Yordan Alvarez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yordan Alvarez
Alvarez with the Houston Astros in 2019
Houston Astros – No. 44
Designated hitter / Left fielder
Born: (1997-06-27) June 27, 1997 (age 27) Las Tunas, Cuba
Bats: Left Throws: Right
debut
June 9, 2019, for the Houston Astros
MLB statistics (through 2024 season)
Batting average	.298
Hits	683
Home runs	164
Runs batted in	466
Teams
Houston Astros (2019–present)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star (2022–2024) World Series champion (2022) All-MLB First Team (2022) 4× All-MLB Second Team (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024) AL Rookie of the Year (2019) ALCS MVP (2021) Silver Slugger Award (2022)
Medals Men's baseball Representing CUB 15U Baseball World Championship Silver 2012 Chihuahua Team

Yordan Alvarez (born June 27, 1997) is a talented Cuban professional baseball player. He plays as a designated hitter and left fielder for the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB). Yordan is very tall, standing 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and weighing 237 pounds (107 kg). He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.

Yordan made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Astros. He quickly became known for hitting powerful home runs. He has been chosen as an All-Star three times.

Before joining the MLB, Yordan played baseball in Cuba. He later moved to Haiti and then signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros traded for him in 2016. In his first MLB season in 2019, he was named the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year. He set a record for the highest slugging percentage by a rookie.

After missing most of the 2020 season due to injury, Yordan became famous for his strong hitting. He is also known for being a clutch hitter, meaning he performs well in important moments. He won the 2021 ALCS MVP award. In 2022, he hit a special walk-off home run in the playoffs. He also hit a key home run in the 2022 World Series to help the Astros win their championship.

Professional Baseball Journey

Playing in Cuba

Yordan Alvarez played two seasons in the Cuban National Series (CNS). He played for a team called the Leñadores de Las Tunas. In his second season (2014–15), he had a great batting average of .351. This was the second-best on his team.

Moving to the United States

In 2016, Yordan left Cuba and settled in Haiti. There, he met Yuli Gurriel and Lourdes Jr., who would also become major league players. Yordan then traveled to Florida.

He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in June 2016. The Dodgers paid him $2 million as an international free agent.

Minor League Teams

Just two months later, in August 2016, the Dodgers traded Yordan to the Houston Astros. This happened before he even played a single game for the Dodgers' minor league teams. The Dodgers later said trading him was a "mistake."

Yordan started his professional career in 2016 with the Dominican Summer League Astros. He played well, batting .341.

In 2017, he played for the Quad Cities River Bandits and then the Buies Creek Astros. He hit .304 with 12 home runs and 69 RBIs that year. He also played in the 2017 All-Star Futures Game.

Yordan Alvarez (left) at the 2018 All-Star Futures Game.

Yordan was considered one of the best young players in the minor leagues in 2018. He played for the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Fresno Grizzlies. He hit 20 home runs and had 74 RBIs combined.

In 2019, Yordan started with the Round Rock Express. He was amazing, batting .343 with 23 home runs and 71 RBIs. He led all minor league players in home runs and RBIs before being called up to the major leagues.

Joining the Houston Astros

2019: Rookie of the Year

On June 9, 2019, Yordan Alvarez joined the Houston Astros. He made his MLB debut against the Baltimore Orioles and hit a two-run home run! In his next game, he hit another home run. He was the first Astro to hit home runs in his first two games.

Yordan became the fourth player in MLB history to hit four home runs in his first five games. By June 23, he had hit 7 home runs in just 12 games, setting an Astros record. He also set an MLB record by driving in 16 runs in his first 12 games.

He won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Month Award for both June and July. He hit .336 with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs in those months.

On August 10, Yordan hit three home runs in one game against the Orioles. He also drove in a career-high seven runs. This brought his total RBIs to 51 in his first 45 games, an MLB record.

For the 2019 season, Yordan batted .313 with 27 home runs and 75 RBIs. He was the youngest player in the AL. He won the AL Rookie of the Year Award unanimously. His .655 slugging percentage and 1.067 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) were the highest ever for a qualified rookie.

In the 2019 World Series, Yordan hit his first career postseason home run in Game 5. The Astros won that game 7–1.

2020: Injury Setback

Yordan missed the start of the 2020 season because he tested positive for COVID-19. He played only two games before needing surgery on both knees. This ended his season early.

