Pratt names Alvarez new BYU pitching coach

PROVO, Utah — BYU head baseball coach Trent Pratt today announced the hiring Abe Alvarez as the new pitching coach for the Cougars. Alvarez comes to BYU having spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada. 

Alvarez was an All-American at Long Beach State where he posted a 23–5 record with a 2.56 ERA over three seasons. As a junior in 2003, he helped lead Long Beach to its first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance. He was selected 2003 Big West Pitcher of the Year and named second-team All-American by Baseball America after going 11–2 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts. Alvarez also won a silver medal with Team USA in the 2002 University Games.

After the 2003 season, Alvarez was drafted in the second round, 49th overall, by the Boston Red Sox. He made the quickest trip from single-A ball to the big leagues in Red Sox history, making his MLB appearance in July of 2004. Alvarez was the youngest member of the Red Sox team to win a World Series ring in 2004. He went on to spend six seasons with the Red Sox organization, including three stints in the majors, before retiring in 2009.

Following retirement, Alvarez served as an undergraduate assistant coach at Long Beach State until 2011, while earning his bachelor’s degree in history. He later earned a master’s degree in secondary education from Loyola Marymount in 2017.

After Long Beach State, Alvarez coached at Cerritos High School and then St. Bernard High School, where he was a teacher, dean of students and the head baseball coach. At St. Bernard he led the baseball team to its first league title in 30 years and back-to-back quarterfinals appearances at the California Interscholastic Federation tournament.

During his four seasons as a coach at Nevada, Alvarez helped the Wolf Pack capture the 2021 Mountain West regular season championship and advance to the NCAA Regionals. He also coached two Wolf Pack pitchers, Grant Ford and Ryan Anderson, who were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft, as well as Owen Sharts, who was drafted in 2021.

Alvarez and his wife Natalie have two children, Isabella and Benjamin.