Eddy Alvarez is a rare athlete who has competed in the Olympics in two different sports. A native of Miami, Florida, Alvarez has represented the United States in both speed skating and baseball.
Alvarez’s athletic journey began on the ice, where he excelled as a speed skater, eventually earning a silver medal in the 5,000-meter relay at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Despite his success on the ice, Alvarez’s love for baseball never waned. After the Olympics, he decided to switch sports, pursuing a career in professional baseball.
Alvarez, 34, signed with the Chicago White Sox organization as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He worked his way up through the minor leagues, ultimately reaching the Major Leagues with the Miami Marlins. In 2020, Alvarez added another chapter to his unique story, earning a spot on the U.S. baseball team for the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, where he helped secure a silver medal.
NewBostonPost spoke with Alvarez, who is a utility player for the Worcester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox Triple-A Affiliate), on April 5, 2024, at Polar Park in Worcester.
The interview is below:
1. You signed your first pro ball contract in 2014 — a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox in June 2014. Before that, the last time you had played organized baseball was at community college in 2011 since you spent a few years prepping for the Sochi winter games. What was the hardest part about adjusting to pro ball after a few years away from the sport?
It was an accelerated process for sure. The game was really fast when I got back into it, especially at the pro level. Though I was in Rookie Ball, I was seeing high velocities I had never seen before, but I knew I didn’t have time to complain about anything and had to make adjustments and adapt, right? To survive you have to adapt, but it was difficult for the first couple of months trying to find consistency. I remember having a lot of conversations with my brother [Nick] who played pro baseball and guys around me that were in the game. It was a matter of not searching for results, but simplifying the game — like working on something one-pitch specific. I learned a lot that year, climbed up the system pretty quickly, and here I am.
2. You hit your first big league homer against Charlie Morton on September 11, 2021. At the time, were you aware of the significance of the date? Did it affect you?
I played that game with a lot of emotion already. I come from a family of immigrants who came to this country searching for freedom and opportunity. I bleed red, white, and blue. I’m very proud to be an American and everything that this country has given to my family. I know that day took a big toll on our country and it being after I was flagbearer for the United States in the Tokyo Olympics, I remember rounding first base and my body was a little numb and I was thinking “I can’t believe I just did that on that day.” That home run has a lot of significance and I’m just honored and blessed to be in that situation.
3. What was your favorite off-the-track/off-the-field memory of competing in the Olympics? Was it being the flagbearer at the opening ceremony in Tokyo?
Yeah, that’s a special one for me. A lot of sacrifices have gone to where I am today and I’m not just talking about my personal journey or career. I’m talking about the generation before me who left everything they loved and owned back in Cuba and came to the United States with nothing and made sacrifices to give the next generation a better opportunity and I’m a prime example of what the American dream is, and I’m very proud to hold that title.
4. How does speed in short-track speed skating translate to baseball in terms of things like speed on the basepaths and range in the field?
I’m gonna be honest: not much. The only thing I can compare is the fact that we go left around the bases and left around the track. I think just the work ethic I learned from skating, I was able to transition it to my baseball and career. To get to the top of the mountain and to re-start again, it’s almost like I had a little cheatsheet in a sense because I lived through that world once and was willing to live through it and make that sacrifice again.
5. When did you know you wanted to be a big leaguer and that it was something you could realistically do?
As a kid, I always wanted to be a Major League Baseball player and an Olympic skater as well, but that was playing whiffle ball in the backyard, bottom of the ninth, World Series. I always wanted to do it. I think it was around the time where I was in my third pro year and I was already promoted to Triple-A and performed really well where I was like, “This could really happen for me.” I hadn’t sent my letter of retirement yet, but I think I really knew I was done with skating.
