José Antonio Alvarado (born May 21, 1995) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Alvarado previously played for the Tampa Bay Rays, having signed there as an international free agent, in March 2012. Alvarado made his major league debut in 2017.
The Tampa Bay Rays took an interest in Alvarado when he pitched at a showcase for Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts, and he was invited to pitch at the Rays’ Venezuelan academy. The Rays signed him in 2012, as part of an ongoing push from the club to pursue international baseball talent.
On August 15, 2020, Alvarado was placed on the 10-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation. He was later shifted to the 45-day injured list and missed the remainder of the season. On the year for Tampa Bay, Alvarado pitched to a 6.00 ERA with 13 strikeouts across 9 innings pitched in as many appearances.
On December 29, 2020, Alvarado was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies as part of a three-team trade that sent Garrett Cleavinger from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles Dodgers and minor leaguer Dillon Paulson and a player to be named later from the Dodgers to the Rays.
In 2021, Alvarado recorded a 4.20 ERA and struck out 68 batters while walking 47 in 55+2⁄3 innings of relief. He had the highest walk rate of any pitcher with more than 50 innings that year (18.7%).
On March 22, 2022, Alvarado signed a $1.9 million contract with the Phillies, avoiding salary arbitration. He does not currently have any children.