MIAMI — He’s standing behind home plate at loanDepot park, two silver Olympic medals draped around his neck, and is already thinking about his next step.
It was less than two weeks ago that Eddy Alvarez — Miami native, first-generation Cuban American, Miami Christopher Columbus High alumnus — added the latest piece of hardware as the second baseman for USA baseball at the Tokyo Olympics, becoming one of six ever to medal at both the Summer and Winter Games in the process.
What’s he to do now?
“The ultimate goal,” Alvarez said, “is to get back up here to the Miami Marlins.”
So the grind resumes again. He’s back with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate in the minor leagues. His Olympic status has been removed. He’s a prospect again, one of the guys.
He was given no guarantee that he’ll get a call-up before the season ends on Oct. 3. There’s no way to make such a promise.
The message he received from Marlins general manager Kim Ng: Stay ready.
“That’s what I’m going to do every day,” Alvarez, 31, said, “take it a day at a time until my time comes.”
‘Everything you want in a team leader’
Alvarez left his mark on Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics.
He started all six games at second base and batted either first or second in the lineup every game.
He drove in the United States’ first run of the tournament with an RBI double to left field in an 8-1 win over Israel in group play. He reached base at least once every game, going 6 for 24 with two hit by pitches, three RBIs and four runs scored while playing solid defense.
“He’s everything you want in a team leader,” Team USA manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s a spark plug.”
Alvarez now has to show he can replicate that success as he gets back into the daily grind of minor league baseball. In 18 games with the Jumbo Shrimp this year before pausing to pursue his Olympic dream, Alvarez had a .250 batting average with one home run, five RBIs, 15 walks and 10 runs scored over 79 plate appearances.
He played in 12 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, batting .189 with a double, two RBIs and six runs scored. His first two career hits came against two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom.
But beyond the statistics, Alvarez’s passion for the game, dedication to succeed and selflessness are what stand out.
“Couldn’t be any prouder,” Ng said. “He came in [to our suite at the ballpark] and said ‘I’d be honored if you wear them,’ so I put both medals on. We took some pictures. It was really cool. ... I’m not sure that we could have asked for a better representative. This kid is first class.”
The journey back to the Olympics
Just as Alvarez’s return to the big leagues is uncertain, so was his return to the Olympics this summer.
He thought he was done on the international stage after he won a silver medal in short-track speed skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, finally getting on the podium on his fourth and final chance as part of the United States’ 5,000-meter relay team.
The International Olympic Committee announced in 2016 that baseball would return to the schedule for the 2020 games in Tokyo. But Alvarez, in the early stages of his third minor league season at the time, never thought at the time competing for the United States could become reality again.
Fast forward five years and a delayed Olympic cycle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Alvarez received a pair of phone calls.
The first was from the Marlins, letting him know Team USA Baseball had interest in selecting him. Remember, active players who are on 40-man rosters for any of the 30 Major League Baseball teams were ineligible for the Olympics, so Team USA had to create its eventual 24-man roster via a mix of free agent big-leaguers at or near the end of their careers, former MLB players who are playing internationally and MLB prospects.
Alvarez, a 5-9, 185-pound switch-hitting infielder, fit the latter qualification.
The second was from Team USA Baseball CEO Paul Seiler inviting him to be part of the roster for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Baseball Americas Qualifier. Alvarez considered that moment “a huge victory in itself.”
“I didn’t know if I was gonna make the Olympic roster,” Alvarez said, “but just to be part of that journey to get to the Olympics and inevitably win a medal — even if I wasn’t a part of the roster, knowing that I had a part in it, I would have been so content. I would have been so happy and pleased with the journey.”
The journey, however, was just beginning.
‘A small representation of what this country offers’
The emotions of the Olympics hit Alvarez before the first game was played, before the first practice was held, before he could field a ground ball or swing at a pitch.
He had a responsibility bigger than himself to handle.
Wearing a white denim jacket, a navy blue striped shirt, stars and stripes ascot and red, white and blue sneakers — and with women’s basketball star Sue Bird by his side — Alvarez helped lead the United States’ contingent of more than 600 athletes into the Olympic opening ceremony as one of two flagbearers.
