TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (June 15, 2021) - Eddy Alvarez always dreamed of competing in the Olympics.

Growing up in Florida, the Salt Lake Community College alumnus dreamed of representing Team USA on the world stage, albeit competing in the Winter Olympics on the speed-skating track. However, in an athletic career that has featured a mix of unfathomable highs and disappointing lows, Alvarez will have the opportunity to represent Team USA as a member of the Olympic-qualifying USA Baseball team that will play in next month's Summer Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the rare athlete to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics for Team USA. 

Alvarez, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, began training in speed-skating in his youth, advancing to compete in the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships, where he won a gold medal in the 3000-Meter relay. He also was a standout baseball player as a youth, earning multiple scholarship offers.

The Miami native found his way to the Salt Lake Community College baseball team in 2011, batting .303 while earning Scenic West Athletic Conference recognition for his play at shortstop. After undergoing physical therapy and treatments for other afflictions, Alvarez also returned to the short track, qualifying to compete for Team USA in the World Cup. After multiple medals on the world stage, he became the first Cuban-American male speed skater to compete for Team USA, eventually winning a silver medal in the 5,000-meter relay in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. 

After the Winter Olympic experience, Alvarez returned to baseball and quickly rose through the professional ranks in the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins organizations. He made his debut for his hometown team on August 5, 2020 in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. He has played with Miami's AAA affiliate - the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp - for most of the 2021 season.

Alvarez was named to the Team USA roster in May for the Olympic qualifying event held in the Americas, with the team qualifying to compete in Tokyo thanks to a 2-0 record in a pod that included the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico. Alvarez scored a run in a 7-1 USA win over Nicaragua to open the tournament, and was 2-of-3 with a pair of doubles in an 8-6 win over the Dominican Republic. 

SLCC coach D.G. Nelson said the energy of Alvarez is infectious.

"(Eddy) is an amazing man that is so humble and fun to to be around; not to mention how gifted and hard working he is," he said.  

The Games of the XXXII Olympiad are scheduled to begin on July 23.