theathleticuk
Before he became a superstar, Yordan Alvarez walked barefoot all day around Colombia, a countryside city within the large Cuban province of Las Tunas.
He fished for tilapia in the Tana River and hunted doves that flew overhead.
Having a rifle back then was a luxury, Alvarez said last month through an interpreter.
So we used to use slingshots.
I was great at doing that.
Advertisement Alvarez remains an avid outdoorsman who can afford more appropriate ammunition to hunt on Texas ranches.
It is why he loves Houston, the city he continues to captivate.
Theres a lot of places to go hunting and fishing, he said, you got the rivers and you have the oceans as well.
The water is Alvarezs outlet, a place where he escapes from the excitement and chaos of his chosen profession.
When I get on the boat, Alvarez said, those are the hours that Im in my calmness and at peace.
It is difficult to tell a difference once Alvarez disembarks.
His constant state is somewhere between stoic and serene, whether hes struck out four times or just slugged another of his American League-high 29 home runs.
Alvarezs Houston Astros teammates stand in awe of his accomplishments.
The man himself appears almost unmoved.
Thats a lost art, honestly, closer Josh Hader said.
Everybody shows emotion differently.
Some people will MF you.
People show emotions differently.
But the way that he handles himself and goes about his business is definitely a lost art.
Baseball rewards stability, but is still amid an era of encouraging its players to show personality.
Belts, chains and cleats have become customized.
Bat flips are en vogue.
Alvarez does not participate in any of this pomp, but by not doing so, he demonstrates the underlying theme.
Being yourself is encouraged.
So this is Alvarez: the most stone-faced superstar of a sport he makes seem simple.
He shuns the spotlight, even if it still finds him every night.
He would rather spend time hunting, fishing or traveling with his wife, Monica, and their two young children.
Manager Joe Espada once described Alvarez as shy, even if nothing about his swing or stature suggests it.
Its funny, former teammate Mauricio Dubon said, because he doesnt know he is Yordan Alvarez.
Advertisement Everyone else is well aware.
No All-Star received more votes on the player ballot than Alvarez, who will start next weeks Midsummer Classic at designated hitter for the American League.
Asked last weekend if he looked forward to seeing anyone specific at next weeks festivities in Philadelphia, Juan Soto mentioned one person by name.
I cant wait to see Yordan Alvarez, said the New York Mets $760 million superstar, and try to pick his head and see what he is thinking.
Agustin Alvarez throws right-handed and hits left-handed.
So does the son he helped teach to swing a bat.
After Agustin did, Yordan Alvarez dreamed of playing for the Cuban national team.
A nearby baseball academy in Colombia helped Yordan learn the game, which he felt more inclined to try over some other extracurriculars.
His fathers passion for it had a profound impact.
I never thought Id be playing Major League Baseball, Alvarez acknowledged.
Still, at age 15, Alvarez defected from Cuba.
He took detours through Haiti and the Dominican Republic before arriving in the United States.
Alvarez signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but before he could play a game, got shipped to the Astros for middle reliever Josh Fields.
Few trades in recent history have aged worse.
Both Agustin and Alvarezs mother, Mailyn Cadogan Reyes, were able to come to the United States before the 2022 postseason.
They bore witness to both of their sons signature moments a walk-off home run in the ALDS and a World Series-clinching home run in Game 6.
Agustin is the closest thing to me, Alvarez said, and has a simple outlook on the sport his son is dominating.
He doesnt (get mad) at me when I go 0-for-4, he just wants me to not go out of the zone, Alvarez said.
He always harped on that, to not swing at bad pitches and go out of the zone.
Advertisement Alvarezs career chase rate is 27.2 percent.
The major-league average is 28.6.
His prodigious power sometimes overshadows Alvarezs prowess as a patient, pure hitter.
Alvarezs career whiff rate is 3 percent lower than the major-league average.
His lifetime batting average is .299.
Teammate Mike Burrows once called him a contact hitter with the most power in the league.
Pure hitter, hes the best Ive ever seen, said Jose Altuve, the current face of Houstons franchise.
Nobody (is) better than him.
Hes amazing.
Im really happy he plays for us and not against us.
