I was cautiously optimistic on Alvarez. I’m throwing caution to the wind right now. We might be watching the dawning of something incredible right now. That natural power is beyond obvious. The strike zone recognition and ability to hit breaking balls is top notch Kid still has to prove he can get compact and turn on a quality fastball, especially up and in and do damage with that before all my check marks (offensively) are completely done, but damn- this is special so far.
Not to mention Tyler White was a fat 30+ rounder who a long shot to even make the MLB and Alvarez was a top international prospect and has been as high as ~30 on prospect lists...and if it was based on hitting only he would have been even higher. Plus, pitchers clearly fear this man unlike White when he first came up. This guy is special.
Yeah they’ve been tweeting every homer he’s hit and calling him must see TV. He’s being recognized don’t worry.
He's got people I work with talking about him and I'm located in LA. Coming from NYY fans and so forth. Seeing the sheer panic in my co-workers eyes is great. I heard a Judge to Yordan comparison (just not close to the arm in the OF). He might win ROY at this pace and the hype will only grow. He very well could end up better than Judge. Feels like the same impact he had and for it to happen on this team tilts the league...
It’s an incredibly small sample size but if he hits homers at a .8 hr/g clip he will be the greatest player ever by a massive margin. He won’t though, so let’s say he cools down by as much as half and hits at .4 hr/g for a full season. That would still put him in rarified air with the likes of McGuire, Sosa, Bonds. I’m giddy. This is amazing.
What a silly team. We could be even better next year. Can Alvarez slash .280/.400/.600 for a season? That's really what we're talking about adding to the offense that when healthy had a better wrc+ than the Bronx Bombers? Silly.
Know how I know you don’t have a brother similar in age? I used to always say the same but select start (to make it 2 players with my brother).
Typically, pitchers try to neutralize power by nibbling and with breaking/offspeed pitches. Alvarez is the top hitter is homers on breaking/offspeed pitches per pitch by a large margin. He's in the top 97% in fewest pitches in the heart of the zone.
Alvarez’s comments to the media have been incredibly impressive. I had no idea he was such a smart kid. He obviously understands the mental aspect of the game, and that (even more than how easy his power has transferred to the bigs, which is also very impressive) is what has me very very excited. He could be a David Ortiz, Barry Bonds, Willie McCovey type of hitter.
Jeff Bagwell said it best. Good hitters can hit to the opposite field. This is the difference between Alvarez, Singleton, Reed, and other power prospects the Astros have had come through the system. This kid is here to stay and it certainly appears he is going to be a 40-50 homerun guy for the next decade.
