Nacho Alvarez Jr. building case to stay with Braves with his bat, glove

It is understandable for a young player to want to make a good impression during his first time with the club, especially when he was previously a fifth-round draft pick. But in Alvarez’s case, the extra pressure did not help his performance; instead, it took him outside of his approach and left him pressing at the plate.

And the results showed. Alvarez only hit .100 in 30 at-bats while striking out 10 times in eight games.

“I just came in here, tried to impress guys and tried to not be me,” Alvarez said. “Me is enough.”

Although his statistics were less than ideal, the experience taught Alvarez a valuable lesson — to chill out. He stopped stressing out over his performance and instead concentrated on helping the team win, any way he could.

A conversation with Triple-A manager Kanekoa Texeira helped bring Alvarez to the realization. Texeira told him that trying to improve will not earn him a role with the big-league club. Instead, he needed to show the Braves how they could benefit from calling him up.

And that started with increasing his defensive versatility. Alvarez worked at second base, third base and shortstop during the offseason to bolster his resume for when the club needed another infielder.

“If I’m not getting hits, I’m taking (away) yours,” Alvarez said. “I take pride in that (and) worked on it so hard this offseason. I worked at all three positions in the infield. I’ve just been working hard to try and be able to get (with the big-league club) and stick.”

The hard work paid off, as Alvarez played stellar defense in four games covering for third baseman Austin Riley. Alvarez made a highlight reel catch over the rolled-up tarp in foul territory Friday and leaped up to grab a line drive with the bases loaded a day later.

“It just feels so free,” Alvarez said of returning to third base, where he grew up playing. “It feels like I’m riding a bike again.”

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Alvarez’s offensive capabilities also took a noticeable step forward since his debut almost a year ago. He is batting .267 through four games with the Braves — and recorded multiple hits in half of those contests — after hitting .361 through 11 games with Triple-A Gwinnett.

An argument can be made that Alvarez showed enough to stay with the big-league club when Riley is activated off the 10-day injured list as early as Tuesday. But the Braves will need to balance giving the 22-year-old an opportunity with him still needing at-bats. (Alvarez only appeared in 18 games this season because of a wrist injury.)

If Alvarez stays, the organization will want to ensure he receives playing time rather than hindering his development by sitting on the bench.

And with the Braves, 43-55 after Sunday’s loss to the Yankees, treading water, the club might want to use the rest of the season as an opportunity to see what its younger players, such as Alvarez, can accomplish.