Yordan Alvarez: The Greek God of "I'm the Best Hitter on the Planet Right Now"

Even though his team's out, and even though Aroldis Garcia stole much of his postseason thunder, he just might be.

He's not eligible for leaderboards yet, but here's where he'd sit on the active OPS+ list if he were:

1. Trout - 173
2. Alvarez - 165 (14th all-time)
3. Judge - 164
4. Soto - 157
5. Votto - 144
6. Goldschmidt - 143
7. Harper - 143
8. Freeman - 142
9. Acuna - 141
10. Betts - 138

Removed Cabrera, which gets Betts on there.

He's not the all-around force that Acuna and Betts are, doesn't have Judge's power, isn't as metronomically consistent as Freeman or Goldschmidt. But it feels like he's just entering his prime now, and I wouldn't be shocked if he were to win a Triple Crown in the next few years. An Astro that I think even Astro-haters like. The beauty of his swing and his postseason heroics add to his stature.

https://i.postimg.cc/Fsw0t5X7/yordan.jpg

I don't know if Votto's done or not; if you take him off, Matt Olson and Giancarlo Stanton are both at 137.

Sotto Voce...Soto Votto!

He is a massive injury liability.

Always a risk with big DH/1B-types (even though he's in left when he plays the field). Has already lost at least 50 games to injuries.

I mean, probably could have started the same thread about Stanton after his MVP year. So I get that.

read this as "best hitler" every fucking time

Your favourite misread ILX thread titles!

well I don't know about "favourite"

I have nothing to add except my general agreement that the man is a stud and I fear his bat

You gave me a start--I do leave typos all over the place here.

Also, I left out Ohtani from the Top 10, duh, similarly not enough AB for bREF lists. He's at 148, which would put him fifth.

Following up on the WS thread, where I compared Alvarez to Frank Thomas, the gap is a wider than I thought at first, tribute to how unbelievable Thomas was his first few years. Alvarez will still get better, though, I think.

Through age-26 season:

Alvarez: .295/.390/.588, 165 OPS+, 43 HR/162 games, 6.1 bWAR/162 games
Thomas: .326/.449/.591, 184 OPS+, 36 HR/162 games, 6.6 bWAR/162 games

Ted Williams' OPS + through his age-27 season (including 1941, and extended by a year because of the war) was 195. Frank Thomas was closer to Ted Williams than Yordan Alvarez is to Frank Thomas.

Omg this thread title

Gushing fan hyperbole, based on a famous description of Kevin Youkilis. Alvarez is actually about as quiet and modest as it gets, from what I've seen.

Brutal start--just dipped under .100.

He's a notorious slow starter but yeah that's not pretty.

Didn't know that...His April numbers aren't too bad for his career, but definitely his worst month: .272/.361/.517 (June and September his best).

.272/.361/.517

lol this is an all-star-type line

he's lurking...

You guys woke him up. Hope you’re happy.

Apropos that they were playing the Rockies:

https://www.mlb.com/news/astros-mexico-city-series-win-over-rockies

Cycle! They're kind of gimmicky--one of the two Jays who've done it, either Gruber or someone else, pulled up at first base on a clear double to complete it--but cool nonetheless. Guessing he's one of the greatest hitters ever to pull it off, assuming that many of the greatest never did.

Well...Scanned the full list quickly, and let's say Top 35. Gehrig, Williams, DiMaggio, Musial, and Mangle all hit for the cycle, plus lots of other inner-circle guys. Ruth, Mays, and Aaron didn't. (Hank, that is--Aaron Hill did it twice.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_to_hit_for_the_cycle

Sir, mangle was his liver

Morky Mangle

Clem: three jays have done it now. The Grubermeister, Jeff Frye (who did indeed pull up short on what could have been a 2nd double)(also Gruber was randomly at the game) and Cavan Biggio

Jeff Frye blocked me on Twitter for making fun of that, which was easily my second best baseball Twitter block. He’s a total prick on there, constantly complaining about younger players.

