Jose Alvarado

Jose Alvarado

29-Year-Old PitcherRP
Philadelphia Phillies
2025 Fantasy Outlook
After dealing with shoulder and elbow injuries in recent years, Alvarado finally avoided the injured list in 2024. The southpaw appeared in 66 games and tossed 61.2 innings - his most in a season since 2018. Alvarado was a fixture in high-leverage for Philadelphia early on, racking up 13 saves over the first three months and change. Ultimately, he led the team in the category, but failed to record a save after July 3. From that point on, Alvarado posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 25:16 K:BB over 26.2 innings and was soon relegated to low leverage work. Known for his high strikeout and groundball rates, the 29-year-old regressed in both categories, his 24.4 percent K-rate plummeting by nearly 13 percentage points. This was still above league average, but short of his 29.7 percent career mark. Alvarado will be given the chance to right the ship in 2025 as he enters the final year of his contract, but his chances of becoming an elite fantasy closer have probably sailed. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
From Preseason
$Signed a three-year, $21.45 million contract extension with the Phillies in February of 2023. Contract includes $9 million team option ($500,000 buyout) for 2026.
Reinstated from restricted list
PPhiladelphia Phillies
August 31, 2024
The Phillies activated Alvarado (personal) from the restricted list following Saturday's 3-0 win over Atlanta.
ANALYSIS
Alvarado has been away from the club since Monday due to a personal matter. The left-handed reliever will be available out of the bullpen for the series finale Sunday. Across 56 outings this season, Alvarado has recorded 13 saves and eight holds with a 4.30 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 52:25 K:BB over 52.1 innings.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
16
Last 10 Games
15
Last 5 Games
13
How many pitches does Jose Alvarado generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Jose Alvarado generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-12%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-50%
BAA vs LHP
2023
 
 
-14%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-21%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .188 188 50 10 33 7 0 3
Since 2022vs Right .214 456 158 60 84 17 3 8
2024vs Left .127 75 18 4 9 1 0 2
2024vs Right .255 183 45 24 40 7 2 4
2023vs Left .217 47 13 0 10 4 0 0
2023vs Right .187 125 51 18 20 4 0 3
2022vs Left .237 66 19 6 14 2 0 1
2022vs Right .188 148 62 18 24 6 1 1
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
Even Split
2024
 
 
-12%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-22%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-21%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 3.16 1.09 77.0 3 7 13 12.5 3.5 0.6
Since 2022Away 3.16 1.34 77.0 3 2 12 11.8 4.7 0.7
2024Home 3.81 1.06 28.1 1 4 8 9.8 3.2 0.6
2024Away 4.32 1.41 33.1 1 1 5 8.6 4.9 1.1
2023Home 1.93 1.07 23.1 0 1 4 13.5 3.5 1.2
2023Away 1.50 1.28 18.0 0 1 6 14.5 4.5 0.0
2022Home 3.55 1.14 25.1 2 2 1 14.6 3.9 0.0
2022Away 2.81 1.29 25.2 2 0 1 14.0 4.6 0.7
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Jose Alvarado compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
2.25
 
