Every night Yordan Alvarez does something spectacular for the Houston Astros.
Ok, maybe not every night. But it does seem that way. As June ended his hit his third grand slam of the month and is now tied for the franchise lead for most career grand slams. His next one will break the record and he’s not yet 30 years old.
His numbers entering this weekend’s series with the Tampa Bay Rays are dizzying. He’s slashing .319/.433/.620 with 26 home runs and 60 RBI. He should be on the AL All-Star team when it is announced on Saturday, but he’s sworn off the home run derby. His teammate, Christian Walker, knows why.
“That’s not his style,” Walker said on Thursday during an appearance on Foul Territory.
So, what is Alvarez’s style? Walker went on to explain.
Walker said that Alvarez’s season is “the most impressive thing that I’ve seen in a long time.” Along with the traditional numbers, he has a 1.053 OPS. Houston’s strategy to have him be the primary DH and play just a smattering of games in left field has worked. He already played 87 games after playing in just 48 games last year due to injuries.
Walker has a front row seat to Alvarez’s greatness this season. He’s seen the left-handed slugger put on a show during batting practice, the kind of show that one might enjoy during a home run derby. What Walker doesn’t see is a slugger tinkering with his swing or looking for another edge. He knows he has it.
“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.”
Alvarez’s bat almost singlehandedly kept the Astros relevant through an April and May filled with pitching injuries. With most of those injuries healed, he has helped and Houston is back in the race in the AL West.
If Houston finishes the job, it will because Alvarez maintains that “ultimate trust” and challenges to become the first Astros player to win the triple crown.
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