Pirates call up Pedro Alvarez

The Pirates announced today that they have called up top hitting prospect Pedro Alvarez, according to SI.com. Alvarez is hitting .277 with 13 home runs and 15 doubles so far this season in Triple-A Indianapolis. 

"He's not going to be an accomplished player in all areas when he comes up, but no player is," Huntington said. "We're looking forward to his arrival here in Pittsburgh, whether it's this week, next week or next month. It's going to happen here at some point, pending health and the continuation of his progress and development."

The Pirates have dropped nine straight games coming into Wednesday night. Alvarez has shown true potential at the plate, but his set position is unclear in the majors. He will play both third and first when he comes up, but his future is probably over at first base. 

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To make room for Alvarez on the active roster, the Pirates designated Akinori Iwamura for assignment and will attempt to trade him over the next 10 days. Iwamura is making 4.8 million dollars, but is hitting well under the .200 mark. 

"His focus is to re-establish himself as a major league player, and that's our focus," Huntington said. "Aki will get 100 percent commitment from us. We know he's better than this; he knows he's better than this."

Teams could acquire him for next to nothing but owe him some of his salary, or they could wait for the Pirates to release Iwamura and then sign him for near the major league minimum.