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2019 Houston Astros Thread

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Wow
At this point, do you start considering not waiting until Super 2 to call him up? Especially if White goes on the IL with a pulled fat muscle or something?


Article in today’s statesman.
Comparing his swing to McGriff and Hosmer.
Storey (AAAmanager) thinks he can be plus defender in LF. Keeping the door open at 1B too.

https://www.statesman.com/sports/20190415/scary-good-yordan-alvarez-muscling-express-to-top-of-pcl

ROUND ROCK — Even on a team stacked deep with top-end talent, Yordan Alvarez stands out in a crowd.

Just 21 years old, Alvarez is a 6-foot-5-inch, 225-pound Round Rock Express left fielder with an almost unlimited ceiling.

“Massive power. He projects as a middle-of-the-lineup guy in the big leagues,” manager Mickey Storey said.

“A pure hitter who looks like a power guy but can offer so much more,” Astros Director of Player Development Pete Putila said.

“Scary good. Just imagine what he can be in a few years,” Express third baseman Nick Tanielu said.

The current version has fans on their feet. Through 11 games, Alvarez leads the Pacific Coast League with six home runs and carries a .969 slugging percentage. Houston’s consensus No. 3 overall prospect has 12 RBIs and a .344 average even though pitchers already are avoiding him at all costs. He’s walked seven times in the past five games.

The laid-back masher, who played in Cuba’s top professional league at age 17, is taking it in stride.

“It’s all just part of the process,” Alvarez said. “I came out in spring training with a game plan to work harder on my pitch recognition, I’m sticking to it, and everything is turning out OK.

“I see myself as a high-average guy, but I also want to be a high-homer type of guy. I’m trying to get the ball in the air, and the results are starting to show.”

Are they ever. On opening weekend in New Orleans, Alvarez, whose first name is pronounced Jhor-don, cranked four homers over a 24-hour span.

The most impressive part? His first five home runs went to the opposite field. The left-handed hitter, Baseball America’s No. 34 overall prospect, isn’t pull-crazy like so many power hitters today.

“The oppo power gives him even more flexibility in his approach, being able to handle velocity and off-speed,” Putila said. “He has a really good swing path. It comes naturally to him.”

Storey said, “Yordan has expanded his game, taking the ball to all fields. He lets the ball get deep into the box. Hitting to the opposite field is almost easier for him. He’ll also patient.”

“I’m swinging hard, and when I get the ball up in the air, it goes,” Alvarez said. “It’s a hot streak right now, but the pitchers are adjusting, so it’s my job to get on base, take a walk. I’ve seen this before.”

Cuba has a growing list of sluggers in the major leagues, including Jose Abreu, Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes and Kendrys Morales, but Alvarez patterned his approach, in part, after San Diego’s Eric Hosmer, who is no stranger to taking the ball the other way.

“I want to use the whole field. My swing is conducive to going to the opposite field,” Alvarez said.

Putila has heard comparisons to a left-handed hitting first baseman who lit up pitchers in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“Some scouts say his swing mechanics remind them of Fred McGriff. He has a very quiet load, not a lot of movement,” Putila said.

Alvarez played first base in Cuba just before the Astros acquired him in August 2016 from the Dodgers for reliever Josh Fields. Alvarez hadn’t yet played a single game in the United States, and the Dodgers didn’t realize what they had.

The plan is to keep him in left field, but Alvarez will get some work at first base, which could offer a quicker path to Houston, where another Cuban, 34-year-old Yuli Gurriel, is holding down the fort.

“He is making strides defensively, and more work needs to be done there,” Storey said. “But I think he can be a plus defender in left field. As for first base, we’ll keep the doors open for him.”

Alvarez said he enjoys both positions. His bat seems ready for the majors. Last year he had a .293 average with 20 homers and 74 RBIs over 88 games split between Double-A and Triple-A, where he was one of the youngest players in the Texas League and PCL.

“He’s an intimidating presence in the batter’s box, knows a ball from a strike, knows what he can do well and hits the ball hard,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said during spring training.

Houston signed free agent left fielder Michael Brantley to a two-year, $32 million contract over the winter. Alvarez will be just 23 by the time that deal expires, yet it’s hard to picture him hanging out in Triple-A the next two seasons. Alvarez or right fielder Kyle Tucker, the organization’s No. 2 prospect, could be used to lure a top starting pitcher this summer if the need arises.

“Who knows what will happen?” Alvarez said. “First I need to improve here to get up to Houston.”

Putila said Alvarez is working on reading the ball off the bat in the outfield and his posture around first base. At the plate, coaches are making sure he doesn’t dive in his stride. They want him to hit line drives over the infield, realizing that with his muscle, some of those will turn into home runs.

“He has some of the best power in all the minor leagues,” Putila said. “He’s athletic, given his size, and he runs pretty well. He’s more than a slugger. It’s going to be exciting around here watching him continue to develop.”


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