For a guy who was supposed to light the world on fire and set home run records to rattle the history of Pittsburgh Sports, Pedro Alvarez sure has been a disappointment so far.  Through Sunday’s 8-4 win over the Colorado Rockies, Alvarez is batting .213, which was bolstered by two singles in four at-bats.  Prior to that game, Pedro was tinkering in the forbidden .200 range.

Pedro Alvarez was on the fast track.  The 24 year old native of the Dominican Republic had Pirates fans convinced he was ready to assume the duties at the hot corner finishing 2010 with 16 home runs in 347 at-bats.  Being known as a notoriously slow starter, Alvarez can really play a role for a franchise hoping for at least mediocrity.

Neal Walker and Jose Tabata have done their parts as young components of an inconsistency machine.  Lyle Overbay is starting to prove why the Pirates need a first baseman.  Overbay, much like Alvarez, has shown little with the bat so far in 2011.

At the rate Alvarez is going, he will end the season with about 40 RBI and just 5 dingers.  The numbers have to get better, don’t they?  If not, Hurdle better have a “Plan B” in place.  Maybe he can switch Overbay and Alvarez in the batting order and on defense.  Maybe he can let Alvarez pitch in a mop-up situation and make Overbay catch.

The moral here is that there are two guys holding Pittsburgh back from being at the very least, a .500 team.