Sports

Checking in with Billy Alvino

Sachem East alum plays minor league baseball for Detroit Tigers.

Billy Alvino is certainly not a veteran, but he’s much more relaxed his second time around at spring training.

“You know what you have ahead,” said Alvino, a 2005 Sachem High School East graduate, who is a catcher in the minor league system of the Detroit Tigers. “You know what each day is going to bring, the physical aspects of everything. It puts your mind at ease to know what to expect.”

Alvino had off-season surgery on his back thanks to two collisions he suffered at the plate while playing for the Single-A West Michigan Whitecaps last season.

Find out what's happening in Sachemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It’s full steam ahead now and Alvino is hoping to start the season in high-A ball down in Lakeland, Fla., the same spot spring training is located for the Tigers organization.

Find out what's happening in Sachemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rehabbing from the surgery, he arrived in Florida much earlier than most players. This afforded him the opportunity to catch pitchers likes Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, and Robbie Weinhardt.

“Being in the weight room around those guys, it’s nice seeing them go about their business and their work ethic,” he said.

In 66 career games spread across two seasons, Alvino is hitting .232 with 7 RBI and has a .349 on-base percentage. He has also made no errors behind the plate and he’s thrown out 22 percent of the runners that have attempted to steal on him, according to BaseballReference.com.

Like any ball player trying to make it to the next level, Alvino spent the off-season working on getting bigger, stronger and faster. But with the injury hampering most of his time off, he focused his efforts in other places.

“This year I worked on the core and got a little more power,” he said. “One of the major things swinging wise is to get a little more power."

Last spring he grew weary of Lakeland and it’s lack of entertainment away from the ball field. This time around he’s picked up fishing and other hobbies to fill the time.

He has no idea if he’ll head back to West Michigan or stay with the Flying Tigers in Lakeland, but either way, he’ll be content playing ball again this summer.

“You never know at the end of springing training,” he said. “Guys are around for four or five years and the next thing you know they’re headed home. I just want an opportunity to play and get a chance at quality at-bats.”

Check Sachem Patch throughout the baseball season for updates on Alvino.


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