There is a common trope when players start arriving to spring training where reporters and beat writers declare that said player “is coming into camp in the best shape of their life.” Most of the time, it's a bit of an exaggeration. But when José Alvarado made his first appearance this year in Clearwater, the “best shape of his life” sentiment rang out loud.
The 29-year-old flame-throwing left-hander looked much thinner coming into camp. He was determined to get into better shape and bounce back from a down year in 2024 when he had a 4.09 ERA compared to a 1.74 in 2023.
“I switched out carbohydrates for protein. A lot of meat, veggies. Good protein, like avocados”, Alvarado told a group of reporters, including NBC Sports Philadelphia's Corey Seidman, last week.
So far, the change has seemingly made a difference. In two spring training appearances, each one inning, he has allowed just one hit, no runs and struck out four batters. But more importantly, the velocity and the movement on his pitches is already improved from last year.
José Alvarado lights radar gun after coming to camp looking completely different
In his spring training debut against the New York Yankees, Alvarado threw 11 pitches, consistently finding the zone, throwing seven of those for strikes. He featured his patented pitches, the devastating sinker and cutter. He topped 100 mph twice, and out of everyone who pitched in the game, he threw the five hardest pitches, ranging from 99.3 mph to 100.7 mph.
All of his velocities were up in this appearance in comparison to last season, in which he struggled. In the small sample size this spring, his sinker averaged 99.7 mph compared to 97.8 last season, and his cutter averaged 95 mph compared to 92.5 mph last season.
Another interesting detail arising from his appearance is that he threw two curveballs in his one inning of work. In the entirety of the 2024 season, he threw just three curveballs, and in 2023, he threw zero. His newfound curveball averaged 87.4 mph.
When asked why he threw his curveball, Alvarado noted that he wants to keep the hitters off balance, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
“I want the hitter to think, ‘OK, Alvy’s coming into the game,’", he said, per Zolecki. "I don’t want him to think, ‘He’s only got the sinker and cutter.’ Now, I’ve got a four-seam and a curveball. I worked on the curveball every day in the offseason.”
If he can keep the pitch in the strike zone, it can keep the batters guessing and on their heels.
Alvarado is entering the last year of a three-year, $22 million contract that has a team option for another year worth $9 million. With the amount of money already committed to the rest of the team in the coming year, it’s an important season for the eight-year veteran and the Phillies to determine if he will stick around Philadelphia in the future. If Alvarado can find his 2023 form, a $9 million commitment would be a bargain for a player of his caliber.
Alvarado has put in the work during the offseason and expects to see positive results. He is ready to turn the page from a disappointing 2024.
“I don’t really want to talk about last year,” Alvardo told Zolecki. “Last year is over. It’s a new year. That’s it.”
While the Phillies have been reluctant to name a set closer going into the 2025 season, they are surely hoping Alvarado can bounce back and be the dependable back-end bullpen piece that he was in 2023.