José Alvarado

Note: This page is for P Jose Alvarado who made his big league debut in 2017; for others with the same name, click here.

José Antonio Alvarado Lizarzabal

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 2", Weight 245 lb.

Debut May 3, 2017

Born May 21, 1995 in Maracaibo, Zulia Venezuela

BR page

Biographical Information[edit]

José Alvarado has pitched in the majors and for the Venezuelan national team.

Alvarado was signed by Tampa Bay Rays scouts Euclides Vargas and Ronnie Blanco in March 2012. He was 2-3 with a 3.81 ERA for the VSL Rays that summer, walking 17 in 26 innings. In 2013, he was only 1-8 despite a 1.97 ERA and 54 whiffs in 45 2/3 innings. He was hampered by unearned runs (13 of the 23 runs he allowed) and the league's weakest offense. He led the Venezuelan Summer League in losses but was sixth in strikeouts, led starting pitchers in K/9 and would have been second in ERA had he qualified (behind Adbert Alzolay). The left-hander came to the US in 2014 with the GCL Rays and showed similar numbers in terms of record (1-5), control (29 BB in 40 1/3 innings) and strikeout rate (46). He was hard to hit (28 hits allowed) and had a 3.79 ERA despite his control issues. He was 4th in the Gulf Coast League in free passes. He had a rough 2015 with the Princeton Rays (0-2, 9.53) then made his Venezuelan Winter League debut as a LOOGY with the Tiburones de La Guaira (1-1, 1.42 in 6 1/3 innings over 14 games). With his fastball timed at 100 mph during 2016, he split time between the Charlotte Stone Crabs (2-1, 3.91 in 27 games) and Bowling Green Hot Rods (2-0, 2 saves, 1.46 in 10 games). He allowed a .199 average and struck out 85 in 70 2/3 ininings while walking 55 and uncorking 14 wild pitches. He was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in nine games for the 2016-2017 Tiburones but allowed four runs in 4 2/3 postseason innings.

He pitched for Venezuela in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. His first outing was a rough one. He relieved Silvino Bracho in the 6th with a 5-5 tie, one on and two out against Italy and retired Gavin Cecchini. In the 7th, now with a 8-5 lead, he walked both Brandon Nimmo and John Andreoli before Robert Suarez relieved; both would come in to score, giving him a 54.00 ERA for the day. Manager Omar Vizquel still had enough faith in him to turn to the hefty lefty again in a win-or-go-home pool-ending game against Italy, relieving Deolis Guerra with two outs in the sixth and a 1-1 tie. He allowed a homer to John Andreoli but no other hits in 2 1/3 innings and walked only one, while striking out four (three of them MLB veterans). By the time Francísco Rodriguez took over for him in the 9th, Venezuela had a 4-2 lead. They hung on for a 4-3 win and he had a crucial win for Venezuela.

Alvarado went from the Double A Montgomery Biscuits straight to the big leagues for his debut on May 4, 2017. Facing the Miami Marlins, he was beat up for 3 runs on just 2 hits in an inning of work, a two-run triple by J.T. Realmuto doing much of the damage. He settled in the Rays bullpen quickly, however, allowing one earned run in his next 10 appearances. On August 4th, he logged an immaculate inning against the Milwaukee Brewers and finished the season 0-3 with a 3.63 ERA in 35 games. He took one giant leap forward in 2018, with a 2.39 ERA and 8 saves in 70 appearances. Together with journeyman teammate Chaz Roe, they combined for 62 holds, leading the junior circuit with 31 each. It was a giant leap backward in 2019 for José as the Two Is (injury and inconsistency) limited him to 35 games (30 innings) and a 4.80 ERA. In the shortened 2020 season, he pitched 9 times, all in relief, logging 9 innings. He did not have a decision and an ERA of 6.00. He was on the Rays' postseason roster in the ALCS and pitched twice against the Houston Astros giving up no runs in spite of 1 hit and 3 walks in 1 2/3 innings; he did strike out 4 batters. Following the season, on December 29th, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rays acquired minor league 1B Dillon Paulson and future considerations in the deal.

Alvarado settled down into the role of relief ace with the Phillies, even if he wasn't the nominal closer, with three excellent seasons from 2021 to 2023. He went 7-1, 4.20 the first year, with 5 saves and 68 strikeouts in 64 games and 55 2/3 innings in what was his best season since 2018. He then improved upon that the next two years. In 2022, he went 4-2, 3.18 with 2 saves in 59 games with an even better strikeout rate - 81 in 51 innings. He was one of the key pitchers who helped get the Phillies not only into the postseason but all the way to the World Series. He pitched 12 times in the postseason, picking up a win and a save, as well as 14 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. The one blip came in Game 6 of the World Series on November 5th, when he gave up a massive three-run home run to Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Phils lost the game, 4-1, and the Astros claimed the title. In 2023, he was 0-2, but managed to lower his ERA to 1.74 in 41 1/3 innings spread over 42 games. He had 10 saves, a season-high for him, and struck out 64 batters. The Phillies returned to the Postseason where he was a busy man again, pitching 8 times over three series and giving up just 1 run in 8 innings. The Phils made it to the NLCS that year, before being ousted by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before that season, he had played for the Venezuelan national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He pitched three shutout innings and saved José Ruiz's win over Nicaragua. He tied Ruiz, Silvino Bracho and José Quijada for the team lead with three appearances. From his first appearance of the 2023 season with the Phillies on April 1st until April 12th, he set a record by striking out 11 consecutive batters over four appearances (the record was broken by Jeremiah Estrada one year later). He went 0-2, 1.74 in42 games during the season, notching 10 saves and striking out 64 in 41 1/3 innings. The Phillies made another deep run in the postseason, reaching the NLCS again, and he gave up just one run in 8 innings in 8 games, but did not get a decision or a save.

After establishing himself with the Phillies, he worked on getting members of his family to the United States from his native Venezuela. The process took a couple of years, due to the strained relations between the two countries, but in early December in 2023, he was able to welcome his mother, his sister and his two oldest children to join him in the home he had purchased in Miami, FL to accommodate his extended family (his father, his brother and a third child already lived there with him). The difficulties in moving the process along were a source of stress, and he spoke about it to the media during that year's postseason, explaining how painful it was not to be able to have his mother by his side at such important times. The interview helped to get some powerful people to intervene on his behalf, including the office of Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, leading to a successful outcome. This was not a special favor, but something the senator's office does regularly in favor of residents of the state stuck in a similar bureaucratic limbo.

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José Alvarado

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