Florida / Miami Marlins All-Time Top 40 Players: Part 2

36. Henderson Alvarez (6.3)

Henderson Alvarez, also known as “The Entertainer,” was a 6′, 1″, 205 lb. right-hander from Valencia, VZ. Born on April 18th, 1990, he came up through the Toronto Blue Jays’ minor-league system, beginning in 2007 with the DSL Blue Jays. By 2011, he was ready for major league action.

Alvarez would appear in the Toronto rotation for 10 turns in 2011 and 31 in 2012. Over those 41 games, he was 10-17 with a 4.52 ERA, 119 strikeouts in 251 innings, and a 1.363 WHIP. After the 2012 season, the Blue Jays parted ways with Alvarez via trade. He joined Anthony DeSclafani, Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jake Marisnick, Jeff Mathis, and Justin Nicolino in a trade to the Miami Marlins for Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, John Buck, Josh Johnson, and Mark Buehrle.

Despite ranking sixth on the Miami Marlins with 17 starts in 2013, Alvarez’ 2.3 bbWAR ranked third on the team, behind Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton. Alvarez was 5-6 with a 3.59 ERA, a 3.18 FIP, a 1.140 WHIP, and 57 whiffs in 102 2/3 innings. In Miami’s last game of the season, on September 29th, Alvarez shutout the Detroit Tigers on a 99-pitch no-hitter. He walked one, struck out four, and hit Prince Fielder with a pitch. The Marlins won it on a walkoff, when Stanton crossed the plate on a Luke Putkonen wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth.

In 2014, Alvarez played his way into his first all-star game. He was 12-7 through the regular season, with a 2.65 ERA and a. 3.58 FIP. He also had a 1.235 WHIP, a career high 111 strikeouts in 187 innings, and an NL leading three complete game shutouts. On April 19th, he struck out four Seattle Mariners in a complete game two-hit shutout, walking nobody and getting 62-of-90 pitches over the plate in a 7-0 road victory. Then on May 6th, he struck out a season-high seven New York Mets in a complete game six-hit 3-0 shutout. Alvarez also ranked third in the NL with 36 assists from the mound.

2015 for Alvarez started out with a whimper, and would see Alvarez lose all four of his starts. He had a 1.567 WHIP after those four losses, allowing 28 hits in 22 1/3 innings while striking out only nine. After right-shoulder inflammation sidelined him twice in the early going, he would spend the remaining campaign on the 60-day DL.

Granted free agency by the Marlins after the 2015 season, Alvarez signed a free-agent deal with the Oakland Athletics for one-year and $4.25 million. He never appeared with the A’s, and only resurfaced with the Philadelphia Phillies for three appearances in 2017. He refused a minor league assignment following the season, and was declared a free agent. He’s currently part of the Washington Nationals minor league system.