In May, as the Astros dipped 11 games below .500, speculation to the contrary started to simmer.
Whether the team should trade Alvarez to kickstart a teardown became a popular topic of discussion everywhere but here.
Owner Jim Crane is not keen on overseeing another rebuild.
Dealing Alvarez would all but guarantee one.
Still, Alvarez sought clarity.
After seeing some of the chatter, he approached team officials who, according to Alvarez, told me they werent going to trade me no matter what happened.
General manager Dana Brown soon echoed that sentiment to reporters in early June.
Alvarez has two more seasons remaining on a six-year, $115 million extension he signed in 2022.
Giving him another one is a far more likely outcome than any trade.
Doing so may require Crane giving the richest contract of his ownership tenure, while also ensuring Alvarez never plays for another team in his major-league career.
Is that Alvarezs desired outcome? Yeah, he said, of course.
Alvarez seems to play this sport in slow motion when everyone around him is sped up.
Teammates and coaches insist his ability to adjust between at-bats is one of his most underappreciated traits.
Pitchers that get him out with one offering cant do it again.
Advertisement Alvarez always attempts to pass along his observations, but according to Espada, Sometimes we have to remind him, Hey, dude, the game comes much easier to you than some other guys.
Alvarezs mere presence is masking curious roster construction and resource allocation, making this flawed Astros team a playoff contender.
According to Baseball Reference, Alvarez finished his first 92 games worth 3.9 wins above replacement.
Houstons 13 other position players with at least 90 plate appearances accumulated 9.9.
Alvarez has gone hitless in 30 of Houstons first 95 games, a stretch in which the Astros are 11-19 and averaging 2.56 runs.
He loves other people to get recognition, but hes the heart and soul of the team, Dubon said.
Hes a quiet leader.
But when he talks, everyone stays quiet.
Rarely does Alvarezs voice rise or disposition change, steadiness for which so many in this sport strive, but only few can ever achieve.
Tactical is the word, first baseman Christian Walker said.
He is slowing the moment down.
Hes calculated, feeling sequences.
Its not low energy like I dont care.
Its intentionally taking the emotions out of it to be the best version of himself.
Alvarez has arrived at that apex.
He is mounting the most serious run at a Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera last captured one in 2012.
Three games remain before the All-Star break, and Alvarez leads the American League in two of the three categories: home runs and runs batted in.
Alvarezs .310 batting average trails only Tampa Bays Yandy Diazs.
Alvarez has the major-league lead in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and win probability added, an advanced metric that quantifies a clubs chances of winning by calculating the magnitude of each plate appearance.
This is probably the best first half Ive seen from a position player at the major-league level, said Espada, a man who coached in the New York Yankees organization for three seasons before witnessing the entirety of Houstons golden era.
Advertisement The game has evolved and its become more difficult to hit now than it was when I first started coaching.
How consistent and how good he is, sometimes you scratch your head wondering how he makes it look this easy.
Alvarezs 29 home runs before the All-Star Game matched Lance Berkmans 24-year-old franchise record.
Alvarez is more than halfway to smashing Jeff Bagwells single-season mark of 47 that has stood since 2000.
Bagwell and Altuve remain the only two MVP winners in the Astros 65-season history.
Alvarez is aiming to be the third, but must battle a perception that neither of the other two encountered.
Only one designated hitter has ever won an MVP but he is best known for his two-way prowess.
Still, Shohei Ohtani being the National Leagues unanimous winner in 2024 when he didnt pitch while recovering from his second elbow surgery has helped to shift this debate in a designated hitters favor, Alvarez acknowledged.
Ohtani already opened the doors for winning the MVP award being a DH and not playing the field, Alvarez said, while adding it is difficult to discern the opinion of 30 voters.
I dont think about that type of stuff.
Its a long season, so I dont want to think about that stuff.
The pressure I put on myself is more of trying to be better.
If I just go out there and play, the numbers are going to come by themselves.
And then, at the end of the season, if the numbers are there, Ill have the chance to win that award.
And, perhaps, many more.
Hes the best player Ive ever seen in my life, Hader said.
Will Sammon contributed to this report.