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jamus23 · 03-05-2008, 09:59 PM

Tito Alvarez:

Have bat, will travel. That was slugger Tito Alvarez's motto over his 16-year reign of terror as one of the more successful hired guns in league history. Four* different teams employed the switch-hitting right-fielder, and all four went to the postseason at least once with Alvarez on the roster. Three of the teams won a World Series with Alvarez. All told, Alvarez went to the playoffs six times, and reached the World Series five times, winning three.

(*Technically, he was a member of five different organizations, but he played in the majors for only four of them.)

From the beginning of the league to the mid 2020's, the Atlanta Braves enjoyed consistent success, posting winning records in all but five seasons from 2003 to 2026. They won eight division titles, and reached three World Series, winning in 2014 and 2021. The late '20's into the mid-30's were not so kind, however, and the Braves had only two winning seasons from 2027 to 2036. In 2035, the Braves had the fifth pick in the draft, and with it, they selected 22-year old Tito Alvarez. Alvarez began his professional career at AA,and spent 2 1/2 months at that level, hammering away at overmatched pitchers to the tune of a .312 batting average and 17 homeruns in only 282 at bats. In mid-June, the Braves decided to challenge Alvarez by promoting him directly to the majors. He lasted until the end of July, collecting only 2 hits in 10 at bats. He got another shot in August, but went hitless in 8 at bats. His playing time increased in the final month of the season, but he continued to struggle. He finished with an unimpressive .517 OPS in 52 at bats. Still, after an .885 OPS at AA and a .964 OPS in 58 AAA at bats, he was a good bet to make the Braves' roster in 2036. It's not as though the Braves were so loaded with talent that Alvarez couldn't fit in; after all, Atlanta wound up losing 97 games in 2035.

In fact, Alvarez did not start the year on the 25-man roster, as the Braves signed veteran right-fielder Albert Montiel as a free agent, and Alvarez was sent to AAA to begin the '36 season. He was down there for about two weeks. After putting up an .824 OPS in 66 at bats, Atlanta recalled Alvarez and began to look for ways to get him into the lineup regularly. Alvarez made it easy for the Braves, and quickly began tearing the cover off the ball. In April, he delivered 7 hits in 15 at bats, 4 for extra bases. In May, he hit.375 with a 1.083 OPS in 66 at bats. Other than a slump in the month of July, Alvarez demolished the ball all season long, and took home Rookie of the Year honors after hitting .315 with a .928 OPS, 21 homeruns, and 88 runs batted in. He even went 14/15 at stealing bases. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of Alvarez and the league's third highest scoring offense, the Braves could not overcome the league's second worst pitching staff, and finished with a 71-91 record. Amazingly, that was almost good enough to win a weak Southeast Division, as Nashville finished in first place with only 76 wins.

Despite the dreaded "sophomore slump" for Alvarez, Atlanta tied for the most runs scored in the entire league and parlayed that into a division title, going 88-74 to win the Southeast. Alvarez saw his OPS drop to .788, and despite having well over 100 more at bats as he had the year before, he hit just 5 more homeruns. In the playoffs, the Braves were matched up against Grand Rapids- the team that they had tied with in runs scored. Alvarez acquitted himself well against the Tigers, putting up a .930 OPS with 3 doubles and a homerun in 22 at bats, but Atlanta fell in six games to Grand Rapids.

Many times in professional sports, a trade happens that simply can't be explained. In 2038, such a trade occurred. In mid-July, with the Braves locked in a heated divisional race with Nashville and Washington, Tito Alvarez was inexplicably dealt to the Tucson Diamondbacks, who were themselves battling with Memphis and Kansas City for the Central crown. In return, Atlanta received three unexciting prospects. Alvarez responded with the greatest homerun campaign of his career, smashing 51 long-balls, 24 of which came in the final two months of the season. Tucson just barely beat out Memphis in the Central, winning 106 games to the Grizzlies' 105. Atlanta also survived its division race, beating out both Nashville and Washington by two games, and finishing with 94 wins. It's not often that a player gets a chance for revenge so quickly, but Alvarez made the most of his opportunity, delivering 3 homeruns and 5 runs batted in the Diamondbacks seven game triumph over Atlanta. One of Alvarez's homeruns game in Tucson's 3-2 Game Seven victory.

The Tucson Diamondbacks had previously reached the World Series in 2005, 2006, and 2033, and had lost all three times, twice to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now in 2038, they would make their fourth appearance in the championship, and they would face a Pittsburgh team that had been in five of the previous six World Series and won four of them. Alvarez had 2 hits and drove in a run in Game One, but the Pirates offense proved to be too powerful, thumping the Diamondbacks, 11-6. Alvarez was one of the few Tucson hitters who contributed little in the Diamondbacks wild 10-9, 11-inning victory in Game Two; he was just 1 for 5 with a walk and a run scored. He was also a non-factor in Tucson's 4-2 win in Game Three, going hitless in three at bats. In Game Four, he collected 2 hits and scored a run, as Tucson pounded the Pirates, 13-5. Alvarez had 2 hits and a homerun in Game Five, but Tucson fell, 4-3. With the Diamondbacks trailing 2-0 in Game Six, Alvarez delivered a two run homerun in a five-run third inning, and the Diamondbacks cruised to an 8-3 victory,capturing the first World Series in franchise history.

