Astros star Yordan Alvarez's power often overshadows his strong arm in the outfield or...
The power is so prodigious it can mask the pure hitter Alvarez has become. He chased outside the strike zone 24.8 percent of the time this season, the lowest mark of his three full major league seasons. Aaron Judge is the only man to finish with a higher regular-season slugging percentage than Alvarez. Judge swung and missed at a 29.8 percent clip. Alvarez whiffed 23.5 percent of the time.
Chronic knee problems prevented him from any meaningful defensive contributions during his American League Rookie of the Year campaign in 2019. Alvarez played 66 defensive innings, due in one part to Michael Brantley’s presence and another to the ambiguous soreness. That he continued to crush the baseball despite it still amazes some around him.
Most of Alvarez’s value to the Astros still comes from his bat. Pretending it doesn’t is foolish. Entering the season, his ability to play an average left field felt like lagniappe. Brantley’s season-ending shoulder surgery and Trey Mancini’s miserable Astros tenure have made it mandatory.
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