K/9
9.2
 
BB/9
4.1
 
HR/9
0.9
 
Fastball
97.9 mph
 
ERA
4.09
 
WHIP
1.25
 
BABIP
.279
 
GB/FB
1.54
 
Left On Base
68.5%
 
Exit Velocity
83.5 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
4.5%
 
Spin Rate
2079 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
25.5%
 
Swinging Strike
12.3%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2021
2020
2019
2018
After inking a 3-year extension with the Phillies last February, Alvarado opened 2023 in dominant form. Known for his control issues, the southpaw didn't walk a batter over his first 14.1 innings while striking out 24. Alvarado even earned save chances during that span, racking up 5 over the first month and change before suffering left elbow inflammation that required a trip to the injured list. The 28-year-old missed just over a month of action and clearly wasn't the same upon his return, walking 9 batters over his next 11.1 innings with a 1.80 WHIP. Alvarado then returned to the IL with the same injury, this time missing a month-and-a-half before rejoining the Phillies bullpen in late-August. He closed out 2023 in better form, finishing the year with a career best 1.74 ERA and 10 saves. If Alvarado continues improving his control as he's done the past 2 seasons, he's likely to set a new career-high in the saves category in 2024.
Alvarado continues to miss plenty of bats. He had the highest whiff rate on any cutter in the league at 55.7% and his 14.3 K/9 was a career best and 3rd highest among qualified relievers. Walks were still an issue as the southpaw issued 24 free passes across 51 innings, but he managed to cut his walk rate by 7.5%, from 18.7% in 2021 (worst in the league among relief pitchers) to 11.2% last year. That mark was still pretty poor with just an 11th percentile Statcast ranking, but Alvarado was elite across several other metrics, including K% (98th percentile), Whiff% (98th), xSLG (97th) and xBA (94th). After recording 22 holds for the Phillies last season, his role at the back-end of Philadelphia's bullpen is secure. He has the upside for 10-15 saves, but will need to improve his command even more to earn more chances in the ninth inning.
There were times in 2018 when Alvarado looked like the next big thing out of the Tampa Bay bullpen. He touched 100 mph with a two-seamer that seemingly defied the laws of physics at times coupled with a slider that came in around the speed of the league-average fastball. That feels like a decade ago, as Alvarado has rarely been right since due to injuries, inconsistency and family issues. He still throws hard but has permitted 71 baserunners and uncorked 11 wild pitches in 39 innings over the past two seasons. He was a healthy scratch from the postseason roster because his command simply could not be trusted in high-leverage situations. The career 27.9 K% and .207 BAA make him tempting to chase, especially now that he's in Philadelphia where there's less competition for saves, but his command of the strike zone has been AWOL since the end of the 2018 season. If he finds "it" again, he could dominate.
Alvarado opened the season sharing closing duties with Diego Castillo. He was effective early, posting a 1.04 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, fanning 26 in 17.1 innings, with five holds and a perfect 4-for-4 saves mark. Things then unraveled for Alvarado, as he allowed seven earned runs over his next seven frames, walking eight while surrendering 11 hits. Alvarado then left the country to attend to a personal matter in Venezuela, returning to the club in late June. His season was interrupted twice more, the first with a sore oblique followed by elbow inflammation prematurely ending his season in August. After his dominant start to the season, Alvarado never regained form. With a revamped bullpen featuring Emilio Pagan and Nick Anderson, Alvarado will first need to show he's healthy, then pitch well enough to return to late-inning duties.
Closers need a couple things: two quality pitches (or one amazing one) and command. Alvarado has two excellent pitches in a fastball that tickles triple digits and a hard, 11-5 breaking ball that batters have a tough time picking up out of his hand. Early in 2018, he lacked the command portion of that equation and had a 14% K-BB rate despite his stuff because he could not hit his spots consistently. That changed midseason and Alvarado had a 28 K-BB% in the second half while holding hitters to a .154 batting average and a .244 slugging percentage. He allowed one home run on the season to the 263 batters he faced, which while fortunate, also speaks to how tough he is for batters to pick up. A few year ago, the club had Felipe Vazquez on the roster and traded him to get Jose Lobaton. They have Vazquez 2.0 here and will not repeat that mistake. As long as the Rays do not try to game the arbitration system, this is their new closer.
Alvarado's fastball-slider combo had enticed during his rise through the farm system, but he hadn't shown an ability to locate with consistency prior to 2017. The lefty issued walks at a 6.4 BB/9 clip in a 16-game stint at Triple-A and hadn't posted a mark under 4.0 at any level. All of a sudden, Alvarado began hitting his spots and ended up with an above-average walk rate (2.7 BB/9) in his first exposure to big-league hitters. The swing-and-miss came with him to the majors, with Alvarado averaging close to a strikeout per inning, and he induced groundballs 53.7 percent of the time. His FIP was more than a run lower than his ERA at 2.55 -- that was good for 18th among 291 relievers with at least 20 innings. Alvarado was excellent against righties (.193 wOBA), and if Alex Colome is dealt this winter, Alvarado could get a look in the ninth.
More Fantasy News
Expected back Sunday
PPhiladelphia Phillies
Personal
August 30, 2024
Alvarez (personal) will rejoin the Phillies on Friday and is expected to be activated from the restricted list Sunday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Goes on restricted list
PPhiladelphia Phillies
Personal
August 26, 2024
The Phillies placed Alvarez on the restricted list Monday as he deals with a personal matter, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Saddled with loss, blown save
PPhiladelphia Phillies
July 19, 2024
Alvarado (1-4) took the loss after blowing a save Friday against Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk in just one-third of an inning. He struck out one.
ANALYSIS
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Collects 13th save
PPhiladelphia Phillies
July 3, 2024
Alvarado allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Cubs.
ANALYSIS
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Secures 12th save
PPhiladelphia Phillies
June 12, 2024
Alvarado gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 12th save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Dominant two months
PPhiladelphia Phillies
September 30, 2022
Alvarado has allowed just one run in his last 20 appearances dating back to August 3.
ANALYSIS
Alvarado has been nearly untouchable over the last two months, posting a 0.48 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 30:4 K:BB in 18.2 innings. He's been even better in September, allowing one hit and two walks and striking out 17 in 9.2 scoreless innings. The lefty has just one save in the last two months but he's been one of the most reliable arms in Philadelphia's bullpen and has been trusted in high-leverage situations. He has one more year of team control and could be in the mix for the closer role in 2023.
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