Unhealthy addiction in a star player? Actually, yes. Normally, you would expect a star pitcher to be harsh on himself with a perfect diet, fitness, and decent day-to-day habits. And well, in usual cases, that’s the secret weapon for a player to deliver the best on the field. But when it comes to the Philadelphia Phillies’ $22 million pitcher, he thrives because of something that will take you by surprise.

One needs a warm cup of coffee to kick-start the day, but when it comes to the Phillies’ star Jose Alvarado, it’s a full-blown addiction for him. Alvarado has just caught the MLB world off guard with his insanely unhealthy addiction to coffee. You must be thinking out loud that it ain’t that big of a deal.

But get this, when he came to the interview, he revealed, “Before I got here, I drank six espressos… I got here, I drank six more espressos.” Imagine 12 espressos in one single day. And it was normal for him, more like a way of life. To top it all off, he even has a “Coffee is life” tattoo. On the concerning side, coffee addiction at this level has some major side effects. Dehydration is one major side effect that can impact Alvarado’s health.

It looks like coffee might just be Alvarado’s secret weapon. When he recorded a 3.41 ERA and 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings for the Phillies, it is possible that caffeine gave him that boost. To thrive as a pitcher, an athlete needs to be able to perform that well without any addiction.

It’s not a usual addiction. His addiction reflects an ongoing trend in Major League Baseball. To boost energy, players in the league consume caffeine to perform better on the field. According to studies, caffeine improves the performance of athletes by 2-16%.

It seems like it’s high time for Alvarado to find a healthy balance with his coffee intake.

Is Alvarado overlooked in the Phillies’ bullpen?

The Phillies nation has immense love for a few players like Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper, and some more. This spring, these names were making headlines for being fan favorites. On the other hand, a player who has spent the longest time in the Phillies’ bullpen did not receive such attention or even half of it, for that matter.

29-year-old Jose Alvarado was visibly overlooked over time. He had an impressive 2024 season. He helped the Phillies with 13 saves. And during this year’s spring training, he pitched 9 scoreless innings. This season, he is receiving attention, but not for the reasons you think. As you now know, he stunned the MLB world with his unhealthy coffee addiction, and that’s only why he’s making headlines.

When it comes to the Phillies manager Rob Thompson, even he didn’t use Alvarado when it mattered the most last season. The fans could spot him only once during the playoffs. And when we go a little back to 2022, after a short-term minor league demotion, Alvarado bounced back, being one of the best pitchers in this league.

According to sources, this season, Thompson will be making the most of Alvarado’s pitching. He was definitely overlooked in the past. But if he comes out stronger, he can take this season as an opportunity to make an impact. Perhaps, he will be making headlines beyond his caffeine addiction.