Through April 9th, Air Yordan hasn't just been the best hitter in Houston, he's been the best hitter in the MLB
Yordan Alvarez is fourth in MVP voting, and that’s a travesty.
Now, we aren’t even to Tax Day yet, so yes: I know it’s early. According to Draft Kings, Alvarez is the reigning MVP Aaron Judge of the Yankees, Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., and the Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez. The odds currently sit at +185 for Judge, +450 for Witt, and +1300 for Rodriguez. Alvarez sits just behind Rodriguez at +1400. The Astros’ slugger finished as high as this in MVP voting at the conclusion of 2022. But this year, Alvarez’s blistering start has him firmly in the top spot as the best hitter in baseball.
Through April 6th, Alvarez leads the AL in almost every hitting stat. Notably, he has a .500 OBP, a .900 SLG, and a 1.0 WAR through April 9th. That means that in only 13 games, Alvarez gets on base half the time, his slugging percentage remains atop the league, and he’s already accounted for a full win. His four homers are good for second in all of Major League Baseball, and had the Daikin Park roof not been closed on March 26, a towering shot that bounced off the ceiling there would’ve counted for another dinger, instead of being ruled a foul ball.
Keep in mind, these numbers follow a disappointing sweep by the Rockies, after Houston dropped two of three to the A’s in their stumble at Sacramento over Easter weekend. Alvarez’s elite hitting is a major cause for the Astros renewed success, and completely changes the offense when he is at the plate.
One of the main arguments that's been put against Alvarez is his fielding, and the Astros record. Serving mainly as a designated hitter, the lack of fielding argument does not hold up, as the current favorite Judge is not a superstar fielder himself. The Astros have a 6-7 record currently, but early season records don't matter much until you have a larger sample size than just two weeks worth of baseball.
Isolated Power (ISO)
.500
On Base Percentage (OBP)
.500
Slugging Percentage (SLG)
.683
Weighted On Base Average (WOBA)
.589
ExpectedWeighted On Base Average (xWOBA)
.623
Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+)
285
Wins Above Replacement (fWAR)
1.0
On-base Plus Slugging (OPS)
1.183
Expected Batting Average (xBA)
.429
Expected Slugging Percentage) (xSLG)
.961
Walks (BB)
13
But Alvarez will always face questions about his health. Barring 2024, he hasn’t played a full year since his rookie campaign of 2019, and has had a litany of injuries. A freak hand injury kept him sidelined for the majority of last year, and a season-ending ankle injury at home plate in September was the kill shot for any Astros’ shot at the postseason last autumn. In 2020 he had double knee surgery, limiting him to 2 games, and a hand injury and oblique problems sidelined for some parts of 2022 and 2023, respectively.
The MLB community has been in awe of what Space City’s Big Lefty has done this season. The question is if he can stay healthy until October.