César Octavio "Tavo" Álvarez (born November 25, 1971) is a Mexican former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played during two seasons at the major league level, pitching for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

. He attended high school at

Tucson High School Tucson High Magnet School , commonly referred to as THMS, THS, or Tucson High, is a public high school in Tucson, Arizona. It is part of the Tucson Unified School District with magnet programs in Technology, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts. Th ...

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. His senior year, he was one of 25 high school baseball players in USA Today's "Super 25" for the 1990 season. He was also named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year for baseball in 1990. After his senior season, he was drafted by the

in the second round of the

1990 Major League Baseball Draft The 1990 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...

, and he signed with the team on June 19. After signing the contract, he played the rest of the 1990 season with the Expos' rookie affiliate, winning five games and losing two. Alvarez played his full first professional season with the Class A

Sumter Flyers Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumter ...

in 1991, posting a 12–10 record and a 3.24

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). He had a career year in 1992, playing for both the

West Palm Beach Expos The West Palm Beach Expos were a Florida State League minor league baseball team which existed from 1969 through the 1997 season in West Palm Beach, Florida. History The West Palm Beach Expos were a Class A affiliate of the Montreal Expos and pla ...

and

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

, combining for 17 wins, five losses, and a 1.74 ERA. He spent the full 1993 season with the

Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...

, and finished the season with a 7–10 record and a 4.21 ERA. After spending 1994 in the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

, Alvarez did not re-sign with the Expos until April 1995 due to visa problems. Combined with arm surgery, in July 1995 he made his first minor league start since 1993. A month later on August 21, he made his major league debut against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. He started eight games for the Expos during the

1995 Montreal Expos season The 1995 Montreal Expos season was the 27th season in franchise history. They finished the season with a record of 66-78, a last place finish and 24 games behind the World Series champion Atlanta Braves. Offseason *March 29, 1995: Greg A. Harris ...

, winning one game, losing five,

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

17 and posting an ERA of 6.75. He split the 1996 season between Montreal and Ottawa. He pitched in 20 games for Ottawa, winning four and losing nine. During the

1996 Montreal Expos season The 1996 Montreal Expos season was the 28th season in franchise history. An 88-74 finish was good enough to put them in 2nd in the NL East, 8 games behind the National League Champion Atlanta Braves and 2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in th ...

, he pitched in 11 games and posted a 2–1 record and a 3.00 ERA. Despite better success, his pitching appearance on September 29, 1996, was the last of his major league career. Álvarez tried to remain on the major league roster in 1997. During

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, on one of the scoreboards, he was introduced as "Taco Alvarez." He spent the 1997 season in Ottawa, winning four games and losing eight. His last professional season was with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

' Triple-A club, the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, in 1998. He pitched in 15 games for them and had an ERA of 4.83.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Tavo 1971 births Living people Baseball players from Sonora Harrisburg Senators players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Mexico Mexican expatriate baseball players in Canada Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Montreal Expos players Nashville Sounds players Ottawa Lynx players Sportspeople from Ciudad Obregón Sumter Flyers players Tucson High School alumni West Palm Beach Expos players Gulf Coast Expos players Diablos Rojos del México players Mayos de Navojoa players Olmecas de Tabasco players Vaqueros Laguna players