Yordan Alvarez

Professional career

Before he ever stepped onto a major league field, Yordan Alvarez spent two seasons in Cuba’s National Series with the Leñadores de Las Tunas. During the 2014–15 campaign, he hit .351—second-best on his team—with one double and one home run across 40 games and 125 plate appearances. In 2016, he left Cuba and became a resident of Haiti. There, he crossed paths with future Astros teammate Yuli Gurriel, Gurriel’s younger brother Lourdes Jr. (who would also reach the big leagues), and other Cuban players.

Alvarez then made his way to West Palm Beach, Florida, where the Astros were constructing their new spring training complex. He got to know Astros scout Charlie Gonzalez, who pushed for the club to sign him, but Houston passed, already facing penalties from Yuli Gurriel’s five-year, $47.5 million deal. Instead, Alvarez inked a $2 million international free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in June 2016.

Two months later, needing bullpen help, the Dodgers shipped Alvarez to the Astros for reliever Josh Fields—before Alvarez had ever played a minor league game. Dodgers president Andrew Friedman later called the trade “a mistake,” noting he initially thought the Astros were asking for pitcher Yadier Alvarez. “I obviously wish I would have said yes to other names they asked for before him,” he admitted. Alvarez began his pro career later that year with the Dominican Summer League Astros, hitting .341 with a .974 OPS in 16 contests. In 2017, he started with the Quad Cities River Bandits and moved up to the Buies Creek Astros, posting a .304/.379/.481 slash line with 12 homers and 69 RBIs in 335 at-bats over 90 games. He also appeared in the 2017 All-Star Futures Game.

Heading into 2018, Alvarez was considered one of the minors’ top prospects. He opened that season with the Corpus Christi Hooks of Double-A. Notably, despite being a right-handed thrower, many websites had incorrectly listed him as a left-handed thrower before spring training. He split the year between Corpus Christi and the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, combining for a .293/.369/.534/.904 line, 63 runs, 20 home runs, and 74 RBIs in 335 at-bats.