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WASHINGTON – The website of Cal Poly baseball says that lefty pitcher Andrew Alvarez does “half things right-handed and half left-handed” away from the field.
But the southpaw certainly didn’t do things halfway in his pro debut this year.
Taken in the 12th round by the Washington Nationals in July, the California product posted some impressive numbers in limited action this season in his pro debut.
He began his career with the Florida Complex League team and had an ERA of 3.00 in three innings over two games.
Alvarez was then promoted to low Single-A Fredericksburg on August 27 and he did even better at the upper level.
Cal Poly junior southpaw Andrew Alvarez was drafted on the final day of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. #RideHigh https://t.co/icExTJ2UfG
— Cal Poly Baseball (@calpolystangs) July 14, 2021
In five games with the Virginia team, he gave up no runs and three hits in six innings of work.
Overall, he was 1-0 with an ERA of 1.00 in seven games over nine innings with 12 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.00.
That was just a continuation from the spring college season, when he made 14 starts with two outings out of the bullpen for Cal Poly.
In the second half of the season he was 4-1 with an ERA of 2.75 in his final eight starts and was named an All-Big West honorable mention pick.
He was one of two pitchers from the team drafted this year: Bryan Woo went in the sixth round to Seattle.
But it was Alvarez who was named the team’s Mike Krukow Outstanding Pitcher Award.
Krukow, a native of Long Beach, California, pitched in the majors from 1976 to 1989.
SLO ➡️ DC
— Cal Poly Baseball (@calpolystangs) July 13, 2021
Congratulations to Andrew Alvarez on being drafted by the @Nationals in the 12th round of the @MLBDraft! #RideHigh pic.twitter.com/7vd96rDGwI
He was drafted in the eighth round in 1973 out of Cal Poly by the Cubs and won 124 games in the majors including 20 with the Giants in 1986.
Krukow was teammates on the Giants with Matt Williams, the former Washington manager.
Alvarez, according to his bio, enjoys surfing and fishing and is part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
His sister, Annie, has played college soccer at Biola in California.
Another strong pro debut was turned in by pitcher Marc Davis, an 11th round pick by the Nationals out of Florida Southwest State College.
He was 0-0, 3.72 in five games with one start for the Florida team managed by Richmond native Jake Lowery, a catcher for Double-A Harrisburg in 2019.