In a rich-get-richer move, the Houston Astros promoted 21-year-old slugger Yordan Alvarez to their 25-man roster. Alvarez was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 million as a teenager and later traded to the Astros for reliever Josh Fields. Alvarez belted a career-high 20 home runs in two minor league stops (Double-A and Triple-A) last season and has been on a torrid pace in 2019. Prior to his call-up, Alvarez was hitting .343/.443/.742 with 23 home runs in 56 games for Houston's Triple-A affiliate. It didn't take long for him to get his first one in the big leagues. In his second at-bat, he smashed a ball 107.3 mph to left-center field, 413 feet from home plate.
What he can do
Alvarez has been extremely impressive this season. Aside from the power output, he has spent most of the season with a batting average hovering near .400. His plate discipline is trending in the right direction with strikeouts going down and walks going up. I am, however, skeptical that his average will approach .300, let alone .400. It would also not surprise me if those discipline rates regress a little bit with the jump in competition. That said, the power is 100 percent legit. Alvarez is a hulking left-handed power hitter in appearance and in production. He should be a living, breathing 40-home run season on an annual basis.
What to expect
Mashed taters, mostly. If you are in need of power, Alvarez is a definite target. I think he can get 20 or more for the rest of the season, even if he does not hit .250. It is 70-grade pop and I may even be low. I am interested to see how the average plays out. It is not out of the realm of possibility that he has improved as a hitter, but I rather go into this transaction with low expectations with the chance to be pleasantly surprised than expect a .300-plus average and be disappointed if he does not get there.
Alvarez offers nothing in speed, and defensively he is limited to left field or first base; although I figure the bulk of his time will come as the designated hitter. If you temper your anticipation on average and toss away steals, we are left with homers, runs and RBIs. I think Alvarez will be a factor in all three, and from the looks of it, immediately.