'This guy, he's different': What it's like to watch Alvarez up close

At the opening of the Houston Astros' 2019 outpouring training, Michael Brantley couldn't judge what helium was witnessing. Brantley is regarded arsenic 1 of the purest nonrecreational hitters of his generation, a near fielder whose bat power and plaything decisions had convinced the squad to lavish $16 cardinal a twelvemonth connected him successful escaped agency. That time a 22-year-old near fielder/designated hitter named Yordan Álvarez, who had divided the erstwhile play betwixt AA and AAA, was putting connected a amusement successful batting practice. After 1 circular of swings, Brantley pulled Álvarez aside.

"I asked him his name, I asked him what presumption helium played and I asked him wherefore they signed me," Brantley said. "I didn't understand."

Even then, earlier Álvarez stormed into the large leagues successful the mediate of 2019 and won American League Rookie of the Year, earlier helium made it a wont of looking unstoppable successful postseason series, earlier helium established himself arsenic arguably the game's champion left-handed hitter and inarguably 1 of its finest bats period, Brantley knew. It took each of 1 BP league to admit what New York Yankees pitchers went into this American League Championship Series understanding: Álvarez is the Astros' reply to Aaron Judge -- a supremely talented leviathan, the benignant of subordinate who tin transportation a squad to a championship.

This season, helium deed the shot harder connected mean than everyone but Judge and was the lone subordinate successful his beingness offensively. After winning ALCS MVP honors past season, Álvarez is primed for a repetition against the Yankees, acceptable to bash what helium didn't successful the past postseason matchup against New York, erstwhile helium went 1 for 22 successful the ALCS arsenic a rookie.

The galore feats of Yordan Álvarez that person already go the worldly of fable successful Houston would strain credulity if the ubiquity of video and the ball-tracking systems installed successful each large league stadium weren't determination to verify them -- oregon if his teammates didn't bask telling the stories truthful much.

Here's 2nd baseman Jose Altuve's entry: In his 2nd large league at-bat, against then-Baltimore starter Dylan Bundy, Álvarez took a second-pitch changeup, debased and connected the outer fractional of the plate, and deposited it 413 feet distant to the other field. On the bench, Astros players stirred. Álvarez had deed 23 location runs successful AAA, but this established that helium could bash much than fto his 6-foot-5, 225-pound framework propel balls implicit the fence.

"We asked him, 'Changeup, to left-center?'" Altuve said. "You usually propulsion those erstwhile you're a rookie. You conscionable propulsion everything. And helium said, 'Yeah, I was looking astatine immoderate video the nighttime before, and the feline throws alteration distant aft a fastball inside.' As a rookie -- that was like, oh, God, that's your archetypal homer, and you're already reasoning similar that? His attack is truthful good."

On archetypal basal that time stood Trey Mancini, who Baltimore traded to Houston earlier the deadline this July. After Álvarez rounded the bases connected his archetypal homer, Mancini turned to then-Astros first-base manager Don Kelly and said: "Who is this guy?" Kelly's response: "He's gonna beryllium a stud."

"It's conscionable specified an casual swing," Mancini said. "It's the aforesaid plaything each time. He doesn't suffer his posture precise often. He gets everything helium has into it, but it's elemental astatine the aforesaid time. It's a beauteous swing. I'm precise jealous of it. I would emotion to person a plaything similar that."

The Astros were surely fond of the plaything erstwhile they pulled disconnected 1 of the large deadline moves of all-time -- acquiring him from the Los Angeles Dodgers, successful a woody for reliever Josh Fields conscionable six weeks aft Álvarez signed pursuing his defection from Cuba. But Houston's beforehand bureau couldn't person imagined Álvarez would beryllium this: 25 years old, with a vocation enactment of .296/.384/.590. Even amended are his numbers this season: .306/.406/.613 with 37 location runs and 97 RBIs successful 135 games alongside a locomotion complaint of 13.9% (seventh successful the large leagues) and a strikeout complaint that dipped beneath 20% for the archetypal clip this season.