Alvarez proved that 2038 wasn't a fluke by putting up a .951 OPS with 34 homeruns in 2039, but Tucson missed the playoffs despite winning 101 games. The Diamondbacks wound up finishing 6 games behind the Kansas City Royals. Tucson returned to the postseason in 2040, winning 100 games to take the Central Division by 10 games over Memphis. Alvarez hit 44 homeruns and had a .919 OPS. In the ALCS, the Diamondbacks would face a familiar foe: the Atlanta Braves. Tucson survived in seven games, but Alvarez didn't do much to help, He managed just an .080 batting average, with one homerun and one RBI. In the World Series, Tucson was pitted against the Sacramento Kings, a team that was in a similar position as the Diamondbacks had been in 2038. Sacramento had reached three previous World Series(2003, 2027, and 2031) and had lost them all. Alvarez had 2 hits and 2 RBI in Game One, but Sacramento prevailed, 7-4. Worse, Alvarez left the game with a pulled groin muscle, and would not play again that season. Despite Alvarez's absence, Tucson managed to win the next two games in close, low-scoring affairs(4-3 and 2-0). The Diamondbacks didn't win again. Sacramento's offense woke up and outscored Tucson 23-12 over the next three games to win the World Series in six games.

In 2041, Alvarez left Tucson as a free agent and decided to sign with the hapless Nashville Predators. Nashville was one of four teams to lose 100 games in 2040. The other three were part of the 2038 expansion group. Alvarez slugged 38 homeruns and posted an .885 OPS and helped the Predators to an 85-77 record. Unfortunately, the Southeast Division ran roughshod over the Central that year, and every team in the Southeast had a winning record, while every team in the Central had a losing record. Thus, Nashville's 85 wins were only good enough for fourth place in the division. The balance evened out in 2042, so despite winning the same number of games, Nashville improved to second place in the division.Alvarez had a .952 OPS and 41 homeruns. In 2043, Alvarez posted his first season with an OPS over 1.000, coming at 1.026. He also crushed 47 homeruns. Despite this, the Predators slumped to just 77 wins.

Entering the 2044 season, the Nashville Predators had gone nearly ten years without a World Series appearance(2036) and nearly fifteen years without a World Series victory(2031).That drought would come to an end. Alvarez put up a .924 OPS and 41 homeruns to lead the Predators to a 96 win season and a Southeast Division title. In an ALCS that was all about offense, the Predators outlasted the Denver Broncos in seven games. Alvarez delivered 3 hits and an RBI in an 8-2 Game Five victory. After Denver routed Nashville 9-0 to force a seventh game, Alvarez single-handedly the American League pennant to Nashville. In Game Seven, Alvarez blasted three homeruns and drove in seven runs in an 11-1 beatdown.

Now the powerful Predators' offense would be put to the test. Their World Series opponent would be the defending champion, 114-win Portland Trailblazers, who had the most dominant pitching staff in all of baseball. Portland's league-leading 2.87 team ERA was over a full run better than the second best team in baseball(Pittsburgh at 3.93). Luckily for Nashville, they would not have to face the great Hector Soriano, who had gone 28-4 with a 1.28 ERA in the regular season. Soriano had been injured in late September, and would not be available for the Trailblazers. That was only a small consolation, as Portland still had Michael Tardiff(20-8, 2.72), Mariano Azevedo(15-5, 2.74), and Emilio Gula(23-11, 3.26) at its disposal.

They say pitching wins championships, but in this case, it turned out to be incorrect. In Game One, Alvarez's three run homerun in the third inning gave Nashville a 5-0 lead, and the Predators hung on for a 7-5 victory. In Game Two, Alvarez gave Nashville an early 2-0 lead by blasting a first inning homerun. Portland's offense came to life, and after the top of the fourth inning, the Trailblazers led by a score of 8-2. It didn't hold up. Nashville scored 7 runs(one came from Alvarez's second homerun of the game) in the bottom of the fourth to take a 9-8 lead. After Portland tied it up, Nashville again took the lead. The 10-9 lead held up, and Nashville had a 2 games to none lead. In Game Three, Nashville erased a 3-0 lead by scoring 2 runs in the fifth inning and 6 runs in the sixth. Nashville hung on for an 8-7 victory. Portland prevented a sweep by winning Game Four by a score of 4-3. The Trailblazers had a 2-0 lead through four innings in Game Five, but that lead also evaporated. Nashville tied the game with runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and took the lead on Alvarez's two-out, two-run homerun in the seventh inning. Portland scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game up, but Nashville responded with two more eighth inning runs. The Predators hung on for a 6-4 victory. It was Nashville's fourth World Series title, and it was brought about by one of the greatest postseason performances in history. Tito Alvarez belted 9 homeruns and collected 19 runs batted in while posting a 1.220 OPS.

For the final time in his career, Tito Alvarez packed his suitcase. After delivering Nashville a championship, Alvarez entered the free agent market and signed with Memphis. The Memphis Grizzlies had an interesting history. They were known first for losing three consecutive World Series(2008-2010), then they were known for being the first team to lose four World Series without winning one, and finally, they were known for the '32 team that shocked the world by winning the World Series in a season in which they won just 78 games. Memphis had enjoyed quite a bit of success following that magical '32 team, but they hadn't won a championship since. Heck, they hadn't even been to a World Series since then, despite having an equal or better record in the eight years that followed. Starting in 2041, however, the Grizzlies' fortunes took a sharp downturn. While Alvarez's Predators were winning the World Series in 2044, the Grizzlies lost 90 games for the fourth consecutive losing season. In 2045, Alvarez posted the best OPS of his career, with a 1.047 mark, and he ripped 43 homeruns, giving him six seasons with at least 40 homers. Memphis managed to finish above .500 at 82-80, but the Grizzlies were still a distant third, 13 games behind Tucson.

