Fantasy talk: Pedro Alvarez status report

Pedro Alvarez has always been a mystery in the fantasy baseball world. He is basically the definition of a streaky player. As a fantasy baseball player, I have had trouble identifying what he can provide as a third baseman. His career has certainly been an interesting one so far, and I'm sure everyone is excited to see how he will develop.

Alvarez was drafted 2nd overall in the 2008 draft by the Pirates. Drafting him that early in the draft definitely put a lot of weight on his shoulders, especially being drafted by a team that hasn't had a winning season in over a decade. Alvarez quickly rose through the Pirates' system, and some still believe to this day that Pittsburgh rushed him to the big leagues. He put up pretty good numbers in the minor leagues, and made his MLB debut during the 2010 season. His 2010 season was alright, but some believed that he could still develop considering he was 23 years old at the time. In 2010 he hit .256 with 16 homers and 64 RBI. The 2011 season was the complete opposite for Alvarez. He struggled to stay healthy, and did not hit well when on the field. He had several DL stints and and was eventually optioned to Triple-A to find his swing again. After the 2011 season, many people questioned Alvarez's work ethic, considering that he didn't want to play winter ball to work on his swing. Before the 2012 season, I did not expect much from Alvarez, or even the Pirates as a team for that matter. Man, was I wrong.

Alvarez has had a streaky season, but has been solid for the most part. He started the season striking out 13 times in his first 27 at-bats, but Pittsburgh decided to stick with him. He eventually started to heat up, and look like one of the best players in the game. Then he cooled down, and he hit the cellar. His batting average took a mighty hit, and his home run production was poor. Right now, as of August 12, he has 21 homers with 60 RBI in 383 plate appearances. Oh yeah, and his average is .234 with 119 strikeouts. So in essence, Alvarez has kind of been like Mark Reynolds, considering his strikeout-home run ratio. I know Reynolds' name is kind of like a curse to the fantasy baseball world, because his high strikeout numbers can kill his owners. I have a strong feeling that Alvarez will be the same way. There are better third basemen out there, but Alvarez is still a somewhat sleeper pick because he still has so much potential and ability to get better.

Overall, Alvarez's skills still remain kind of questionable. I think that it is safe to say that he will likely be a player with high strikeout numbers throughout his career. If only he can somehow raise that batting average and develop some type of consistency. Then he would easily be one of the best third basemen in the game. For now, like I said earlier, he still pretty much is a big question mark in the fantasy baseball world, but on the positive note, at least we know he has some power.