid option in Fantasy, but given his down 2011 campaign, leave Alvarez for deeper Fantasy formats on Draft Day. (Updated 1/12/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