In 2046, Alvarez delivered his third season with an OPS over 1.000(1.032), and he set career highs in hits(190), doubles(42), RBI(141), batting average(.328), and on base percentage(.422). He tied his career high in runs scored with 128. Memphis, meanwhile, took the Central Division with a 90-72 record. The ALCS against the Miami Dolphins went to seven games. In Game Seven, the Dolphins led 3-2 after four innings. The Grizzlies, however, exploded for four runs in the fifth inning, and Alvarez contributed with a two run homerun. Memphis went on to a 12-5 victory to reach its first World Series in fourteen years. In the World Series, Memphis would face an old friend. Five times before had the Grizzlies reached that grandest of stages, and five times before, they had faced off against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 2046 would be the sixth meeting between the two teams to decide who was the best in baseball.

Memphis took Game One, 4-2. In Game Two, the Grizzlies rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win, 6-5. Alvarez delivered 3 hits and 3 runs batted in. One of those hits was a third inning solo homerun that cut Pittsburgh's lead to 4-3. One of those hits was two run single in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. Alvarez drove in a single run in the Grizzlies' 6-0 Game Three rout. Pittsburgh avoided a sweep, but Memphis took Game Five by a score of 7-3 to win the World Series. Alvarez didn't have quite as prolific a postseason as he did in '44, but few would complain about a .798 OPS, 5 extra base hits, and 9 runs batted in.

In 2047, Alvarez had his lowest OPS since 2041, at .891. He still delivered 32 homeruns, and collected 100 runs batted in for the ninth time in his career. Memphis edged Denver in a tight battle for the Central Division, winning 87 games to beat out the Broncos by one game. The Grizzlies faced off against a 109-win Miami Dolphins team in the ALCS, but the defending champions were not intimidated, winning the series in six games. Alvarez hit a solo homerun in the deciding sixth game, a 3-2, 10-inning Memphis victory.

Memphis' World Series opponent was, surprise, surprise, Pittsburgh. The Grizzlies quickly took command of the series, winning the first two games. In Game Three, Pittsburgh blew a 6-1 lead, only to rally and win, 9-7. The Pirates then unloaded on Memphis in the next two games, outscoring the Grizzlies by a combined 19-1. In the deciding sixth game, Memphis blew leads of 2-0 and 3-2, eventually falling to Pittsburgh by a score of 4-3. Alvarez did very little in this postseason, mustering just a .476 OPS. He was especially bad in the World Series, collecting only 3 hits in 25 at bats.

In 2048, Alvarez slipped just a little but more, as his OPS fell to .829. Memphis declined, as well, falling to 82-80, though they finished only one game behind Kansas City and Denver, who tied for first place. Alvarez bounced back a bit in 2049, putting up an .893 OPS, but otherwise, the only bright spot in a 79-win season for Memphis was Alvarez's 500th career homerun. In 2050, Alvarez played well, but as the season progressed and Memphis fell out of the playoff race, his playing time greatly diminished. He finished with a.997 OPS and 13 homeruns in 172 at bats. Memphis finished 80-82, 11 games out of first place. In the offseason prior to 2051, the 38 year old Alvarez was dealt to Pittsburgh, but he wound up toiling the entire season at the lowest level of the minors, where he pretty clearly showed he had nothing left. He managed just a pathetic .532 OPS. Alvarez retired after that season.

At the time of his retirement, Alvarez ranked 24th in homeruns. By 2053, he was no longer in the top 25.

Alvarez's career stats:

Code:

Career Batting Stats 
 
 
Year     G   AB    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI    R   BB    K  SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS Teams 
2035    23   52    8   1  0   2    5    7    5   14   2  0 .154 .228 .288  .517 ATL 
2036   114  394  124  22  2  21   88   73   47  104  14  1 .315 .388 .541  .928 ATL 
2037   149  568  153  16  3  26   88   92   63  164  18  6 .269 .342 .445  .788 ATL 
2038   153  597  175  20  5  51  139  123   78  148  13  6 .293 .375 .600  .974 ATL TUC 
2039   156  574  174  30  6  34  132  121   89  135  12  5 .303 .397 .554  .951 TUC 
2040   156  598  174  19  5  44  130  110   63  150  18  4 .291 .359 .560  .919 TUC 
2041   156  565  155  23  3  38   98  100   73  161  18  6 .274 .357 .527  .885 NAS 
2042   144  527  153  27  3  41  108  101   63  141  12  6 .290 .366 .586  .952 NAS 
2043   154  548  158  37  4  47  132  128  100  140  12  3 .288 .398 .628 1.026 NAS,AL 
2044   145  555  148  39  1  41  123  107   83  136  10  5 .267 .362 .562  .924 NAS 
2045   154  552  177  38  5  43  126  123   79  117   9  4 .321 .406 .641 1.047 MEM,AL 
2046   155  579  190  42  5  37  141  128   94   90   5  1 .328 .422 .610 1.032 MEM,AL 
2047   152  583  168  38  4  32  114  118   65   84   6  3 .288 .360 .532  .891 MEM 
2048   152  559  153  24  5  27   84   85   65   96   6  6 .274 .349 .479  .829 MEM 
2049   153  553  164  34  6  27   97   82   61   81   4  5 .297 .366 .526  .893 MEM 
2050    53  172   54  12  3  13   35   38   10   29   2  0 .314 .352 .645  .997 MEM 
Total 2169 7976 2328 422 60 524 1640 1536 1038 1790 161 61 .292 .373 .557  .930   
 