It was a moment Alvarez, a first-generation Cuban-American, described simply as “huge for my culture, huge for my family.”
“I always say that I’m a small representation of what this country offers,” Alvarez continued, “the freedom and liberty that it offers, an opportunity. My grandparents and my parents came over from Cuba with nothing to their name just for a chance of freedom and opportunity. We’ve come a long way. Because of them, I’ve been able to pursue what I wanted to pursue. I’ve been able to accomplish goals that I set for myself, where in countries like Cuba you just don’t get those opportunities. To be able to lead USA, the United States of America, hold Old Glory — a symbol of liberty to many around the world, not just the United States — the fact that I was able to be that guy in that moment, I know it’s made a huge impact.”
It’s that familial support system that has pushed Alvarez all these years.
His parents, mom Mabel and dad Walter, devoted time and money throughout his life to help him reach his dreams and support him every step of the way.
They watched as a kid from Miami, their kid, went from rollerblading with the pair of skates they bought him as a Christmas gift when he was 5 years old to ice skating at 9 to World Junior Speed Skating Champion at 19 to Olympian at 24.
And then, seven years later, they watched him get back to the Olympics with a baseball bat in his hands, representing his country in the sport that was his first love.
“They got me to the Midwest to skate,” Alvarez said. “Doing midterms and doing homework on plane rides at midnight. Catching red eyes so I can get back to school. Finishing a weekend of racing somewhere in the Midwest, going to school and finding myself in a baseball tournament somewhere in Port St. Lucie or Sarasota, you name it. It’s just been a long road. It’s been a lot of sacrifice.”
All those memories flashed before his eyes on Aug. 5, moments after the United States beat South Korea, 7-2, in the semifinals. That win guaranteed that Alvarez would win a medal and become the sixth person ever to do so at both the Summer and Winter Games. Alvarez said mom is the gatekeeper for both medals.
“She deserves to keep them safe,” Alvarez said. “She’s been my No. 1. She’s been my personal driver my whole life.”
Alvarez understands the sacrifices first-hand now, too. He’s a father to a little boy, 1-year-old Jett. Fatherhood, Alvarez said, has been “the best thing in the world.”
“This journey, I’ve always felt like it was for me, for personal satisfaction or personal accomplishments,” Alvarez said, “and then I had a son. It’s changed my perspective completely, 180 degrees. Everything I do is for him. He’s brought so much joy into my life. He’s brought so much joy into my athletic career. It encourages me. It motivates me knowing that one day, he’s going to look back, he’s going to ask me questions and I’m going to be able to relay stories and he’s going to be able to look online and find articles about me. I just want to be a certain stepping stone for him in whatever career he takes and pursues, but I want him to learn and know that I did everything with passion and I want to relay that message to him.”
‘Keep going’
Even with the accomplishments, the accolades, the history, the newfound recognition, Alvarez doesn’t get detracted from his roots.
“At the end of the day, I just want them to know that I’m just a regular guy,” Alvarez said. “I went to the same high school that a lot of my peers and my best friends went to here in Miami — Christopher Columbus High School. I eat the same Cuban food that they go to. La Carreta, Versailles, Sergio’s. It’s been unbelievable, the welcome that I’ve gotten, the warmth and the love that I’ve received.”
His message for those chasing their dreams, not unlike what he has been doing and continues to do?
“Keep going,” Alvarez said. “That’s the biggest one for me. I’ve always had my back against the wall. I’ve been told no more than I’ve been told yes. I’ve exceeded all expectations just because I kept going. I’ve battled through injury. I’ve lost all sorts of races, been overlooked by all sorts of colleges. Wasn’t even a thought in any scouts’ minds to be drafted. ... I’m no physical specimen. But I had grit. I had the will to just keep going. It’s opened an unbelievable amount of doors for me. I have basically created opportunities through hard work, and if there’s one kid that I can change the life just by hearing this message, it’s honestly just keep going when things get tough.”
And with that, Alvarez is back at the field. He’ll keep going. On to the next dream, the next goal, the next step.
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