Fans are getting restless. They are tired of the Pirates being all talk and no action. General manager Ben Cherington today said all the right things about improving the team and having higher expectations, but the team still sits with no real additions made.

So understandably, there wasn’t an enthusiastic response when news broke that the team signed reliever Elvis Alvarado and went so far as to add him to their 40-man roster.

But if you can look past the team’s underwhelming offseason so far, this is actually a very interesting signing for the Pirates.

First off, let’s break down the contract. Pending a physical, Alvarado’s deal is a split contract, meaning that he would be paid a different rate depending on whether he was in the majors or minors. It’s a deal that ensures the Pirates wouldn’t really be committed to any serious amount of money if they released Alvarado before the season.

The 25-year old spent last season in the Miami Marlins’ system, playing Triple-A ball for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (yes, that’s the real name and it’s awesome). He tossed 48.1 innings for Jacksonville, posting a 3-4 record with a 2.79 ERA, averaging 98 miles per hour on his fastball.

He had a very impressive 13.2 K/9 ratio, but also had a concering 7.1 BB/9 ratio in Triple-A, which massively drove up his WHIP to 1.469. Alvarado actually had more walks (38) than hits allowed (33) with the Jumbo Shrimp.

He was one of the most peculiar arms in the minor leagues last season; over half of the total batters in he faced Triple-A last season either walked or struck out.

It should be noted that Alvarado’s numbers are heavily inflated from a harsh start to the season. He surrendered 10 earned runs and 11 walks in 9.0 innings in April, and opponents hit well over .300 against him.

But from May until season’s end, Alvarado’s stat line was absurdly dominant:

• 41.2 innings pitched
• 1.08 ERA (5 total earned runs against)
• .151 opposing batting average
• 66 strikeouts
• 29 walks
• 1.214 WHIP
• 11 saves

Though his walks rate was still a little high, Alvarado blossomed in Jacksonville and locked down every opponent he faced. Right-handed hitters slashed .182/.342/.250 against Alvarado, and lefties only did marginally better at .193/.363/.284.

His rise is admirable. Deployed originally as an outfielder back when he was in the Washington Nationals system, Alvarado converted to pitcher in 2018.

Two years ago, Alvarado had a 5.18 ERA and .269 opposing batting average in Low-A and High-A. Despite his dominance in Triple-A, Alvarado flew under the radar enough for the Pirates to luck out and nab him, and now he will have the chance to carve out a role in a major league bullpen.

During the MLB offseason, Alvarado is playing in the Dominican Winter League for Estrellas, where he has a 1.04 ERA and 1.038 WHIP through 17.1 innings.