Career Minor League Batting Stats
 
 
Year       G  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
2035,  AA 70 282 88  8  0 17  45 45 26 64 11  5 .312 .364 .521 .885 
2035, AAA 14  58 19  4  0  4   6  6  3 16  1  0 .328 .361 .603 .964 
2036, AAA 17  66 21  3  0  3  13 10  1 12  0  0 .318 .324 .500 .824 
2051,   A 78 216 47  9  0  0  19 24 17 40  3  1 .218 .272 .259 .532 
 
Career Postseason Batting Stats
 
 
Year   G  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB  K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS 
2037   6  22  6  3  0  1   5  6  4  9  1  0 .273 .385 .545  .930 
2038  13  55 16  1  0  5   9 15  4 24  2  2 .291 .339 .582  .921 
2040   8  28  4  2  0  1   3  5  5  6  0  0 .143 .273 .321  .594 
2044  12  51 15  2  0  9  19 12  5 15  0  0 .294 .357 .863 1.220 
2046  12  48 13  3  0  2   9  5  5 12  1  0 .271 .340 .458  .798 
2047  12  50  9  2  0  1   3  4  1 10  0  0 .180 .196 .280  .476 
Total 63 254 63 13  0 19  48 47 24 76  4  2 .248 .313 .524  .837 
 
 
Player History
 
 
Drafted in 1st round, 5th overall pick, by Atlanta in 2035...
Had first career hit on 6/21/2035, off Felix Cordova (NAS)...
Hit first career homerun on 9/3/2035, off Scott Keith (NAS)...
Injured on 4/12/2036 with a Pinched Nerve Neck, out for 6 days...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2036, hitting .560 with 2 HR, 14 RBI...
Injured on 8/4/2036 with a Dislocated Finger, out for 1-2 weeks...
Won Rookie of the Year Award in 2036, hitting .315 with 21 HR, 88 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Washington on 5/17/2038...
Had 5 hits with 6 RBI against Denver on 6/10/2038...
Traded from Atlanta to Tucson on 7/12/2038 (Going to TUC: RF T. Alvarez. Going to ATL: P W. Budd, 1B S. Brooks, CF B. Weeks)...
Drove in 7 runs against Atlanta on 8/10/2038...
Won World Series with Tucson in 2038...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/28/2039, hitting .476 with 2 HR, 9 RBI...
Hit 3 homeruns against Denver, driving in 6 runs on 6/28/2039...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/15/2039, hitting .520 with 3 HR, 13 RBI...
Had 5 hits with 8 RBI against Knoxville on 8/18/2040...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/25/2040, hitting .577 with 3 HR, 9 RBI...
Injured on 10/15/2040 with a Pulled Groin Muscle, out for one week...
Signed as a free agent by Nashville on 2/11/2041 to a 4-year deal worth $6,408,800 per year...
Drove in 6 runs against Miami on 6/5/2041...
Injured on 5/5/2042 with a Inflamed Rib Cage Muscle, out for one week...
Drove in 6 runs against Atlanta on 7/18/2042...
Drove in 6 runs against Denver on 4/20/2043...
Won Batter of the Month award on 6/1/2043, hitting .356 with 12 HR, 32 RBI...
Was selected to the 2043 Allstar game...
Drove in 7 runs against Atlanta on 8/20/2043...
Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against Denver on 8/11/2044...
Injured on 8/25/2044 with a Sore Back, out for one week...
Drove in 6 runs against Memphis on 9/22/2044...
Hit 3 homeruns against Denver, driving in 7 runs on 10/13/2044...
Won World Series with Nashville in 2044...
Signed as a free agent by Memphis on 2/19/2045 to a 4-year deal worth $7,557,900 per year...
Was selected to the 2045 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Grand Rapids on 8/7/2045...
Drove in 6 runs against Washington on 8/18/2045...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2046, hitting .500 with 3 HR, 7 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Tucson on 6/28/2046...
Was selected to the 2046 Allstar game...
Won World Series with Memphis in 2046...
Had 2000th career hit on 5/13/2048, off Michael Dunn (KC)...
Drove in 6 runs against Miami on 7/14/2049...
Had 500th career homerun on 7/19/2049, off Edward Mcneese (GR)...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/21/2049, hitting .375 with 3 HR, 11 RBI...
Drove in 7 runs against Tucson on 8/17/2049...
Traded from Memphis to Pittsburgh on 3/2/2051 (Going to MEM: P P. Traub, 1B P. Dawkins, LF M. Owens. Going to PIT: CF N. Shojiro, P H. Ryosei, RF T. Alvarez)...
Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2052.
 
 
Batting Leader Boards Appearances 
 
OBP
2046 - .422 - 10th
 
SLG
2038 - .600 - 7th
2039 - .554 - 9th
2040 - .560 - 8th
2041 - .527 - 9th
2042 - .586 - 8th
2043 - .628 - 4th
2045 - .641 - 1st
2046 - .610 - 7th
 
OPS
2038 -  .974 - 9th
2043 - 1.026 - 7th
2045 - 1.047 - 1st
2046 - 1.032 - 7th
 
Homeruns
2038 - 51 - 2nd
2039 - 34 - 6th
2040 - 44 - 2nd
2041 - 38 - 2nd
2042 - 41 - 7th
2043 - 47 - 1st
2044 - 41 - 5th
2045 - 43 - 3rd
 
RBI
2038 - 139 - 5th
2039 - 132 - 5th
2040 - 130 - 3rd
2043 - 132 - 6th
2045 - 126 - 7th
2046 - 141 - 6th
 
Runs
2038 - 123 - 9th
2039 - 121 - 7th
2043 - 128 - 6th
2045 - 123 - 2nd
2046 - 128 - 4th
2047 - 118 - 7th
 
