Yordan Alvarez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #3 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The Astros acquired Alvarez in the 2016 Josh Fields trade before he had ever played a pro game. In the two seasons since, he has made two Futures Game appearances. Alvarez's biggest issue has been staying healthy. He had wrist injuries each of the past two seasons that have slowed him down, and he has also battled a knee injury.
  
  Scouting Report: Alvarez is big, strong and surprisingly athletic, though his speed burst is more apparent on the basepaths than in left field, where he is a below-average defender thanks to poor routes and reads. Most scouts say that he fits better at first base, but even there, he'll struggle to unseat the nimble Yuli Gurriel anytime soon. Alvarez is at his best in the batter's box. He has the strength to clear the fence to all parts of the park--nine of his 20 home runs in 2018 were hit between center and left field, eight went to left field or left-center and another three cleared the center field fence. For a tall, long-limbed hitter, Alvarez has excellent plate coverage, in large part because of strike-zone knowledge and an all-fields approach. He has a chance to be an above-average hitter in addition to having plus power, which could lead to 30-homer seasons.
  
  The Future: Alvarez reached Triple-A before he turned 21, so he's ahead of a normal developmental schedule. Alvarez will return to Triple-A Round Rock, but his combination of power and plate discipline could help Houston at some point in 2019 if injuries arise.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #3 prospect in 2018
  The Dodgers and Astros battled to sign Alvarez when he came to the States out of Cuba. The Dodgers won that battle, signing Alvarez on the last day of the 2015-2016 signing period for $2 million (which came with a penalty that doubled the total outlay for the team). But just 45 days later the Astros acquired Alvarez before he ever played a game for the Dodgers. Alvarez earned a spot in the Futures Game in his first full pro season in the U.S. A wrist injury sapped his power in the second half of the season, but when healthy Alvarez showed some of the best power in the organization. He produces excellent exit velocities and has 25-plus home run potential. His swing is not really geared to power, but the ball carries thanks to leverage and bat speed. He's actually more of a pure hitter than a slugger. Alvarez uses a whole-field approach, and hit more home runs to left field than right last season. He has a big strike zone, but his ability to recognize breaking balls and lay off pitches out of the zone helps him cover the entire plate. Alvarez is an excellent athlete for his size. He is an above-average runner underway and is actually a better left fielder than first baseman, although he needs more reps at both positions. His fringe-average arm is his worst attribute. Alvarez needs to continue to refine his game offensively and defensively, but he has an exceptionally high ceiling as a pure hitter with still developing plus power. He will be ready for Double-A Corpus Christi with a strong spring.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #28 prospect in 2017
  The Astros were one of the teams intrigued by Alvarez after he emigrated with the Cuban government's assent, but it's hard to compete with the Dodgers' checkbook. Los Angeles signed Alvarez for $2 million in June 2016 on a deal that included a $2 million penalty for exceeding its international bonus pool. The Dodgers then traded Alvarez to the Astros just a month and a half later for reliever Josh Fields. Alvarez never played a game in the Dodgers system. He first demonstrated his advanced understanding of hitting when he batted .351/.402/.387 as a 17-year-old in Cuba's top league, Serie Nacional, in 2014. Alvarez's calling card is his bat control and picturesque lefthanded swing. He has a discerning batting eye and a knack for contact. If the plus raw power he has demonstrated in workouts translates to games--he's working on elevating the ball more--he checks the boxes teams look for in a first baseman. He is below-average defensively and played left field sporadically in Cuba. Alvarez is ready for full-season ball.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #1 prospect in 2019
  Alvarez led the minor leagues in home runs (23), RBIs (71) and total bases (158) when the Astros called him up June 9. His ability to crush any pitch over any part of the plate with plus-plus power made him a terror PCL pitchers had no answer for. "No matter what we did, we couldn’t get him out,” Oklahoma City manager Travis Barbary said. Alvarez limits his swings and misses, manages the strike zone and uses the whole field, all traits that helped him continue mashing in the majors. Even as a below-average outfielder best suited to being a DH, Alvarez’s offense alone makes him a franchise player.
• 
  Ranked Texas League #4 prospect in 2018
  One of five under-21 players to start the season in the TL, Alvarez put up eye-popping statistics in a 43-game sample before being promoted to Triple-A Fresno. Among hitters who qualified for this list, he ranked first in slugging (.615) and OPS (1.005) and sixth in batting average (.325). Alvarez has present plus raw power, with one evaluator projecting future double-plus raw power with an above-average hit tool. Alvarez played mostly left field this season, though he doesn’t project as more than a fringe-average defender with an average arm. Most likely, Alvarez ends up at his natural position of first base, but it will always be his bat and power that carry him.
• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #6 prospect in 2018
  Alvarez got promoted to Triple-A midway through the season and played an integral part in Fresno’s run to the PCL championship series, improving as the year progressed and batting .295/.374/.484 over the final month. Lingering knee discomfort often limited Alvarez to DH duty and hampered his outfield play, but he hit and hit for power. He showed some of the best raw power in the league, was the rare lefthanded hitter who could hit same-side pitchers (.349/.384/.543) and showed an impressive feel to hit beyond what many sluggers can claim. A big-bodied, natural first baseman trying to play left field, Alvarez still needs a lot of work defensively. He doesn’t cover much ground and often spends his prep time hitting rather than working on his defense. He’s a below-average first baseman as well, and did not see any time there with Fresno. How much Alvarez can improve his defense bears watching. Even if he ends up a DH, he has the approach, hitting ability and power potential to be good one.
• 
  Ranked Midwest League #8 prospect in 2017
  The Astros wanted Alvarez as an international free agent but weren't willing to top the Dodgers' $2 million offer in 2016. Stunningly, before he ever played a game for the Dodgers, Los Angeles sent him to Houston for reliever Josh Fields just two months later. A year later, Alvarez is a top prospect in a deep Astros system. Alvarez's calling card is his bat control and plus bat speed. Scouts believe that combination allows him to project as a plus hitter with plus power. He reminds scouts of Rafael Palmeiro with a front-foot rotation into his swing and the knack for barreling and back-spinning the ball with ease. He centers the ball with regularity and can crush the ball to the opposite field. Alvarez uses the middle of the field well, with the majority of his outcomes in center and left field. Despite his bulk, Alvarez is an average runner. On defense, he's average at first base with soft hands and could be playable in left field with more repetitions.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #34 prospect in 2019
• Ranked Baseball America's #62 prospect in 2018

• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Alvarez led the minor leagues in home runs (23), RBIs (71) and total bases (158) when the Astros called him up June 9. His ability to crush any pitch over any part of the plate with plus-plus power made him a terror PCL pitchers had no answer for. "No matter what we did, we couldn’t get him out,” Oklahoma City manager Travis Barbary said. Alvarez limits his swings and misses, manages the strike zone and uses the whole field, all traits that helped him continue mashing in the majors. Even as a below-average outfielder best suited to being a DH, Alvarez’s offense alone makes him a franchise player.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Evan Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez are free agents at the end of this season while Brian McCann has one club option remaining on his contract. So the Astros may have an opening for a first base/DH/left fielder in the near future and Alvarez looks ready to fill the job. Alvarez has battled minor wrist and hand injuries that have kept him off the field, but when he’s on the field and healthy he’s posted .600-plus slugging percentages at two different levels. He uses the whole field with a high-average approach, but his plus-plus raw power means that sometimes those line drives clear the fence.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Dodgers and Astros battled to sign Alvarez when he left Cuba. The Dodgers won that battle, signing Alvarez on the last day of the 2015 signing period for $2 million. The Astros traded for Alvarez in August 2016, before he ever played a game for the Dodgers. Scouting Report: Alvarez earned a spot in the Futures Game in 2017, his first full season. A wrist injury sapped his power in the second half, but when healthy Alvarez showed some of the best power in the organization. He produces high exit velocities and has 25-plus home run potential. His swing is not really geared for power, but the ball carries thanks to leverage and bat speed. Alvarez uses a whole-field approach, and hit more home runs to the opposite field than his pull side. He has a big strike zone, but his ability to recognize breaking balls and lay off pitches out of the zone helps him cover the plate. Alvarez is an above-average runner underway and is a better left fielder than first baseman. His fringe-average arm is his worst attribute. The Future: Alvarez needs to continue to refine his game, but he has an exceptionally high ceiling as a pure hitter with a chance for plus power. He will be ready for Double-A Corpus Christi in 2018 with a strong spring.