Inbox: How good is Dodgers prospect Alvarez?

On Tuesday, the Cubs’ Class A Short-Season affiliate ended a 41-year drought as the Eugene Emeralds won the Northwest League championship behind five strong innings from NWL Pitcher of the Year Manuel Rondon. Wednesday night, Chicago’s Class A Advanced club became the first Carolina League team to repeat as champions in 30 years, with red-hot Donnie Dewees (.423 in the postseason) scoring the winning run for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

Could these be good omens for the Cubs? Chicago easily has the best record in the Majors at 93-52 and already has clinched a tie in National League Central with 17 games remaining, but it can use any help it can get. As you may have heard, the Cubs haven’t won the World Series since 1908 or appeared in the Fall Classic since ’45.

@jimcallisMLB @MLBPipeline Yadier Alvarez. Big year numbers wise. Nice stuff. Projections/ranking?

— Stan Slate (@tovkalov) September 13, 2016

@jimcallisMLB @MLBPipeline Yadier Alvarez. Big year numbers wise. Nice stuff. Projections/ranking?

Part of the Dodgers’ $150 million-plus international spending splurge (counting bonuses, guaranteed salaries and tax penalties) in 2015-16, Alvarez signed for $16 million, and the club paid an equal amount as a penalty for exceeding its bonus pool. He made his pro debut this summer, and it was spectacular: a 2.12 ERA, a 81/21 strikeout/walk ratio and a .185 opponent average in 59 1/3 innings between Rookie ball and low Class A. Alvarez hasn’t allowed a run in nine innings over two starts in the Midwest League playoffs, helping the Great Lakes Loons reach the finals.

Alvarez has the stuff to match those numbers, too. The 20-year-old right-hander works at 96-97 mph with a fastball that can hit 101 mph, and he can overmatch hitters with a slider that can reach 90 mph. He also has developed a hard curveball and is working on a changeup. There were some questions about Alvarez’s control when he signed, but he did a good job of throwing strikes in his introduction to pro ball.

We snuck Alvarez onto MLBPipeline.com’s Top 100 Prospects list late this summer, and he currently sits at No. 96. I suspect we’ll move him up when we revamp the list again in January, and if he continues to pitch like this, he could shoot up the Top 100 next season.

@jimcallisMLB …

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