BB
2039 -  89 - 9th
2043 - 100 - 5th
2046 -  94 - 7th

03-05-2008, 09:59 PM	#261 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 572	Remembering the Hall of Famers: RF Tito Alvarez Tito Alvarez: Have bat, will travel. That was slugger Tito Alvarez's motto over his 16-year reign of terror as one of the more successful hired guns in league history. Four* different teams employed the switch-hitting right-fielder, and all four went to the postseason at least once with Alvarez on the roster. Three of the teams won a World Series with Alvarez. All told, Alvarez went to the playoffs six times, and reached the World Series five times, winning three. (Technically, he was a member of five different organizations, but he played in the majors for only four of them.) From the beginning of the league to the mid 2020's, the Atlanta Braves enjoyed consistent success, posting winning records in all but five seasons from 2003 to 2026. They won eight division titles, and reached three World Series, winning in 2014 and 2021. The late '20's into the mid-30's were not so kind, however, and the Braves had only two winning seasons from 2027 to 2036. In 2035, the Braves had the fifth pick in the draft, and with it, they selected 22-year old Tito Alvarez. Alvarez began his professional career at AA,and spent 2 1/2 months at that level, hammering away at overmatched pitchers to the tune of a .312 batting average and 17 homeruns in only 282 at bats. In mid-June, the Braves decided to challenge Alvarez by promoting him directly to the majors. He lasted until the end of July, collecting only 2 hits in 10 at bats. He got another shot in August, but went hitless in 8 at bats. His playing time increased in the final month of the season, but he continued to struggle. He finished with an unimpressive .517 OPS in 52 at bats. Still, after an .885 OPS at AA and a .964 OPS in 58 AAA at bats, he was a good bet to make the Braves' roster in 2036. It's not as though the Braves were so loaded with talent that Alvarez couldn't fit in; after all, Atlanta wound up losing 97 games in 2035. In fact, Alvarez did not start the year on the 25-man roster, as the Braves signed veteran right-fielder Albert Montiel as a free agent, and Alvarez was sent to AAA to begin the '36 season. He was down there for about two weeks. After putting up an .824 OPS in 66 at bats, Atlanta recalled Alvarez and began to look for ways to get him into the lineup regularly. Alvarez made it easy for the Braves, and quickly began tearing the cover off the ball. In April, he delivered 7 hits in 15 at bats, 4 for extra bases. In May, he hit.375 with a 1.083 OPS in 66 at bats. Other than a slump in the month of July, Alvarez demolished the ball all season long, and took home Rookie of the Year honors after hitting .315 with a .928 OPS, 21 homeruns, and 88 runs batted in. He even went 14/15 at stealing bases. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of Alvarez and the league's third highest scoring offense, the Braves could not overcome the league's second worst pitching staff, and finished with a 71-91 record. Amazingly, that was almost good enough to win a weak Southeast Division, as Nashville finished in first place with only 76 wins. Despite the dreaded "sophomore slump" for Alvarez, Atlanta tied for the most runs scored in the entire league and parlayed that into a division title, going 88-74 to win the Southeast. Alvarez saw his OPS drop to .788, and despite having well over 100 more at bats as he had the year before, he hit just 5 more homeruns. In the playoffs, the Braves were matched up against Grand Rapids- the team that they had tied with in runs scored. Alvarez acquitted himself well against the Tigers, putting up a .930 OPS with 3 doubles and a homerun in 22 at bats, but Atlanta fell in six games to Grand Rapids. Many times in professional sports, a trade happens that simply can't be explained. In 2038, such a trade occurred. In mid-July, with the Braves locked in a heated divisional race with Nashville and Washington, Tito Alvarez was inexplicably dealt to the Tucson Diamondbacks, who were themselves battling with Memphis and Kansas City for the Central crown. In return, Atlanta received three unexciting prospects. Alvarez responded with the greatest homerun campaign of his career, smashing 51 long-balls, 24 of which came in the final two months of the season. Tucson just barely beat out Memphis in the Central, winning 106 games to the Grizzlies' 105. Atlanta also survived its division race, beating out both Nashville and Washington by two games, and finishing with 94 wins. It's not often that a player gets a chance for revenge so quickly, but Alvarez made the most of his opportunity, delivering 3 homeruns and 5 runs batted in the Diamondbacks seven game triumph over Atlanta. One of Alvarez's homeruns game in Tucson's 3-2 Game Seven victory. The Tucson Diamondbacks had previously reached the World Series in 2005, 2006, and 2033, and had lost all three times, twice to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now in 2038, they would make their fourth appearance in the championship, and they would face a Pittsburgh team that had been in five of the previous six World Series and won four of them. Alvarez had 2 hits and drove in a run in Game One, but the Pirates offense proved to be too powerful, thumping the Diamondbacks, 11-6. Alvarez was one of the few Tucson hitters who contributed little in the Diamondbacks wild 10-9, 