FanShot

Keith Law on Pedro Alvarez

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Keith Law answered some fantasy questions at the request of ESPN.com editors. As you know, KLaw doesn't play fantasy. The first topic? Pedro. This is behind the pay wall at ESPN but it is just a piece of the article so I've posted the whole reply. "What's the floor/ceiling this season for Pedro Alvarez? "I've been asked by a lot of readers if Alvarez is a 'bust,' but I don't like hanging that term on position players who haven't even reached age 27 (Alvarez plays at 25 this year). But the Pittsburgh Pirates didn't handle him well -- I always thought they rushed him up the minors, promoting him the moment he strung together a few good performances -- and adjustments he clearly needed to make coming out of college remain unmade. He doesn't have an ideal setup or swing, and his recognition of offspeed stuff has never been great -- far worse than that when the pitcher is left-handed. "I think he needs more time in Triple-A to work on those issues, if only because time in the majors this year he is likely to see more strikeout accumulation, although he could probably hit 25 home runs if the Pirates force 500 at-bats on him regardless of his OBP."