2021: ALCS MVP

On May 7, 2021, Yordan got his 100th career RBI in his 114th game. He was one of the fastest players to reach 100 RBIs in league history.

He hit his 30th home run of the season on September 13. He was the second-youngest Astro to hit 30 home runs in a season. On September 22, he reached 100 RBIs for the season.

In 2021, Yordan led the Astros with 33 home runs and 104 RBIs. He was named to the All-MLB Team Second Team.

In the ALCS, Yordan was amazing against the Boston Red Sox. In Game 5, he had three hits and three RBIs, including a home run. In Game 6, he had four hits, helping the Astros win 5–0. He batted .522 in the series, setting an ALCS record. For his incredible performance, Yordan was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player (MVP).

2022: World Series Champion

On June 2, 2022, Yordan signed a big six-year contract extension with the Astros. This deal was worth $115 million. In the week ending June 5, he batted .565 with four home runs and eight RBIs. He was named AL Player of the Week for the first time.

Yordan won the AL Player of the Month Award for June. He batted .418 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs. On July 4, he hit his first career walk-off home run, winning the game for the Astros.

He was chosen for the MLB All-Star Game for the first time. However, he couldn't play due to a hand injury. On July 29, he hit his 30th home run of the season in his 84th game, setting a team record.

On September 16, Yordan had an incredible game against the Oakland A's. He hit three home runs in three straight turns at bat. This was the 15th time an Astro had hit three home runs in one game.

In 2022, Yordan had career-highs with 37 home runs and 95 runs scored. He batted .306 with a .613 slugging percentage. He was also great in the outfield, with seven assists.

In the 2022 playoffs, Yordan hit three go-ahead home runs when his team was behind. No other player had ever done this more than once. In Game 1 of the Division Series, he hit a three-run walk-off home run to win the game 8–7 against the Mariners. This was the first walk-off home run in MLB postseason history when the home team was down to their last out and trailing by more than one run.

In Game 6 of the 2022 World Series, Yordan hit a huge 450-foot home run. This made the score 3-1, and the Astros went on to win the game 4-1. This secured their second World Series title! Yordan finished third in the AL MVP voting that year.

2023: More Milestones

On April 3, 2023, Yordan hit his 100th career home run in his 372nd game. This was the fastest any Astro had reached 100 home runs. He was the 19th player in Astros history to do so.

He had a streak of reaching base in 40 straight games, from the end of 2022 into May 2023. He also had a 13-game hitting streak.

Yordan missed 39 games due to a right oblique strain in June. But he was still named to the AL All-Star team for the second year in a row.

On September 24, he hit his 30th home run of the season. This was his third straight season with 30 or more home runs. Only three other Astros players have done this. He was named AL Player of the Month for September.

In 2023, Yordan played in 114 games. He batted .293 with 31 home runs and 97 RBIs. He ranked among the top players in the league for home runs and RBIs.

In Game 1 of the ALDS, Yordan hit two home runs against the Minnesota Twins. He hit another home run in Game 2 and Game 3, making it four home runs in three playoff games. He joined Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit at least four home runs and six extra-base hits in a three-game playoff span.

2024: All-Star Starter

Yordan was named the starting designated hitter for the American League All-Star team. This was his first time as a starter and his third straight All-Star selection.

On July 21, 2024, Yordan hit for the cycle against the Seattle Mariners. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. He was the 11th player in Astros history to achieve this.

On August 6, he hit his 150th career home run in just 590 games. This broke the Astros' record for reaching 150 home runs the fastest. On August 28, Yordan hit three home runs in one game for the third time in his career. This tied him with Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell for the most 3-homer games in Astros history.

On September 1, Yordan reached 30 home runs for the fourth season in a row. Only Jeff Bagwell has done this more times for the Astros.

For the 2024 season, Yordan played a career-high 147 games. He batted .308 with 35 home runs and 86 RBIs. He led the Astros in many important hitting categories. He was also voted the Astros' MVP for 2024.

About Yordan's Life

Yordan's parents are Agustín Eduardo Alvarez Salazar and Mailyn Cadogan Reyes. He also has a brother named Yonder Alvarez Cadogan. In August 2022, his family saw him play professionally for the first time since he left Cuba.

Yordan is Afro-Cuban.

Awards and Honors

See also

In Spanish: Yordan Álvarez para niños

• Houston Astros award winners and league leaders
• List of baseball players who defected from Cuba
• List of Major League Baseball players from Cuba
• List of walk-off home runs in the postseason and All-Star Game