11-inning victory in Game Two; he was just 1 for 5 with a walk and a run scored. He was also a non-factor in Tucson's 4-2 win in Game Three, going hitless in three at bats. In Game Four, he collected 2 hits and scored a run, as Tucson pounded the Pirates, 13-5. Alvarez had 2 hits and a homerun in Game Five, but Tucson fell, 4-3. With the Diamondbacks trailing 2-0 in Game Six, Alvarez delivered a two run homerun in a five-run third inning, and the Diamondbacks cruised to an 8-3 victory,capturing the first World Series in franchise history. Alvarez proved that 2038 wasn't a fluke by putting up a .951 OPS with 34 homeruns in 2039, but Tucson missed the playoffs despite winning 101 games. The Diamondbacks wound up finishing 6 games behind the Kansas City Royals. Tucson returned to the postseason in 2040, winning 100 games to take the Central Division by 10 games over Memphis. Alvarez hit 44 homeruns and had a .919 OPS. In the ALCS, the Diamondbacks would face a familiar foe: the Atlanta Braves. Tucson survived in seven games, but Alvarez didn't do much to help, He managed just an .080 batting average, with one homerun and one RBI. In the World Series, Tucson was pitted against the Sacramento Kings, a team that was in a similar position as the Diamondbacks had been in 2038. Sacramento had reached three previous World Series(2003, 2027, and 2031) and had lost them all. Alvarez had 2 hits and 2 RBI in Game One, but Sacramento prevailed, 7-4. Worse, Alvarez left the game with a pulled groin muscle, and would not play again that season. Despite Alvarez's absence, Tucson managed to win the next two games in close, low-scoring affairs(4-3 and 2-0). The Diamondbacks didn't win again. Sacramento's offense woke up and outscored Tucson 23-12 over the next three games to win the World Series in six games. In 2041, Alvarez left Tucson as a free agent and decided to sign with the hapless Nashville Predators. Nashville was one of four teams to lose 100 games in 2040. The other three were part of the 2038 expansion group. Alvarez slugged 38 homeruns and posted an .885 OPS and helped the Predators to an 85-77 record. Unfortunately, the Southeast Division ran roughshod over the Central that year, and every team in the Southeast had a winning record, while every team in the Central had a losing record. Thus, Nashville's 85 wins were only good enough for fourth place in the division. The balance evened out in 2042, so despite winning the same number of games, Nashville improved to second place in the division.Alvarez had a .952 OPS and 41 homeruns. In 2043, Alvarez posted his first season with an OPS over 1.000, coming at 1.026. He also crushed 47 homeruns. Despite this, the Predators slumped to just 77 wins. Entering the 2044 season, the Nashville Predators had gone nearly ten years without a World Series appearance(2036) and nearly fifteen years without a World Series victory(2031).That drought would come to an end. Alvarez put up a .924 OPS and 41 homeruns to lead the Predators to a 96 win season and a Southeast Division title. In an ALCS that was all about offense, the Predators outlasted the Denver Broncos in seven games. Alvarez delivered 3 hits and an RBI in an 8-2 Game Five victory. After Denver routed Nashville 9-0 to force a seventh game, Alvarez single-handedly the American League pennant to Nashville. In Game Seven, Alvarez blasted three homeruns and drove in seven runs in an 11-1 beatdown. Now the powerful Predators' offense would be put to the test. Their World Series opponent would be the defending champion, 114-win Portland Trailblazers, who had the most dominant pitching staff in all of baseball. Portland's league-leading 2.87 team ERA was over a full run better than the second best team in baseball(Pittsburgh at 3.93). Luckily for Nashville, they would not have to face the great Hector Soriano, who had gone 28-4 with a 1.28 ERA in the regular season. Soriano had been injured in late September, and would not be available for the Trailblazers. That was only a small consolation, as Portland still had Michael Tardiff(20-8, 2.72), Mariano Azevedo(15-5, 2.74), and Emilio Gula(23-11, 3.26) at its disposal. They say pitching wins championships, but in this case, it turned out to be incorrect. In Game One, Alvarez's three run homerun in the third inning gave Nashville a 5-0 lead, and the Predators hung on for a 7-5 victory. In Game Two, Alvarez gave Nashville an early 2-0 lead by blasting a first inning homerun. Portland's offense came to life, and after the top of the fourth inning, the Trailblazers led by a score of 8-2. It didn't hold up. Nashville scored 7 runs(one came from Alvarez's second homerun of the game) in the bottom of the fourth to take a 9-8 lead. After Portland tied it up, Nashville again took the lead. The 10-9 lead held up, and Nashville had a 2 games to none lead. In Game Three, Nashville erased a 3-0 lead by scoring 2 runs in the fifth inning and 6 runs in the sixth. Nashville hung on for an 8-7 victory. Portland prevented a sweep by winning Game Four by a score of 4-3. The Trailblazers had a 2-0 lead through four innings in Game Five, but that lead also evaporated. Nashville tied the game with runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and took the lead on Alvarez's two-out, two-run homerun in the seventh inning. Portland scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game up, but Nashville responded with two more eighth inning runs. The Predators hung on