You take the good, you take the bad and there you have ... Pedro Alvarez??

Pittsburgh’s slugging third baseman is currently one of, if not the hottest hitter in baseball.

He’s batting .562 (9-for-16) in his last four games, all of which have included a home run. On Monday, Alvarez was named National League Player of the Week and will carry an eight-game hitting streak into tonight’s game in Seattle.

I know many Pirate fans are dreading his next slump. Earlier this season, he suffered through 1-for-33 and 2-for-26 runs at the plate. When he is on one of his cold streaks, Alvarez often looks foolish against even mediocre pitchers and his place in the batting order becomes a presumed out.

However, when he is swinging the bat well, he is as dangerous a hitter as there is in the game.

This roller coaster performance on offense has created a love/hate relationship for fans, but don’t be fooled into thinking Alvarez has already reached his potential.

This is only his second full season in the majors and I’m sure there are a few more wrinkles in his swing that can be ironed out. If he does this, maybe his slumps turn into the 5-for-30 variety as opposed to 0-for-30. Those five extra hits, depending on when they come, could come in handy for a team that believes itself to be a legitimate playoff contender. Every player is going to slump at times offensively. Alvarez just needs to find a way to contribute something when his bat is in the freezer.

From everything I’ve heard on game broadcasts and interviews with manager Clint Hurdle, Alvarez is no slacker off the field. He is putting the work in to become a better and more consistent hitter.

I’m not predicting that he’s ever going to hit .300 in a season, but I think an average somewhere in the .260 to .270 range is a reasonable goal for him. Last season, he batted .244 despite barely breaking .200 in April and May and managing just .215 in September.

Again, we’re talking about a guy with two and a half years worth of experience under his belt. How many players have reached their full potential in that short span of time?

I think part of the criticism of Alvarez stems from the situation he was drafted into. Fans looked at him as a player who could help lead the franchise back to a world title, or at least postseason play. So far, it hasn’t happened. And with each 0-for-4 night with three strikeouts from Alvarez, the angst from Pirate fans has intensified. Each failure made him appear to be, in their eyes, another in a long line of first-round busts for Pittsburgh.

With other young players around him like Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Neil Walker, Alvarez simply needs to take a share of the offensive load.

His effort over the last four games has also proven that, at times, he can carry a team.

Just what you would expect from a first-round draft pick.

Derek Pyda is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.