"The Pirates insist their faith in Pedro Alvarez was not shaken by the young third baseman's epic struggles at the plate last season.

"Pedro is still a big part of our plans for next year and beyond," general manager Neal Huntington said Friday at the team's annual hot stove lunch. "He's not the first player, nor will he be the last, to have a tough sophomore season."

There's no doubt the Pirates need a bounceback by Alvarez. He hit .191 with a .561 OPS and missed time due to a quad injury. With their only power threat hobbled and ineffective, the Pirates ranked 14th in the league in runs scored.

"Towards the end of the year, I was starting to feel a little better at the plate, seeing the ball better," Alvarez said. "I think it's just a matter of time, kind of just getting my feet under myself and picking up where I left off."

Management wanted Alvarez to play winter ball, but he opted not to go. Instead, he's spent much of this offseason in Los Angeles, working on mobility and agility five days a week with a private trainer. A couple of weeks ago, Alvarez started taking hacks in the batting cage.

"I'm feeling good," Alvarez said. "I'm just going out and swinging. Nothing too mechanical, nothing too in-depth.""