Meet the 12-year-old Phillies fan who went viral for imitating José Alvarado: ‘He was in his own little zone’
“He really thought he helped the Phillies win," said Troy Bailey of his grandson Princeton, who can expect an invitation back to the Bank from Alvarado.
Troy and Princeton Bailey were at the Phillies-Nationals game on Tuesday night, sitting in Section 118, row 13, when a fan in front of them turned around. It was a few minutes after Phillies reliever José Alvarado escaped a bases-loaded situation in the eighth with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Alex Call.
She showed Troy her phone.
“They’ve got you on TV,” she said.
He assumed the fan was talking about the Jumbotron. She was not.
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“It was on the broadcast,” said the 57-year-old tax adviser. “By the time we got home, it was all over the news.”
It was not Troy who went viral, but rather his grandson, a 12-year-old student at Kirk Middle School in Newark, Del., who goes by “Prince.” On Tuesday night, the camera caught him meticulously imitating Alvarado, starting from when the pitcher lifted his glove to his chest, to when he followed through with his arm.
After Alvarado struck out Call in a 7-6 Phillies victory, Prince invented his own celebration: An imaginary arrow launched into the night sky.
The moment quickly made its rounds on social media, which Troy found amazing, and slightly amusing, since his grandson does his pitching imitations during every inning of every Phillies game. That goes for football, too.
Troy took Prince to his first Eagles game in December. Like clockwork, the middle schooler began mimicking quarterback Jalen Hurts, carefully studying his passing, scrambling, and everything in between.
That time, it went unnoticed by the broadcast.
“We were sitting too far up,” Troy joked.
After the Eagles game, Prince asked if they could attend a Phillies game in 2025. His grandfather bought him tickets for his 12th birthday. It was his first time at Citizens Bank Park.
“I think he enjoyed himself,” Troy said. “He really thought he helped the Phillies win.”
Prince lives with Troy and his wife, Katrina, in Delaware, because his mother, Sarah, has a busy work schedule. From late afternoon through the evening, she takes shifts at a local bank, and from late morning to midafternoon, she drives for Lyft.
It hasn’t allowed for much time to take her son — a devoted Phillies fan — to the ballpark, which made Tuesday night all the more special. Prince, who is on the autism spectrum, is planning to start playing youth baseball next year.
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He said he has already learned a lot from watching the Phillies pitching staff.
“I don’t [play baseball] but I do the moves, though,” Prince said Wednesday.
“He doesn’t know the pitchers’ names,” added Troy. “He’s just watching baseball.”
He learned to love the game from his grandfather. When Prince was 8, Troy bought him a black Rawlings glove, the same one he brought to the ballpark on Tuesday night.
He asked his grandfather if he could buy one for himself, so they could play catch. From then on, he was hooked.
“When he’s watching [Phillies games] at home, he can’t keep still,” Troy said. “He’s walking in front of the TV. I can’t see. What you saw on national TV is how he is watching TV at home. Just like that.”
Added Sarah: “Every time a game is on, he is in that mode. He walks around the house doing his stance.”
These imitations aren’t just limited to the confines of the Baileys’ living room. Prince will do them everywhere: at the supermarket, at Troy’s office, at school.
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He is shy by nature, but when he’s imitating an athlete, either in front of a TV or not, it fills him with confidence.
“He’s an introvert, but once he watches sports, that side of him comes out,” Troy said.
So, it was only natural that when he was at Citizens Bank Park for the first time, Prince decided to bring his glove and study the pitchers as they navigated a lineup. Troy said he was “locked in” the entire time.
“He didn’t get up to go to the bathroom or nothing,” he said. “He was just focused on the game.”
Troy began to receive texts from family members and clients. The next day at school, one of Prince’s teachers pulled him aside during class.
“They said that they were seeing me on the TV,” Prince said. “And then I did the same [pitching] form for them.”
Another person who took notice was Alvarado. Tuesday night, after reviewing video of his mechanics, he watched the clip of Prince. He plans on inviting the 12-year-old to a game.
“It was awesome,” Alvarado said. “I talked to my agent. [I asked] if he can send a message to somebody who works on the team, to find the kid and bring him here. Give him something. Maybe my jersey, signed, and a couple of baseballs.”
He added: “I can’t wait to see this kid here.”
Phillies reporter Lochlahn March contributed to this article.