Moribund Pirates Call Up Pedro Alvarez, Become A Little Less Moribund

We're still trying to figure out what "year" this is in Major League Baseball, be it the year of the pitcher, the year of the walk-off or, in this case, the year of the future.

How many teams have called on the future of the franchise to help them start to win now? The Braves have Jason Heyward. The Nationals have Stephen Strasburg. The Indians just called up Carlos Santana a few days ago as well. The list surely extends beyond those three, and undoubtedly includes the latest "future is now" player in Pedro Alvarez. How exciting is the Pittsburgh Pirates' decision to call up Alvarez? Here's the lead from Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com's story:

Amid anticipation not seen since Barry Bonds arrived in Pittsburgh in 1986, Pedro Alvarez will make his Major League debut at PNC Park on Wednesday night.

The Pirates have played their first 64 games this season amid speculation as to when the slugging third baseman would arrive. Now, Pittsburghers who have imagined Alvarez's left-handed bat in PNC Park since the third baseman was drafted No. 2 overall in 2008 have to wait no more.

Look, the Pirates have been terrible for a long time, as evidenced by the fact that their highest pick in the first round in the last 10 years was 19th in 2000. The last time the Pirates drafted outside of the first 20 picks in the MLB draft was in 1993 and eight of the last ten years, the team has picked within the first eight selections. Perhaps this latest can't miss pick is actually a can't miss. With 30 first-rounders selected since the Pirates took Barry Bonds in 1985, maybe this kid can be the next great Pirates star.

Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette throws a giant bucket of cold water on the call-up with his column today, asking the question whether Alvarez can get the rest of the team to start playing like Major Leaguers.

When you write Alvarez's name after Jose Tabata's, Neil Walker's, [Andrew] McCutchen's, and Garrett Jones' on a lineup card autographed by John Russell, you have something that looks suspiciously like a big league lineup. But at the same time, the whole story has a vague "Waiting For Guffman" feel.

When Pedro comes, will Zach Duke suddenly have major league stuff?

When Pedro comes, will Pirates hitters go to the plate in critical situations with some semblance of confidence rather than tangible anxiety?

There is a whole slew of "when Pedro comes" questions from Collier if you click through to the column. The biggest question he should be asking, is how long Pedro will be in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are a long way from being competitive, so will Alvarez be the next great Pittsburgh star and bring the Pirates back to respectability, or will he be the next top prospect they call up and trade away to start the rebuilding all over again? They've already given him a record $6.355 million signing bonus, so pulling the trigger on getting him into the majors after hitting .277 with 13 homers and 53 RBI in 66 games at Triple-A Indianapolis was just a matter of time. Now the clock is ticking on finally putting together a team that can compete.

"It is a big step, but it isn't the last one for me to take," Pedro Alvarez said. "It starts right now. I have a huge responsibility."

At some point, you'd think the Pirates will have to start getting competitive. A once proud franchise playing in one of the great ballparks in the league, it'd be good to have the place full. Sure, Alvarez won't have a Strasburg-like effect on the Pirates' attendance, but let's hope he gets a few more people interested. Producing runs should help, something they absolutely need right now.

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