Every off-season, there are stories about players re-dedicating themselves to getting in shape, losing weight, and coming into Spring Training better prepared for the grind of a long season. Some of these stories hold more weight than others.
One of this year's editions, written by Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, involves Pirates top prospect Pedro Alvarez, and gives Pirate fans a glimmer of hope that the husky 3B is working to fix one of the few speed bumps that could derail him from the fast-track to the major leagues. The good news is that this story involves Alvarez spending time at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Arizona, a good sign for any team looking for a player to shape up during the off-season.
