The Minnesota Twins made a move on Sunday night, signing infielder Armando Alvarez to a minor league deal.
A former draft pick by the New York Yankees in the 17th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Alvarez made his major league debut with the Athletics last season and brings some intriguing minor league production to the Twins’ organization.
Armando Alvarez took long minor-league path before signing with Minnesota Twins
Alvarez caught the Yankees' attention during his final year of college at Eastern Kentucky, hitting .409/.455/.646 with 13 home runs and 58 RBI in 2016. Alvarez reached the Triple-A level in 2019, hitting .277/.327/.429 with six homers and 44 RBI in 66 games with Scranton’Wilkes-Barre but his major debut was delayed when the minor league season was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Alvarez struggled with a .236/.304/.389 line with 10 homers and 52 RBI in 2021 but rebounded to hit .278/.319/.525 with 18 homers and 55 RBI in 91 games at Triple-A in 2022. The performance wasn’t enough to work his way into the Yankees’ plans, however, and Alvarez signed with the San Francisco Giants in minor league free agency the following winter.
The Pacific Coast League treated Alvarez well over the past two seasons, hitting .308/.379/.581 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI in 74 games with Sacramento in 2023 and hitting .315/.407/.560 with 15 homers and 54 RBI in 75 games after moving to the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last season.
The performance helped Alvarez make his major league debut last June, but he never stayed on the Athletics’ roster. He hit .243/.282/.270 with two RBI in 16 games before he was outrighted in October.
Alvarez played first base, third base, and left field in the minors last season but spent most of his time with the Athletics at the corner infield spots. The interesting connection is at first base, which is also the Twins’ weakest position, with Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien the favorites to start on Opening Day.
The Twins probably aren’t counting on Alvarez to be an everyday player and it would be shocking for Alvarez to emerge at first base considering Rocco Baldelli’s preference to have a strong defender there. But it also wouldn’t be a surprise considering Minnesota’s lack of action this offseason due to payroll constraints.
The most likely scenario is that Alvarez provides minor-league depth where the Twins need it. If his offensive production continues, Alvarez could be a call away from Minneapolis or another flier the Twins can easily move on from during Spring Training.