Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez earned a spot on the AL All-Star team for the July 14 game in Philadelphia.
Jacob Lujan/Houston Chronicle
On the strength of a prolific first half, Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was selected the American League’s starting designated hitter for this year’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia.
Alvarez was elected a starter for the American League via fan balloting. It is the fourth All-Star selection for Alvarez, who was the only Astros player named to this year’s AL roster.
This marks the second time Alvarez has been voted an All-Star starter, along with 2024. He was named an All-Star each season from 2022-24 but did not participate the first two years due to injuries.
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“I think it’s a beautiful experience to be able to start the All-Star Game,” Alvarez said Saturday, through an interpreter. “I think it’s every player’s dream to be able to do that.”
Last year, Alvarez was limited to 48 games by injuries, including a fracture in his right hand that sidelined him for 100 games and an ankle sprain that curtailed his season in mid-September. It ended his streak of four straight seasons surpassing 30 home runs, while the Astros, wanting for his presence, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
A healthy Alvarez has roared back this season. Entering Saturday, Alvarez led all qualified major-league hitters in offensive categories including OPS (1.055), total bases (198), on-base percentage (.431) and slugging percentage (.625). He paced the American League in home runs (27) and ranked second among qualified AL hitters in batting average (.319).
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“I came this year hungry to be able to stay out there on the field,” Alvarez said. “I think it’s something unfortunate what happened last year. And I think the numbers (represent) the bit of rest of that I had from last year.”
Astros manager Joe Espada said he believes Alvarez “made huge strides in how he takes care of himself, from nutrition to how he rests and works out” that have aided his availability. Alvarez has started all but two of Houston’s first 91 games this season, playing 74 at designated hitter and 14 in left field.
“This is probably the best first half I’ve seen of a position player at the major leagues,” Espada said. “It has become more difficult to hit now than it was when I first started coaching (so) that how consistent and how good he is, sometimes you scratch your head wondering how he makes it look this easy.”
Espada said he convened his team prior to Saturday’s game against the Rays at Daikin Park to announce Alvarez’s selection to the All-Star team, which surely surprised nobody given his numbers.
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“Yordan’s so shy, he doesn’t want any recognition, humble guy,” Espada said. “But we told him not only what he means to the organization as a baseball player, like what you guys see on the baseball field, but also just a great teammate, a good father, good husband. Just a good guy to be around.”
Even by Alvarez’s standards, his on-field performance this season has been impressive. His average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate all ranked among the top 2 percent of major-league hitters entering Saturday, per Baseball Savant. His 15.4% walk rate would mark a career-high for a full-length season.
The latter reflects opponents’ caution with Alvarez. He has seen his lowest rate of in-zone pitches since his rookie year in 2019, yet he has wreaked damage with opportunities afforded him. His OPS entering Saturday was 84 points higher than the second-highest among qualified hitters, that of Juan Soto.
Alvarez has authored multiple first-half highlights, including a June 12 game in Kansas City in which he homered twice in the first inning, his five home runs across a three-game span May 25-28 at Texas, and his tying the Astros franchise record with his seventh career grand slam June 30 against the Twins.
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Where the Astros, who were 43-47 entering Saturday, would stand without Alvarez’s production and consistency anchoring their lineup is a sobering thought. Barring changes to the AL roster, the Astros’ one All-Star selection this year would be the team’s fewest since 2014, when only Jose Altuve was selected.
This year’s All-Star Game will be played on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park. Alvarez, who has already said he does not have interest in doing the Home Run Derby, said he hopes to take in the experience with his family again.
“They’ve been there before with me,” Alvarez said, “and I think my son that plays baseball, who loves baseball also, is going to have a lot of fun.”