José Antonio Alvarado was born on May 21, 1995, he is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies (MLB).
Alvarado formerly played for the Tampa Bay Rays after signing as an international free agent with them in March 2012. In 2017, Alvarado made his big league debut.
When Alvarado pitched at a showcase for Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts, the Tampa Bay Rays took notice, and he was asked to throw at the Rays’ Venezuelan school. The Rays signed him in 2012 as part of the club’s continued effort to recruit overseas 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 is currently not married.