Sources have told the Cuban Baseball Federation that right-hander Frank Abel Álvarez has several offers from the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, the Frontier League, and the Venezuelan Major League, with the Mexican circuit being the favorite to sign the pitcher.
Álvarez who has worked all winter with renowned pitching coach Jose Manuel Cortina in Pinar del Río, Cuba after missing all of last season with an arm injury. The hurler had originally signed with the Guerreros de Oaxaca, but arm troubles caused the Mexican squad to cancel the contract.
Yesterday Álvarez tossed a scoreless ninth inning during which allowed a hit and fanned Wladimir Balentin to preserve Cuba’s 14-12 comeback win over Curaçao in the Serie de las Américas. The right-hander also notched the save on the and in three innings pitched during the tournament has struck out three batters and has yet to allow in earned run.
Álvarez who has seen action in the minors with the Chunichi Dragons primarily as a reliever and in three seasons posted a 2-4 record, 5.33 earned run average and two saves in 51 inning pitched. Armed with a fastball that hits between 95-97 MPH, a wicked assortment of breaking pitches that includes an above-average split finger and 87 mph slider, Álvarez could make an impact with the team’s pitching corps that he eventually signs with.