Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez Named American League Rookie of the Year

Yordan Alvarez has slugged his way to the top…

The 22-year-old Cuban Major League Baseball player and Houston Astros slugger has capped off his meteoric rise by becoming the franchise’s third Rookie of the Year winner and second since the club moved to the American League.

Yordan Alvarez

Alvarez was a unanimous selection of the award’s 30 voters. Baltimore Orioles pitcher John Means finished second, with Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe third, Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez fourth and Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Cavan Biggio fifth.

Alvarez began the past season with Triple-A Round Rock after entering the year ranked as the 34th-best prospect by Baseball America and Houston’s eighth-best prospect by ESPN‘s Keith Law. He provided an early glimpse of things to come by hitting three homers for Round Rock in his second game of the season. By the end of April, Alvarez had mashed 12 homers, hit .354 and driven in 30 runs in just 22 games, spurring calls for a promotion to the big league club.

That call finally came in early June. In his big league debut against the Baltimore Orioles on June 9, Alvarez homered off of Dylan Bundy. He never stopped hitting, finishing with 27 home runs in 87 games, tying the mark for most home runs by a rookie who played in 100 games or fewer. He served as Houston’s designated hitter in 74 of his 87 outings and helped the Astros win the ALpennant.

Across two levels this season, Alvarez hit .324 with a .690 slugging percentage, 50 home runs and 149 RBIs in 143 games. His 1.067 OPS in the MLB was the highest ever for a rookie with at least 350 plate appearances.

Alvarez’s consistency was remarkable: He had an OPS of 1.140 at home and .985 away, 1.083 against righties and 1.038 against lefties and at least .999 in each of the four months in which he appeared in the majors.

“The humility he has in handling success at this level, and the coverage that he’s getting and all the attention, he’s just been very humble,” Astros manager AJ Hinch told ESPN during the season. “He’s also hungry to learn. He’s a quiet man by nature, and his demeanor is very low-key. But he’s always in tune with other players and other people and the information.”

Hinch also tweeted congratulations to Alvarez after he was announced as the winner on Monday.

An imposing 6-foot-5, Alvarez hit a 474-foot homer off Texas Rangers‘ Mike Minor on July 19. In early September, he homered into the third deck at Minute Maid Park, a shot so prodigious that the Astros wrapped the seat in vinyl to commemorate it.

After going just 1-for-22 during Houston’s six-game win over the New York Yankeesin the AL Championship Series, Alvarez rebounded to hit .412 with a home run during the Astros’ seven-game loss to the Washington Nationals in the World Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Alvarez out of Las Tunas, Cuba, on June 15, 2016. The Astros acquired him six weeks later in exchange for reliever Josh Fields. As Alvarez began to make his way through the Houston organization, his offensive reputation began to spread through one of baseball’s most bountiful farm systems.

“When he was brought over to the States, we started to hear some chatter from the backfields that, at one point, I think he hit a car with one of his home runs,” Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told ESPN this season. “It was one of those things where if you’re around and you have a half day to go watch the back field, find this guy and watch him hit. Because it’s pretty special. It snowballed from there.”

Shortstop Carlos Correa was the Astros’ last AL Rookie of the Year winner, taking the honors in 2015. The only other Rookie of the Year recipient in franchise history was Hall of Famefirst baseman Jeff Bagwell, who won the award in 1991, when the Astros were in the National League.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to Make Major League Debut with Toronto Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.is ready to make his debut…

The 20-year-old Dominican professional baseball third baseman, widely considered one of the top prospects in baseball, will be called up by the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday and is expected to make his major league debut, manager Charlie Montoyoannounced.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Guerrero, the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, was No. 2 on ESPN insider Keith Law‘s 2019 top prospects list. The Jays have yet to announce a corresponding roster move.

“It’s going to be a great moment. I get goosebumps just thinking about it,” Montoyo told ESPN’s Marly Rivera. “We have been talking about this for a long time, and it’s just so exciting that the moment is finally here.

“I am so happy. This was such an important moment, not only for the city of Toronto and for the Toronto Blue Jays but for our entire baseball community, that the No. 1 prospect in baseball will debut Friday. He is so talented, that the sky is the limit for that young kid. In my case, personally, I am just excited to see him play every day and see what he can do.”

Guerrero’s father, who played the first eight seasons of his 16-year career with the Montreal Expos, took to Twitterto celebrate the news.

“My son! The country that saw you as a child will now see you turn into a big one. Working hard everything can be done. I’m proud of you,” he wrote. T

Toronto will host the Oakland Athleticson Friday for the start of a three-game series, with right-hander Mike Fiers scheduled to start for the A’s and Marcus Stromantaking the hill for the Blue Jays.

Montoyo told Rivera that he hasn’t decided where he’ll slot Guerrero in the lineup.

Guerrero hit .381 with 20 homers and 78 RBIs in 95 games while rocketing through four levels of minor league ball last season.

There was a possibility that he could make the Blue Jays’ big league roster out of spring training, but a strained oblique early in spring camp ruined any chance of that.

Guerrero has continued to perform this season with Triple-A Buffalo, hitting .367 with three homers and eight RBIs in eight games, including a home run in Wednesday’s game.

Montoyo told Rivera that it will be his job as manager to ease the amount of pressure on Guerrero.

“The great thing about this kid is that he’s so humble, he’s so unique,” Montoyo said. “He acts and plays like he’s been in the big leagues for a long time, and it will be an easy transition for him.”

Tavares Homers for the St. Louis Cardinals in First Major League Game

It’s a memorable Major League Baseball debut for Oscar Taveras

The 21-year-old Dominican professional baseball player, an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, hit a home run in his first game as an MLB player, helping lead his team to a 2-0 victory.

Oscar Tavares

Taveras’ home run was hit off of the San Francisco GiantsYusmeiro Petit — filling in for an injured Matt Cain — in the bottom of the fifth inning.

“What a great day for him, one I’m sure he’ll never forget, and neither will we,” said manager Mike Matheny. “For him to come up and do it in that situation, it’s kind of mind-boggling.”

Taveras homered in his second career at-bat.

“Everybody knows it’s gone,” Taveras said. “That was a good swing right there. I’m so happy right now.”

Petit (3-3) gave up two hits in six innings for the Giants, but one of those was Taveras’ 418-foot drive in the fifth.

“Our guy did a good job,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We just didn’t do anything offensively.”

Taveras was batting .325 in 49 games with Triple-A Memphis with seven homers and 40 RBIs when the Cardinals called up the top prospect. He took the place of Matt Adams, who was put on the disabled list with a left calf strain.

Taveras was ESPN MLB analyst Keith Law‘s No. 5 prospect for 2014 and No. 2 for 2013.