Ha ha amazing

I'm looking at those Mangle posts trying to figure out what I'm missing...oops. Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin once blocked me at the doorway as I tried to get into Toots Shor's.

I hope this is a lot better researched than the last stat-meme I posted:

https://i.postimg.cc/xCw3pbT3/yordan.jpg

3 HR/4-4 game vs. the Phillies today; two of the HR, dead-CF.

https://www.mlb.com/news/spencer-arrighetti-yordan-alvarez-lead-astros-to-win

No...

https://www.mlb.com/news/yordan-alvarez-exits-astros-game-in-third-inning-with-injury

He’s back!

I hope he has a big September. Famously a slow starter, he's 6/18 with a HR since his return. He'll also have the playoffs to possibly salvage his season.

He’s back!

― from…Peru? (gyac), Tuesday, August 26, 2025 1:36 PM (three weeks ago)

on the IL?

Red hot to start the season. Two of his three HRs off LHP.

https://www.mlb.com/app/atbat/video/yordan-alvarez-homers-2-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-field-jose-altuve-scores

Expected another injury when I saw the revive--great to hear.

yeah, assumed same. glad he’s healthy, for now

Even his outs have been long and loud. Guy is a fuckin monster

If he can somehow managae to stay healthy, this is going to be his Triple Crown year. Right now, .341 (7th) / 5 HR (1st) / 13 RBI (t-2)...I mean, hitting more HR than Judge makes it an even longer shot than ususal.

With the Jays being so terrible, I'm falling into the habit of checking him before anything else. HR and double tonight, now at .347/.485/.800, with 9 HR and 20 RBI.

He's not the best hitter on the planet--Aaron Judge is--and Shohei is probably second-best. Alvarez is third-best at worst.

I'll be beating this drum to death--yeah, you know me:

.347 - 1st
11 HR - 1st
26 RBI - 1st

Watched him hit an absolute moon bomb into the stands today. He’s incredible

Hopefully won't be too affected by, for the first time in his career, being stuck on what looks to be a lousy team.

When you look at the other three players here, and think about the kind of hitter they all were, this is pretty amazing:

https://i.postimg.cc/ZRC2KkD9/yordan.jpg

A blog entry I wrote on Alvarez's proximity to the list of career .300/.400/.500 hitters:

https://phildellio.blogspot.com/2026/04/but-not-everyone-sees-it.html

4 AB, 4 strikeouts today.

an absolute untouchable menace when he's hot

Not having a great May, but big game tonight--3/4, 2 HR--and still leads MLB in OPS by 100 points.

https://www.mlb.com/news/yordan-alvarez-hits-grand-slam-in-astros-win-over-athletics

That pitch he hit the GS on looked to be in a pretty good spot...Ten points behind Yandy Diaz for BA. That'll be tough--Diaz has already won a batting title. HR became significantly easier (unfortunately) with Judge out for a month-plus; RBI, leading but trading places with a teammate. DH'ing for a losing, fourth-place team is not a good place for drawing MVP support.

Two HR yesterday, 3-5 today; holding the lead in all three TC categories again. Also leading two of three slash stats; two points behind Nick Kurtz for OBP.

Definitely not the Greek God of outfield arms--Jays just scored on a SF to left, with Yordan's throw charitably described a lollilop. I think the Astros are okay with that trade-off.

Another one. Not especially deep, but Springer just jogged in.

i'm not huge into the sports betting thing; but i put a few bucks down on him winning MVP a little before Judge went down (i had feeling the IL void would be calling him back soon); so defensive liabilities aside, i am liking his odds rn

I like your odds. The only thing that could hurt him is old-school sentiment against non-playoff contenders, although the Astros are part of that WC morass. I could see Rice or somebody else taking it then.

(Moot if he wins or even comes close to a Triple Crown, or a slash-stat TC.)

