GLENDALE, Ariz. – On the surface, there’s nothing out of the ordinary about a 22-year-old getting tabbed for the Arizona Fall League. It’s often the place that serves as a final proving ground for young players on their way to becoming big leaguers.
But in Nacho Alvarez Jr.’s case, he’s on hand in the desert as a big leaguer.
The rare graduated prospect suiting up for the Glendale Desert Dogs, Alvarez has 218 Major League at-bats under his belt, 188 of which came this season for the Braves. But if all had gone according to plan, he would have far exceeded that mark and likely not needed some offseason fine-tuning in the first place.
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First, a left wrist injury sustained during Spring Training that wiped out the early portion of Alvarez's season. He didn't return until early June, but after two weeks with Triple-A Gwinnett, an oblique strain put him back on the shelf. As July hit, he had just 50 plate appearances under his belt, none at the Major League level. He was champing at the bit.
“The game got taken away from me and I was losing my mind for about two-and-a-half months,” Alvarez said. “Being around [Ronald] Acuña [Jr.] while he was coming back and then [Jurickson] Profar was down there, being around those guys, I feel like that really helped me going into the season because you get to build a relationship with those two guys and they they helped me a lot just from the mental [side of] the game.”
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Alvarez hit third on Thursday during the Glendale Desert Dogs' 13-7 win over the Scottsdale Scorpions, going 1-for-4 with a pair of walks and runs scored.
Just 19 days ago, Alvarez had the defining game of his big league career to this point. He socked his first two MLB homers in Detroit in front of a frenzied Comerica Park crowd before delivering the game-tying hit in the ninth. It was a glimpse into the best of his swing, one that carried him up the Braves’ prospect list and Minor League system at the same age as many college upperclassmen.
“I'm never gonna forget that day,” Alvarez said. “I mean, just silencing the crowd in the ninth inning and getting the game-tying knock, I mean it's something that you dream of. When situations like that happen, I can't even put it into words how awesome that was.”
It was a rare bright spot. Without the benefit of a full Spring Training, or even much of a sustained rehab stint after injuries funneled him back to Atlanta, Alvarez was constantly working from behind. That’s difficult for any hitter to do, but especially so at the Major League level, all at 22 years old. All told, it led to a .234 average and a .626 OPS.
So getting Alvarez at-bats leading into 2026 became paramount. While he says he’s excited to “be around these young guys again,” the Fall League also offers him an opportunity to see premium velocity and stuff for another 75-90 at-bats leading into next spring as he looks to carve out a niche for himself among a Braves group trying to bounce back into National League East contention.
Players in the Fall League often only rub elbows with big league All-Stars during Spring Training or while rehabbing injuries at the complex. Alvarez can attest to both of those things, but he also has the firsthand experience of what it’s like day in, day out to look across the locker room and see Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley, and then have to try and drive them in later in the night.
Lest anyone think Alvarez hasn’t picked up a thing or two from notoriously Ironman-like Braves hitters such as Olson, his primary focus isn’t always on the results – it’s on just having the chance to produce by having the type of ability that all organizations seek: availability.
“Just the way that they carry themselves on a day-to-day basis is just how I wanna carry myself from here on out,” Alvarez said. “Showing up early and doing what you have to do to get ready for the game and be ready for [game time at] 7:15 because that's all that matters – getting on the field and playing as hard as you can and going out there for 162 [games] because I mean, we get paid to play, so why not play all 162?”