Eddy Alvarez

Early life The son of Cuban immigrants, Eduardo Alvarez was born January 30, 1990, to Mabel and Walter Alvarez.

At age five, Alvarez was given a pair of plastic roller skates. He quickly found he had a talent and passion for the sport, performing tricks such as jumping over boxes for weekend crowds in South Beach.

During high school, Alvarez put his skating career on hold to focus on his other love, baseball. He played well enough to earn a full athletic scholarship to St. Thomas University as a shortstop. However, the idea of competing in the Olympics drew him back to speed skating, so he declined the scholarship.

Skating career Alvarez made the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships, winning a gold medal in the 3,000 meter relay at the 2009 edition. Hampered by a stomach virus, Alvarez placed seventh at the 2010 Olympic Trials and missed the team. However, his knees did not improve and he finally decided to have them checked out.

Alvarez underwent five plasma injections before resorting to a surgery that could have ended any chance of a skating comeback. He had surgery in March 2012 and was completely immobile the next four weeks. "That was a tough time," he recalled. "My all-time low. I was ready to quit." During the 2013–14 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup, he won a gold (at Kolomna) and a silver (at Seoul) in the 5,000 meter relay. He also won a bronze (at Shanghai) in the 500 meters. He became first Cuban-American male speed skater to make a U.S. Olympic team. "This was a dream, a goal of mine since I was a kid. I want to stand on that podium. I want to represent my country and my background, my family, my parents".

Prior to the Olympics, Alvarez said he would return to baseball after the Games in the hopes of being drafted. He made his professional debut with the Arizona White Sox of the Rookie-level Arizona League, where he played 27 games. He was promoted to the Kannapolis Intimidators of the Single-A South Atlantic League on August 12.

Alvarez began the 2015 season with Kannapolis. After a successful stint with Kannapolis, Alvarez was promoted to the Winston-Salem Dash of the High-A Carolina League on July 22, 2015. In 2016, he began the season with the Birmingham Barons of the Double-A Southern League, and was promoted to the Charlotte Knights of the Triple-A International League. On the season, he logged a .265/.341/.365 slash line with 6 home runs and 65 RBI. In 2017, Alvarez split the year between Birmingham and Charlotte, posting a .235/.347/.310 batting line with 4 home runs and 39 RBI in 126 games. In 101 games for Charlotte in 2018, Alvarez slashed .253/.348/.435 with a career-high 8 home runs and 37 RBI.

Miami Marlins On March 27, 2019, Alvarez was traded to the Miami Marlins. He split the 2019 season between the Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes, Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, and High-A Jupiter Hammerheads, accumulating a .324/.408/.559 batting line with a career-high 12 home runs and 44 RBI in 70 games between the three affiliates.

On August 3, 2020, the Marlins selected Alvarez's contract to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. On August 5, he made his MLB debut against the Baltimore Orioles. Alvarez was designated for assignment by the Marlins on September 13, after going 7-for-37 (.189), in 12 games.

Alvarez was assigned to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to begin the 2021 season. He left the minors during the 2021 season to compete in the Olympics. He hit .188 with one home run and six RBI in 24 appearances for the team during the year. On October 21, Alvarez elected free agency.

Los Angeles Dodgers On January 1, 2022, Alvarez signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During spring training, he was assigned to the Triple A Oklahoma City Dodgers. He was recalled to the majors on June 3. Alvarez was optioned back to the Triple A Oklahoma City Dodgers on July 3. In 14 games with the Dodgers, he had four hits in 25 at-bats (.160 average) while he hit .322 with eight homers and 29 RBI for Oklahoma City in 47 games. He was designated for assignment on August 30. On September 5, the Dodgers released Alvarez.

Milwaukee Brewers On December 3, 2022, the Milwaukee Brewers signed Alvarez to a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training. Wearing tights and Rollerblades, he skated around the clubhouse when he was introduced during a team meeting.

Boston Red Sox On July 26, 2023, Alvarez signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox organization. After playing in one game for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, Alvarez announced that he had suffered a fractured foot that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. Breaking the navicular bone meant he had to have it surgically repaired with a bone graft from his hip. In December 2023, he was named a non-roster invitee to the team's 2024 spring training.

Alvarez began the 2024 campaign with Worcester, playing in 114 games and slashing .247/.348/.463 with 18 home runs, 77 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.

New York Mets On September 8, 2024, Alvarez was traded to the New York Mets for cash. The next day, the Mets selected Alvarez's contract, adding him to their active roster following the loss of second baseman Jeff McNeil, who suffered a broken wrist when he was hit by a pitch. On October 1, Alvarez was designated for assignment by the Mets after the promotion of Max Kranick. In 13 games for New York in 2024, Alvarez went 0-for-9 with no RBI. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on October 3. Alvarez elected free agency on October 21.

Atlanta Braves On January 6, 2025, Alvarez signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. On May 20, he joined the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, playing in 51 games and hitting .176/.323/.302 with five home runs, 14 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. Alvarez retired from professional baseball on June 29.

International baseball In May 2021, Alvarez was named to the roster of the United States national baseball team for qualifying for 2020 Summer Olympics. After the team qualified, Alvarez was named to the Olympics roster on July 2. On July 21, Alvarez was chosen to be a flag bearer for the U.S. in the Olympics opening ceremony alongside basketball player Sue Bird. Alvarez was the first baseball player to be selected as a flag bearer for the U.S. The baseball team went on to win silver, losing to host Japan in the gold-medal game. Alvarez became the 135th athlete to compete in both the Winter and Summer Olympics and only the sixth to medal at both the Winter and Summer Olympics. Eddie Eagan and Lauryn Williams are the only other Americans to earn medals at both the Winter and Summer games.

Personal life Alvarez and his wife, Gaby, have two sons. Their older son is named Jett. His sister, Nicole, is a radio DJ in Los Angeles.

Alvarez views fellow short track speed skater J.R. Celski as being like another brother. He says training with Celski, whom he has known since age six, has been the biggest factor in his success as a speed skater. "In California we'd be going up the sand dunes and he'd see me coming closer and he would just hit the jets," he recalls. "We're competitive. Everything we do is a competition."

After one surgery, Alvarez learned to play guitar to keep himself occupied.