for a 6-4 victory. It was Nashville's fourth World Series title, and it was brought about by one of the greatest postseason performances in history. Tito Alvarez belted 9 homeruns and collected 19 runs batted in while posting a 1.220 OPS. For the final time in his career, Tito Alvarez packed his suitcase. After delivering Nashville a championship, Alvarez entered the free agent market and signed with Memphis. The Memphis Grizzlies had an interesting history. They were known first for losing three consecutive World Series(2008-2010), then they were known for being the first team to lose four World Series without winning one, and finally, they were known for the '32 team that shocked the world by winning the World Series in a season in which they won just 78 games. Memphis had enjoyed quite a bit of success following that magical '32 team, but they hadn't won a championship since. Heck, they hadn't even been* to a World Series since then, despite having an equal or better record in the eight years that followed. Starting in 2041, however, the Grizzlies' fortunes took a sharp downturn. While Alvarez's Predators were winning the World Series in 2044, the Grizzlies lost 90 games for the fourth consecutive losing season. In 2045, Alvarez posted the best OPS of his career, with a 1.047 mark, and he ripped 43 homeruns, giving him six seasons with at least 40 homers. Memphis managed to finish above .500 at 82-80, but the Grizzlies were still a distant third, 13 games behind Tucson. In 2046, Alvarez delivered his third season with an OPS over 1.000(1.032), and he set career highs in hits(190), doubles(42), RBI(141), batting average(.328), and on base percentage(.422). He tied his career high in runs scored with 128. Memphis, meanwhile, took the Central Division with a 90-72 record. The ALCS against the Miami Dolphins went to seven games. In Game Seven, the Dolphins led 3-2 after four innings. The Grizzlies, however, exploded for four runs in the fifth inning, and Alvarez contributed with a two run homerun. Memphis went on to a 12-5 victory to reach its first World Series in fourteen years. In the World Series, Memphis would face an old friend. Five times before had the Grizzlies reached that grandest of stages, and five times before, they had faced off against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 2046 would be the sixth meeting between the two teams to decide who was the best in baseball. Memphis took Game One, 4-2. In Game Two, the Grizzlies rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win, 6-5. Alvarez delivered 3 hits and 3 runs batted in. One of those hits was a third inning solo homerun that cut Pittsburgh's lead to 4-3. One of those hits was two run single in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. Alvarez drove in a single run in the Grizzlies' 6-0 Game Three rout. Pittsburgh avoided a sweep, but Memphis took Game Five by a score of 7-3 to win the World Series. Alvarez didn't have quite as prolific a postseason as he did in '44, but few would complain about a .798 OPS, 5 extra base hits, and 9 runs batted in. In 2047, Alvarez had his lowest OPS since 2041, at .891. He still delivered 32 homeruns, and collected 100 runs batted in for the ninth time in his career. Memphis edged Denver in a tight battle for the Central Division, winning 87 games to beat out the Broncos by one game. The Grizzlies faced off against a 109-win Miami Dolphins team in the ALCS, but the defending champions were not intimidated, winning the series in six games. Alvarez hit a solo homerun in the deciding sixth game, a 3-2, 10-inning Memphis victory. Memphis' World Series opponent was, surprise, surprise, Pittsburgh. The Grizzlies quickly took command of the series, winning the first two games. In Game Three, Pittsburgh blew a 6-1 lead, only to rally and win, 9-7. The Pirates then unloaded on Memphis in the next two games, outscoring the Grizzlies by a combined 19-1. In the deciding sixth game, Memphis blew leads of 2-0 and 3-2, eventually falling to Pittsburgh by a score of 4-3. Alvarez did very little in this postseason, mustering just a .476 OPS. He was especially bad in the World Series, collecting only 3 hits in 25 at bats. In 2048, Alvarez slipped just a little but more, as his OPS fell to .829. Memphis declined, as well, falling to 82-80, though they finished only one game behind Kansas City and Denver, who tied for first place. Alvarez bounced back a bit in 2049, putting up an .893 OPS, but otherwise, the only bright spot in a 79-win season for Memphis was Alvarez's 500th career homerun. In 2050, Alvarez played well, but as the season progressed and Memphis fell out of the playoff race, his playing time greatly diminished. He finished with a.997 OPS and 13 homeruns in 172 at bats. Memphis finished 80-82, 11 games out of first place. In the offseason prior to 2051, the 38 year old Alvarez was dealt to Pittsburgh, but he wound up toiling the entire season at the lowest level of the minors, where he pretty clearly showed he had nothing left. He managed just a pathetic .532 OPS. Alvarez retired after that season. At the time of his retirement, Alvarez ranked 24th in homeruns. By 2053, he was no longer in the top 25. Alvarez's career stats: Code: Career Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams 2035 23 52 8 1 0 2 5 7 5 14 2 0 .154 .228 .288 .517 ATL 2036 114 394 124 22 2 21 88 73 47 104 14 1 .315 .388 .541 .928 ATL 2037 149 568 153 16 3 26 88 92 63 164 18 6 .269 .342 .445 .788 ATL 2038 153 597 175 20 5 51 139 123 78 148 13 6 .293 .375 .600 .974 ATL TUC 2039 156 574 174 30 6 34 132 121 89 135 12 5 .303 .397 .554 .951 TUC 2040 156 598 174 19 5 44 130 110 63 150 18 4 .291 .359 .560 .919 TUC 2041 156 565 155 23 3 38 98 100 73 161 18 6 .274 .357 .527 .885 NAS 2042 144 527 153 27 3 41 108 101 63 141 12 6 .290 .366 .586 .952 NAS 2043 154 548 158 37 4 47 132 128 100 140 12 3 .288 .398 .628 1.026 NAS,AL 2044 145 555 148 39 1 41 123 107 83 136 10 5 .267 .362 .562 .924 NAS 2045 154 552 177 38 5 43 126 123 79 117 9 4 .321 .406 .641 1.047 MEM,AL 2046 155 579 190 42 5 37 141 128 94 90 5 1 .328 .422 .610 1.032 MEM,AL 2047 152 583 168 38 4 32 114 118 65 84 6 3 .288 .360 .532 .891 MEM 2048 152 559 153 24 5 27 84 85 65 96 6 6 .274 .349 .479 .829 MEM 2049 153 553 164 34 6 27 97 82 61 81 4 5 .297 .366 .526 .893 MEM 2050 53 172 54 12 3 13 35 38 10 29 2 0 .314 .352 .645 .997 MEM Total 2169 7976 2328 422 60 524 1640 1536 1038 1790 161 61 .292 .373 .557 .930 Career Minor League Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 2035, AA 70 282 88 8 0 17 45 45 26 64 11 5 .312 .364 .521 .885 2035, AAA 14 58 19 4 0 4 6 6 3 16 1 0 .328 .361 .603 .964 2036, AAA 17 66 21 3 0 3 13 10 1 12 0 0 .318 .324 .500 .824 2051, A 78 216 47 9 0 0 19 24 17 40 3 1 .218 .272 .259 .532 Career Postseason Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 2037 6 22 6 3 0 1 5 6 4 9 1 0 .273 .385 .545 .930 2038 13 55 16 1 0 5 9 15 4 24 2 2 .291 .339 .582 .921 2040 8 28 4 2 0 1 3 5 5 6 0 0 .143 .273 .321 .594 2044 12 51 15 2 0 9 19 12 5 15 0 0 .294 .357 .863 1.220 2046 12 48 13 3 0 2 9 5 5 12 1 0 .271 .340 .458 .798 2047 12 50 9 2 0 1 3 4 1 10 0 0 .180 .196 .280 .476 Total 63 254 63 13 0 19 48 47 24 76 4 2 .248 .313 .524 .837 Player History Drafted in 1st round, 5th overall pick, by Atlanta in 2035... Had first career hit on 6/21/2035, off Felix Cordova (NAS)... Hit first career homerun on 9/3/2035, off Scott Keith (NAS)... Injured on 4/12/2036 with a Pinched Nerve Neck, out for 6 days... Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2036, hitting .560 with 2 HR, 14 RBI... Injured on 8/4/2036 with a Dislocated Finger, out for 1-2 weeks... Won Rookie of the Year Award in 2036, hitting .315 with 21 HR, 88 RBI... Drove in 6 runs against Washington on 5/17/2038... Had 5 hits with 6 RBI against Denver on 6/10/2038... Traded from Atlanta to Tucson on 7/12/2038 (Going to TUC: RF T. Alvarez. Going to ATL: P W. Budd, 1B S. Brooks, CF B. Weeks)... Drove in 7 runs against Atlanta on 8/10/2038... Won World Series with Tucson in 2038... Won Player of the Week award on 4/28/2039, hitting .476 with 2 HR, 9 RBI... Hit 3 homeruns against Denver, driving in 6 runs on 6/28/2039... Won Player of the Week award on 9/15/2039, hitting .520 with 3 HR, 13 RBI... Had 5 hits with 8 RBI against Knoxville on 8/18/2040... Won Player of the Week award on 8/25/2040, hitting .577 with 3 HR, 9 RBI... Injured on 10/15/2040 with a Pulled Groin Muscle, out for one week... Signed as a free agent by Nashville on 2/11/2041 to a 4-year deal worth $6,408,800 per year... Drove in 6 runs against Miami on 6/5/2041... Injured on 5/5/2042 with a Inflamed Rib Cage Muscle, out for one week... Drove in 6 runs against Atlanta on 7/18/2042... Drove in 6 runs against Denver on 4/20/2043... Won Batter of the Month award on 6/1/2043, hitting .356 with 12 HR, 32 RBI... Was selected to the 2043 Allstar game... Drove in 7 runs against Atlanta on 8/20/2043... Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against Denver on 8/11/2044... Injured on 8/25/2044 with a Sore Back, out for one week... Drove in 6 runs against Memphis on 9/22/2044... Hit 3 homeruns against Denver, driving in 7 runs on 10/13/2044... Won World Series with Nashville in 2044... Signed as a free agent by Memphis on 2/19/2045 to a 4-year deal worth $7,557,900 per year... Was selected to the 2045 Allstar game... Drove in 6 runs against Grand Rapids on 8/7/2045... Drove in 6 runs against Washington on 8/18/2045... Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2046, hitting .500 with 3 HR, 7 RBI... Drove in 6 runs against Tucson on 6/28/2046... Was selected to the 2046 Allstar game... Won World Series with Memphis in 2046... Had 2000th career hit on 5/13/2048, off Michael Dunn (KC)... Drove in 6 runs against Miami on 7/14/2049... Had 500th career homerun on 7/19/2049, off Edward Mcneese (GR)... Won Player of the Week award on 7/21/2049, hitting .375 with 3 HR, 11 RBI... Drove in 7 runs against Tucson on 8/17/2049... Traded from Memphis to Pittsburgh on 3/2/2051 (Going to MEM: P P. Traub, 1B P. Dawkins, LF M. Owens. Going to PIT: CF N. Shojiro, P H. Ryosei, RF T. Alvarez)... Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2052. Batting Leader Boards Appearances OBP 2046 - .422 - 10th SLG 2038 - .600 - 7th 2039 - .554 - 9th 2040 - .560 - 8th 2041 - .527 - 9th 2042 - .586 - 8th 2043 - .628 - 4th 2045 - .641 - 1st 2046 - .610 - 7th OPS 2038 - .974 - 9th 2043 - 1.026 - 7th 2045 - 1.047 - 1st 2046 - 1.032 - 7th Homeruns 2038 - 51 - 2nd 2039 - 34 - 6th 2040 - 44 - 2nd 2041 - 38 - 2nd 2042 - 41 - 7th 2043 - 47 - 1st 2044 - 41 - 5th 2045 - 43 - 3rd RBI 2038 - 139 - 5th 2039 - 132 - 5th 2040 - 130 - 3rd 2043 - 132 - 6th 2045 - 126 - 7th 2046 - 141 - 6th Runs 2038 - 123 - 9th 2039 - 121 - 7th 2043 - 128 - 6th 2045 - 123 - 2nd 2046 - 128 - 4th 2047 - 118 - 7th BB 2039 - 89 - 9th 2043 - 100 - 5th 2046 - 94 - 7th __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver