HOUSTON -- By now, there’s little doubt that Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is the favorite to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award, though there are still three months of baseball remaining and lots of variables could still be in play, including health.
Alvarez has remained on the field this year and is making a run at the AL Triple Crown, entering Thursday leading the AL in homers, ranking second in RBIs and fourth in batting average. He came into Tuesday’s game against the Twins in an 0-for-16 slump before going 3-for-4 in a win with a grand slam that was his third of the month of June and seventh of his career, tying a club record, before going 3-for-3 on Wednesday.
“He’s the Most Valuable Player right now, as we speak,” Astros manager Joe Espada said prior to Wednesday’s game. “He’s the guy that’s been carrying our offense. We’ve got a lot of contributions from a ton of guys, but … it’s a completely different dynamic when he’s at the plate. He’s been super valuable, consistent. His preparation, he’s been a different player this year when it comes to how he’s just [consistent] day in, day out. It’s just quality at-bats after quality at-bats. The key is to continue to keep him healthy, keep him in that lineup because he’s just one of the best I’ve ever been around.”
Alvarez remains on pace to threaten Jeff Bagwell’s club record of 47 homers set in 2000. No Astros player has hit 40 homers since Alex Bregman (41) in 2019. Alvarez also has a chance to become the first Astros player to lead the league -- NL or AL -- in home runs.
Alvarez, who was a finalist in fan voting on DH in the AL, is a lock to be selected to play in his fourth All-Star Game this year, likely as a starter. The full 2026 All-Star rosters, including the announcement of starters and reserves, will be revealed at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday on FOX.
Here are some key numbers for Alvarez through 87 games:
Slash line: .319/.433/.620
OPS: 1.053
Doubles: 16
HRs: 26
RBIs: 60
Let’s see how Alvarez’s production through the first 87 games of the season stacks up against the Astros’ previous two league Most Valuable Players -- Jeff Bagwell in the National League in 1994 and Jose Altuve in the American League in 2017 -- through their first 87 games of those seasons:
BAGWELL (through 87 games in '94)
Slash line: .355/.429/.713
OPS: 1.141
Doubles: 26
HRs: 26
RBIs: 89
Don’t adjust your eyes. Bagwell’s gaudy numbers were staggering. He was named the unanimous NL MVP in the strike-shortened 1994 season after finishing with a .368 average with 39 homers, 116 RBIs and a 1.201 OPS in 110 games, in addition to winning his only Gold Glove. He led the NL in RBIs, runs (104), total bases, slugging percentage and extra-base hits.
His season ended when he was hit by a pitch from Andy Benes and broke his left hand on Aug. 10 -- just two days before the players went on strike. His 38th home run of the season on Aug. 5 in the Astrodome broke Jimmy Wynn’s single-season club record that had stood for 27 years. The two-run homer gave Bagwell 112 RBIs -- breaking Bob Watson’s club record of 110 RBIs set in 1977.
ALTUVE (through 87 games ’17)
Slash line: .350/.420/.561
OPS: .981
Doubles: 27
HRs: 14
RBIs: 51
A banner year in which the Astros won their first World Series in 2017 and celebrated Bagwell getting inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Altuve was named AL MVP. Altuve garnered 27 of a possible 30 first-place votes for a runaway win over the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, who won the AL Rookie of the Year and had two first-place votes and 27 second-place votes.
Altuve topped 200 hits for the fourth season in a row and won his third batting title in four years by hitting .346/.410/.547 with 24 homers, 81 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. He led the AL in multi-hit games (59) and led the Majors in games with at least three hits (23). Altuve also ranked first in the AL in infield hits (35), tied for second in runs (112), third in on-base percentage (.410), third in stolen bases, third in OPS (.957), fifth in total bases (323), sixth in slugging percentage (.547) and tied for ninth in doubles (39).