WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- They’re not related and had never met prior to this spring, but Yordan Alvarez has been thoroughly impressed with the team’s top prospect, fellow Cuban outfielder Kevin Alvarez, who shared the field with the Astros slugger for the first time Sunday afternoon.
Yordan, 28, was in the lineup at designated hitter in the Astros’ 1-0 win over the Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, with Kevin, 18, coming over from Minor League camp and batting sixth and playing left field in a Grapefruit League game. The younger Alvarez, who's ranked No. 1 in the Astros top prospects list, went 0-for-3, including a lineout in the fifth inning that was 102.7 mph off the bat against Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez.
“It’s a beautiful swing,” Yordan said. “I was joking with him and I told him, ‘When I was 18 I didn’t hit the ball that hard.’”
Kevin, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and bats left-handed, left Cuba with his father in December 2021 and moved to the Dominican Republic, where he blossomed into one of the best all-around talents in the 2025 international class. The Astros signed him for $2 million in January 2025.
“Yordan Alvarez has been an important part of my career, been a pillar of my career,” Kevin said. “He’s been somebody I’ve admired for a lot of time, and yes, I asked him a lot of questions in the dugout.”
He made his pro debut in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, where he stood out with his tools, high baseball IQ and maturity. Not much has changed in the spring, where Kevin has been mashing the ball on the back fields and drawing the attention of manager Joe Espada.
“I think he has eight home runs between scrimmages and games against other teams, so I was kind of waiting until the last week of spring to get him in a game up there, get him in front of the players, get a feel for our environment,” Espada said. “I like the professional at-bats for a kid that just turned 18. He moves well in the outfield.”
Kevin played six innings in left field and three in right field to end the game. He was challenged in the first inning, making a long run into the left-field corner to catch a ball off the bat of Heriberto Hernández. In his first at-bat in the second inning, he swung at the first pitch and grounded out.
“First of all, thanks to God and thanks to Joe Espada for giving me the chance to be out there,” he said. “Today’s my dad’s birthday, so what better birthday present than that? Also, I felt very, very excited, felt very good out there, and also felt very good defensively.”
After his first at-bat, Kevin spent some time in the dugout speaking with Yordan. He talked to him and also Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who’s nearly twice his age. They both had the same advice: stay focused.
“He was a little bit nervous,” Yordan said. “He asked me a couple of questions. I noticed it was the first time he faced Major League pitching, so then the second at-bat he was a little more relaxed and hit the ball pretty good.”
The decision to put an 18-year-old into an Astros lineup that included six regular positions-players was a sign of how highly Houston thinks of Kevin.
“I target a few players I want to see up here,” Espada said. “I wanted to also play him on a day that Yordan was playing so they could spend some time in the dugout. I talked to him a few days ago when I gave him the news and he was super excited.”
As a 17-year-old last year, Alvarez slashed .301/.419/.455 with two homers and 11 steals in 192 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League. He will be among the Astros prospects participating in Thursday’s Spring Breakout game.
“I felt it was a very good season,” he said. “A lot of exciting moments for me in my first season. I gained a lot of experience, a lot of teaching moments, as well, and I’m just getting my body ready, getting my physique ready and physical condition, as well, because I know it’s going to be a longer season.”