Pedro Alvarez Joins Andrew McCutchen In Pittsburgh Pirates 20 HR Club
By Matt Shetler
Friday night’s bomb off the bat of Pedro Alvarez not only was a game-changer as it got the Pittsburgh Pirates back into the game, but it was also a homer that made a bit of history.
It was the 20th dinger of the season for Pedro, joining Andrew McCutchen in the Pirates 20 home run club, which is something the Pirates have done only one other time in history at this point in the season.
Per Elias: This is only the 2nd season in Pirates history in which two players reached 20 homers before the team played 100 games. In 1979, Bill Robinson drove out his 20th HR in the Pirates’ 90th game and 7 games later, Willie Stargell belted his 20th HR of the season.
What Alvarez and Cutch have been able to do to this point in the season has been a bit remarkable, but it’s also a sign of why the future looks so bright for the Bucs.
Since June 1, the Bucs have led the majors in runs scored (235, 5.6 runs per game), and McCutchen and Alvarez have been a major part of that success.
Cutch is having an MVP season and Alvarez is turning into the legitimate run producer that Pirates fans have been waiting him to become.
Eventually (maybe not this season) the Pirates lineup will have McCutchen hitting three and Pedro batting behind him. Throw in Neil Walker, who is equally as hot right now, batting in front of Cutch and the Bucs have the makings of a solid 2-4 hitters for the long-term future.
Thew power off the bat of McCutchen could be considered a bit surprising, but he has the looks of a guy who can hit 20- 25-plus homers on a yearly basis. The power of Alvarez can’t be questioned though, as he has as much raw power as anyone in the game. Quite frankly, this could be just the beginning of a great stretch for Alvarez in a Pirates uniform.
They might not be Murderers Row or even the Lumber Company, but with McCutchen and Alvarez batting in the same order, the Pirates currently have and will continue to have more legitimate power then they’ve had in a very long time.