[1] Alvarez spent four seasons in the minors playing mostly at shortstop for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles organizations.
[1] Born José René Álvarez Ramírez in Manzanillo, Cuba, he grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he attended St. Patrick High School.
As a result, he spent two years as a coach in the Orioles minor league system before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and becoming a manager.
[5] He then received his first opportunity to coach in the summer Mexican League in 2014 with the Pericos de Puebla, serving as an interim manager for the club as a replacement for departed Houston Jiménez.
Afterwards, they beat Campeche in the first round of the playoffs and then upset their rivals, the Tigres de Quintana Roo, advancing to the Championship Series and being defeated by the Diablos Rojos del México in a four-game sweep.