WATCH: MLB Network Host Talks About How Good Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez Is
The Houston Astros rolled past the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night, 8-2, to improve to 5-6 on the season. Once again, when the Astros win, Yordan Alvarez is a part of it.
The slugging lefty went 3-4 in the win. He also scored a run and brought in two, raising his RBI total to 16 on the young season. He's now hitting .333 with a 1.083 OPS for the defending world champs.
Alvarez being good is so common now that it feels like we could take it for granted, even though we shouldn't. This year already he's hit a home run 442 feet and he's blasted another 435 feet against the Tigers.
This Monday on MLB Network, former big league player Chris Young talked about Alvarez and what makes him so good. You can watch the clip below.
"He keeps the Astros in ballgames. Even when they seem like they are out of it, they find a situation where Yordan is able to come to the dish... you need a guy who is not swing and miss, who can control the strike zone, and be able to come through in big-time situations. And every time someone makes a mistake, he makes you pay...."
Young also cited how good Alvarez has been in the absence of Jose Altuve, who is out because of a broken thumb suffered in the World Baseball Classic.
He's coming off a year in which he hit 37 home runs and helped the Astros win the World Series. En route to the World Series title, he hit devastating home runs in both Game 1 and 2 of the American League Division series against the Mariners. He then popped a game-winning home run in Game 6 of the World Series against the Phillies.
He also hit 33 homers in 2021 and drove in 104 runs that year.
Álvarez signed a six-year, $115 million contract before the 2022 season. He's still just 25 years old.
The Astros play the Pirates again on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. ET. Cristian Javier will go for Houston while Mitch Keller gets the ball for the Buccos.
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