Unexpectedly going to be in Anaheim at the same time as the Astros at the end of next month. Hoping even more than usual that Yordan stays healthy and the division stays vaguely competitive until then.

¿QUIÉN LO DETIENE?😱 Yordan Álvarez con el GRAND SLAM. pic.twitter.com/HeyQBvBT1K

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) July 1, 2026

Seventh Astros grand slam, tying their record.

Unreal. Isn't that his second of the year?

Second of the month, iirc.

TC update: hanging in there.

1) HR-1st, BA-2nd (six points behind Diaz), RBI-2nd (five behind Kurtz)
2) OPB-1st, SLG-1st, BA-2nd

A.I. says that Robinson and Yaz are the only two players to win both in the same year, traditional and slash-stat, but the SI article cited doesn't mention that, so I don't know--sure Williams must have done it.

RBIs will be tough category to catch Kurtz due to the fact that A's play in minor league parks half the year and it's starting to heat/dry up in the central valley/desert.

Kurtz also leads the league in runs; guessing that's somewhat unusual for 1B/DH.

Maybe not:

American League: 9 players (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Dick Stuart, Norm Cash, George Scott, Cecil Fielder, Mo Vaughn, and Jason Giambi)

National League: 10 players (Cap Anson, Fred Tenney, Jake Daubert, Johnny Mize, Ted Kluszewski, Willie McCovey, Felipe Alou, Jeff Bagwell, Todd Helton, and Matt Olson)

(I partly hate that A.I. answers these questions immediately...it's like having access to every song ever; the fun of the search is gone.)

Of course, right away the absence of Albert Pujols (led five times) brings the accuracy of this into serious doubt.

I'm rambling here, sorry...George Scott never led the league in runs. I'm finding this very heartening, actually.

Overtook Kurtz for RBI last night!

What a game! 6 RBI, two homers, one a walk-off (becoming the first player ever to hit multiple July 4th walk-off HR...I read that, anyway; evidently somebody figured out a way to program that query).

that's an insane game wow

reading Yordan's savant page is hilarious btw, highly recommend

He's almost caught up to Otto Lopez (who the Giants DFA'd when they signed Adames):

https://i.ibb.co/jkc1qRQ2/Screenshot-2026-07-06-at-10-52-31-AM.png

That’s just insane to see, Lopez coming out of nowhere this season. Always liked him when he was in the Jays system (and not just because he’s a Canuk)

(list is Offensive bWAR leaders as of 7/5/26)

Categories he leads the A.L. in as of this morning:

1. BA/HR/RBI (Triple Crown)
2. BA/OBP/SLG (Slash-Stat Triple Crown)
3. oWAR
4. OPS
5. OPS+
6. Hits
7. Total Bases
8. Runs Created
9. Adj. Batting Runs
10. Adj. Batting Wins
11. Extra-Base Hits
12. Times on Base
13. Offensive Win %
14. IBB
15. HR %
16. Base-Out Runs Added
17. Win Probability Added
18. Situational Wins Added
19. Base-Out Wins Added
20. rOBA
21. Rbat+

Lopez (BA), Schwarber (HR), and Walker (RBI) in the N.L. are ahead of him in TC categories.

tied with McGonigle for 2nd in the AL for bWAR – both 0.3 behind Witt

Which is about as good as it'll get for him in that department--zero defensive/baserunning value (negative on bRef). From what I've seen, he probably has a better arm than I do.

Brings to mind one of my favourite Bill James lines ever, when the Dodgers moved Pedro Guerrero to third base (paraphrase): "'Which one's that?' he said, then kept on hitting."

Houston's 102nd game tonight, and he really is in good position for a TC. Two HR tonight (leading by 4), 7-RBI lead, and leading BA by over 10 points.

On the other hand, he's had a few mini-slumps but I don't think a prolonged one yet.

Knowing him, he just needs to keep his ankles healthy. Seems like every season one of his ankles decides to collapse.