Athletics 2024 Season In Review: Armando Alvarez

Another rookie that made his big league debut with the club this season

Today’s player we will be taking a dive into is one of the many rookies who made their debut with the Athletics in 2024. That player is none other than infielder Armando Alvarez, who finally made it to the big leagues after nine years rising the ranks.

How was he acquired?

The right-handed hitting third baseman found his way to Oakland via a a minor league contract on November 16th of last year. After spending the entirety of his minor league career in the New York Yankees’ minor league system Alvarez made his first organizational switch, signing with the Giants on a minors deal. While he performed decently enough the two sides split up after the year, paving the way for Alvarez to sign on with the Athletics.

What were the expectations?

As a former 17th round draft pick from almost a decade ago there wasn’t much thought of Alvarez during Spring Training. Just another body that could act as a depth piece for the team. He had always displayed middling power for a third baseman in the minor leagues, though certainly could hit and he had experience at the keystone and first base as well. While the club was hoping (expecting?) for the veteran Aledmys Diaz to fill the multi-positional role, an injury to him and a couple other infielders and there was a clear path for Alvarez. As an older minor leaguer however he would need to perform and force his way to The Show.

2024 Results

All things considered, Alvarez had a successful 2024 with the obvious highlight being his major league debut.

Alvarez entered spring and got plenty of run, appearing in 17 of 28 games games for the A’s. During that time he showed flashes with the bat by hitting .375, but it’s spring ball and obviously the third baseman was fighting an uphill battle for a roster spot. Even with a strong spring performance Alvarez would start the year in Triple-A, splitting time between second and third base for Las Vegas. Over the first two-plus months in Triple-A Alvarez slashed .311/.401/.528 with eight home runs. Not too bad considering he was playing half his games in an extremely hitter-friendly environment. Still, that performance along with his versatility in the field was enough for his first major league call up. Once everyday third baseman Abraham Toro went down with a hamstring injury, the club decided to give Alvarez a shot. After five consecutive seasons in Triple-A, Alvarez had finally broken through to the Major Leagues.

It was a short first stint with the Athletics but Alvarez didn’t embarrass himself in the slightest. While the righty-swinging infielder didn’t collect a hit in his first at-bat, he did rack up three hits in his first career start, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Alvarez followed that up with a another hit and walk the next evening and then followed that up by going 2-for-4 with another walk and 2 runs scored. All told over this three-game stretch Alvarez went 6-for-11 with 5 runs scored, giving the A’s a needed boost near the bottom of the lineup.

That short burst didn’t last as Alvarez took a backseat to a younger option at the hot corner in fellow rookie Brett Harris. Alvarez would remain with the team for the first half of July, getting two starts but going 0-for-8 combined. Finally the team sent Alvarez back to Triple-A where he resumed getting regular playing time for the Aviators. Alvarez was on shuttle duty for the final two months of the season, bouncing back and forth between the A’s and Aviators whenever the major league team needed him. The right-hander went just 3-for-14 while playing sparingly for the Athletics, never getting another chance to get multiple starts in a row and get into a groove.

2025 Outlook

Once the season ended Alvarez was outrighted off of the Athletics’ 40-man roster. As a veteran minor leaguer he had the chance to elect free agency, a chance that he took. Alvarez is now back on the market looking for his next team. While the club’s options currently on the roster (Brett Harris, Max Schuemann, Darell Hernaiz) are less than stellar, they are all younger options that the club’s likely more interested in seasoning. Alvarez could wind up back with the club but it’s more likely that Alvarez looks for a better opportunity elsewhere. If so, he’ll definitely always remember his major league debut with the Athletics in their final season in Oakland.