Yordan Alvarez keeps giving the Astros the kind of nights that make ordinary power look boring.
By the time June wrapped up, he had launched his third grand slam of the month and moved into a tie for the franchise lead in career grand slams. The next one would give him the record, and he still hasn’t turned 30.
The production is every bit as loud as the highlights. Entering this weekend’s series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Alvarez was hitting .319/.433/.620 with 26 home runs and 60 RBI. He also looks like a strong bet to land on the AL All-Star team when that announcement comes Saturday, though he has already ruled himself out of the Home Run Derby.
Christian Walker understands that decision.
“That’s not his style,” Walker said on Thursday during an appearance on Foul Territory.
Walker also had a bigger point about what makes Alvarez so difficult to take in this season. In his view, it’s not just the damage. It’s the calm behind it.
Walker said that Alvarez’s season is “the most impressive thing that I’ve seen in a long time.” He pointed to the numbers, including a 1.053 OPS, but said the real story is how Houston has handled him.
The Astros have used him mostly as the primary DH, with only a handful of games in left field, and that plan has paid off. Alvarez has already appeared in 87 games after being limited to 48 last year because of injuries.
Walker has watched the whole thing up close, and he says Alvarez doesn’t look like a hitter searching for answers. He looks like someone who already knows exactly what works.
“He's dialed in,” Walker said. “He knows what his swing feels like when he's good to go.
You see him take his cage work it's not like a weird thoughtful thing, ‘What's everybody seeing, my hands feel different.’ It’s just ultimate trust.
It's confidence, the presence that he has in the [batter’s] box he carries with him around the clubhouse, on the field, all the time. It's great.
I've learned so much from watching him play.”
Walker said Alvarez can put on a show in batting practice that would fit right into a Home Run Derby. But the swing itself isn’t the point. The point is how little he seems to need to change.
That bat has carried Houston through a rough stretch, too. While the Astros dealt with pitching injuries in April and May, Alvarez helped keep them in the mix almost by himself. Now that many of those arms are back, Houston has climbed back into the AL West race.
If the Astros finish the job, Alvarez will be at the center of it. And if he keeps this pace, he could become the first Astros player to win the triple crown.
In Other News...
Astros Outfield Hope Just Landed A Huge National Honor
The Astros got a notable boost to their long-term outlook when Kevin Alvarez was named to the American League roster for the MLB Futures Game, a showcase reserved for some of the games most promising young talent. The 18-year-old outfielder has been climbing through Single-A this season, where his bat has already shown enough pop to keep him on the radar as one of the organizations most intriguing prospects.
Alvarez enters the spotlight with a .266 average, six home runs and 30 RBIs, production that has helped push him into the conversation among baseballs better-regarded minor leaguers. He is ranked 70th among MLB prospects, and for an Astros system looking for impact talent down the road, this is the kind of recognition that can make the next step feel a little more real. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Veteran Bat Suddenly Pulled Into Trade Deadline Tension
Taylor Ward has started to surface as the kind of deadline name that can sneak into the middle of a contender conversation, even if the Orioles outfielder is not the flashiest player on the board. ESPNs David Schoenfield pointed to Ward as a possible fit for Cincinnati, noting the right-handed hitter has produced a .728 OPS and could help a Reds outfield that has struggled to generate enough offense.
For Houston, the broader significance is the familiar one: once a useful bat enters the market, the competition tends to widen quickly. The Reds would still need to stay in the postseason mix to justify buying before the August 3 deadline, but if they do, Ward looks like the sort of steady, middle-of-the-order depth piece that can draw multiple suitors and push the market in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Face Painful Deadline Choice With Young Pitching Now In Play
AJ Blubaugh has quickly become one of the more interesting names in the Astros deadline conversations, and not just because he has handled a heavy workload in his first major league season. The right-hander has given Houston quality innings out of the bullpen, carrying a 3.36 ERA over 56 1/3 innings while showing the kind of durability that can matter in July, and he still comes with five years of team control. For a club trying to patch holes without emptying the farm system, that combination makes him the sort of arm other teams will ask about.
The Astros, though, are weighing a familiar kind of deadline dilemma: whether to move a young, controllable pitcher in order to fill bigger needs on the roster. Houston is looking for help in the outfield, the bullpen and possibly the rotation, and the front office has already shown a willingness to use promising young talent when the upgrade is worth it. No deal is close yet, but Blubaughs rise has put a real decision in front of the Astros as the deadline approaches. [Read more 🡒]