Alvarez’s out-of-nowhere rise gives Astros options to ponder
Former international signee has developed into intriguing prospect, possible trade chip
— Yordan Alvarez’s rise from little-known international signee to trade piece to bona fide prospect took him to Marlins Park on Sunday afternoon, where he played in the annual showcase highlighting baseball’s most promising minor leaguers.
Astros officials have for months gushed about Alvarez, 20, a Cuban first baseman they acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 1 in a trade for reliever Josh Fields. He validated their expectations by mashing his way from extended spring training to the Midwest League to the Carolina League in less than three months.
In the Futures Game, held two days before every MLB All-Star Game, Alvarez shared a World Team dugout with elite prospects such as Yoan Moncada of the Chicago White Sox and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. Alvarez had an RBI single, scored a run and drew a walk after coming off the bench in the fifth inning of the game, which the U.S. Team won 7-6.
Alvarez next will return to the Astros’ Advanced Class A Buies Creek (N.C.) affiliate, a level he reached just two weeks ago and where he should spend the rest of his first full professional season. His seemingly out-of-nowhere emergence leaves the organization with another intriguing prospect and another potential trade chip ahead of a pivotal July 31 trade deadline.
A lefthanded hitter, Alvarez said he models his swing off Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer. The continued development of his bat will dictate his long-term value, considering most around the industry project him as a first base-only prospect despite the Astros trying him in left field.
The likelihood he ends up at first base exclusively is prob
ably one reason Baseball America doesn’t regard Alvarez as a top 100 prospect in the industry. One American League scout also questioned Alvarez’s ability to hit higher velocity as he continues his climb through the minors.
Bat shows promise
So far in his Class A tenure, Alvarez has only exceeded expectations.
He needed just 32 games with Low Class A Quad Cities before he forced his way to Buies Creek behind a .360/.468/.658 batting line with nine home runs in 111 Midwest League atbats. In 12 games in the Carolina League, he has a .268/.365/.415 batting line with one homer in 41 atbats.
With two outs in the ninth inning Sunday, he shot a first-pitch 97 mph fastball from A’s lefthanded pitching prospect A.J. Puk into center field to extend the game and scored from second on a single by Mets prospect Tomas Nido. Alvarez walked on five pitches in his first plate appearance in the seventh against Rice product and Diamondbacks farmhand Jon Duplantier.
Alvarez is only 13 months into his professional career. The Dodgers signed him for a $2 million bonus June 15, 2016, at the end of their spending spree in the 201516 international signing period.
He was at their academy in the Dominican Republic when six weeks later on trade-deadline day he was dealt to the Astros.
“When I first heard about the trade, I was kind of tense just because it was something so new,” he said through a translator. “I never really played for the Dodgers, but it was still something I never experienced before. But then when I got to Houston, their belief in me just revitalized me … and pushed me to get better.”
Alvarez played little in Cuba’s Serie Nacional and didn’t show power in the games he did play before he defected. The Astros scouted him as a free agent and had interest but by that point had decided they weren’t going to overspend their bonus pool in the ’1516 period, which would have prevented them from their high-spending ’16-17 period.
Their familiarity with Alvarez came into play soon after, though, when trade discussions with the Dodgers picked up.
Eyes move to Class AA
Alvarez didn’t appear in an official professional game until after the trade. After finishing last season in the Dominican Summer League, he came stateside for minor league spring training. The Astros kept him in West Palm Beach, Fla., for extended spring training before assigning him to Quad Cities in midMay.
He debuted with Buies Creek on June 23.
“I want to finish (the season) strong,” he said, “and God willing get another promotion up to Double A.”