Dejan Kovacevic's latest chat has an explanation about what Pedro Alvarez is still doing in the minors.
↵↵↵He's beginning to do some encouraging things at the plate, but his numbers are making that look better than it is, according to management. They want him to get back to driving the ball to the opposite field, not being so pull-happy. That, they feel, will address some of the more glaring shortcomings you saw during his earlier stint this year.
↵... Bringing him up now just because he's better than Brandon Wood doesn't add up for me.
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Alvarez currently has a .340 average at Indianapolis, to go along with a .424 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage. But if the Pirates have to hold Alvarez back a while in order to help him fix holes in his game, that's fine. It might not hurt, though, to go ahead and acquire a third baseman at the trading deadline.