Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez seeing and hitting the ball like one of the best players in baseball

I will admit that. I’m done. I was rooted in the Astros sign-post-stealing scandal. It’s not a habit or anything. When between the blatant cheaters and Atlanta, I still have too many people hating Chipper Jones and the whole racist taunts inflicted on last year’s champions in the World Series. So yes, I sampled the fruit of the forbidden tree, and it’s not yet ripe.

There is a familiar acrid taste, like burnt roux, that lingers after every hit at the bat. Is it a matter of skill or have the Astros invented some kind of secret agent contact lens that can read signs? I know, that’s a big step from banging on a trash can. Having said that, just because Pedro Pascal has found the most blatant cocaine tunnel into the United States, doesn’t mean that a more sophisticated method hasn’t been discovered yet.

It’s simply one person’s point of view, and while I’m sure some baseball fans – like those who support Dusty Baker – have found themselves siding with Houston, the popular vibe around AL West’s best team is please go away for three years. Get rid of everyone associated with that World Series team, smoke for a couple of years, and then re-emerge with new stars who don’t bring elephants into every ballpark like Stomper, not Orbit, is the mascot. of the team.

Enter Yordan Álvarez, who first saw action with the team in 2019 having lost in the World Series to the Washington Nationals. The reputation of stealing signs was so ubiquitous that Washington be warned by other teams to keep changing their sign before the series.

Then as a rookie (technically, Rookie of the Year), do we consider Álvarez part of the team of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman? He has taken a step back due to COVID and injury the past two seasons, but has risen above his rookie form, rising above the pitch this year and being compared to players like Mike Trout. and Aaron Judge. Over a 48-hour period this week, the folks at FiveThirtyEight said he might be the best baseball playerand a writer at MLB.com called him new best baseball player.

While he needs a larger sample size and a few years of raking before he is recognized as a Trout or Judge, he is in a difficult situation for someone to hit like the ball’s next superstar. pestle. He has a frame that makes Chris Hemsworth jealous and the power of Thor literally. Here he is, trying to get to Oracle Park from the Oakland Arena on the home track.

The stat I still see wrapped around is this projected number where Álvarez leads the league. What I take away from the story issue is xwOBA, which is Álvarez’s .497 30 points higher than the next guy, which is really good considering the “next guy” is Judge. And the Yankee right winger is leading the league in terms of home games (Álvarez is second) and expected contract prices.

While the Houston/DH quarterback got a well-deserved contract extension, it’s safe to say he’ll make more than $115 million in six years if he bets on himself like Judge is doing in New York. York. So if he doesn’t get a serious contract and doesn’t play in the right uniform, how can he overcome all the other difficulties that players like him face to Get the flowers you deserve?

There are many factors that explain why Air Yordan is not a household brand, including the predictable original moniker. At Deadspin, We Covered The Difficulties Of MLB Black Players marketingas well as its inability to promote foreign playersso it’s no surprise that Rob Manfred’s soon-to-be-fired Brad-Pitt/Billy-Beane marketing team has no clue how to market a black Cuban man.

It also leans somewhat towards Houston and his teammates. Organizations should not be empowered just because they have happy players. Before the scandal, the Astros had a glowing approval rating, and if that still happens, imagine how popular Álvarez would be despite the Manfred factor. Never mind that the Yankees and Boston Red Sox also had serious fouls, but Houston was the only team synonymous with sign stealing.

Houston had the fourth-best record in baseball, and one guy was a legitimate MVP contender in the same year that Judge passed out and the Yankees were the best team in the major leagues. And yet, people are writing that the man who made thunder with a baseball bat is doing it quietly.

The year that Álvarez is experiencing is over.