"The astir awesome happening astir him is it doesn't substance what portion of the field," Astros reliever Ryne Stanek said. "Doesn't substance wherever you go. He has powerfulness from rod to rod -- existent power. Being arsenic young arsenic helium is and arsenic disciplined arsenic helium is, is the really scary portion of his game.

"I had ne'er really faced him until my archetypal outpouring grooming present past year. And I faced him my precise archetypal unrecorded (batting practice) here. It was aboriginal successful spring. Velo inactive building. So I was like, each right, well, I cognize he's evidently truly good. I don't wanna propulsion a atrocious fastball to him and suffer my face. I'll propulsion him a clump of splits .... Not realizing that helium conscionable perfectly murders changeups.

"Got him connected the archetypal one, foul ball. The 2nd 1 was like, f--- yeah, I'm gonna propulsion different one. Missile. That's not normal. ... I was like, oh, damn, this guy, he's different."

The Seattle Mariners were the astir caller squad to permission a bid against Álvarez spooked. In Game 1 of their part bid against the Astros, helium pummeled a Robbie Ray fastball 438 feet for the archetypal come-from-behind, walk-off postseason location tally since Joe Carter won the 1993 World Series. On the adjacent day, with Mariners starter Luis Castillo cruising, Álvarez tracked a 99-mph sinker that ran 19 inches -- starting connected the wrong country and moving extracurricular the onslaught portion -- and drove it into Minute Maid Park's left-field Crawford Boxes for different homer.

Following the game, Stanek and Astros person Ryan Pressly were successful the grooming country watching the replay. Even aft seeing Álvarez crook the intolerable into world for years, Pressly was inactive gobsmacked. How? How, connected a transportation astatine that velocity, with that benignant of movement, successful that location, could helium perchance homer? Stanek's response: "Don't inquire questions. Just fto it happen."

"Sometimes you get astir hitters who the scouting study is conscionable effort to get them to deed singles," Astros wide manager James Click said. "And I deliberation he's reaching that territory. I retrieve being connected the different broadside of him successful 2019 erstwhile we were coming successful present with Tampa, trying to fig retired however to transportation to him. And you conscionable benignant of threw your hands up successful the aerial due to the fact that determination isn't an evident mode to bash it. Almost each hitter successful the large leagues, there's thing -- there's a spread in, there's a spread out, there's a spread up, there's a spread down, there's a spread soft, there's a spread hard, there's a spread lefty, there's a spread righty. And helium conscionable doesn't person 'em."

Oakland pitcher Adrián Martinez learned that connected Sept. 16. In his archetypal at-bat, Alvarez deed a 95.1-mph sinker 434 feet retired to halfway field. Next clip around, Martínez opted for a changeup -- which Álvarez walloped 431 feet retired to halfway again. The 3rd clip up, Martínez went backmost to the fastball.

"And the archetypal pitch, helium hits it retired to immoderate mediocre guys trying to person a bully meal successful halfway field, 460 feet away, ne'er reasoning that a shot was gonna deed them," Click said. "It landed connected their table. It was successful that center-field edifice retired there. They showed the video of these guys retired there, sitting astir 1 of those metallic high-top tables and realizing that a shot was coming for them that had perfectly nary concern that acold distant from location plate."

Álvarez came up to the sheet erstwhile much successful the seventh inning.

"The 4th at-bat, helium deed a azygous and everyone was mad," Astros 3rd baseman Alex Bregman said. "And helium deed that 1 120 [mph]."

It was really 109.3 mph, but forgive Bregman for the exaggeration. Already that time Álvarez had deed balls astatine 110.5 successful the archetypal inning, 108.7 successful the 3rd and 114.9 successful the fifth. He does these sorts of things regularly capable that a 120-mph azygous isn't retired of the question (his grounds this twelvemonth is 117.4 mph, disconnected Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito connected June 17).

Some stories astir Álvarez verge connected apocryphal. Astros halfway fielder Jake Meyers said helium heard that Álvarez had deed a shot implicit a nett acold beyond the outfield obstruction connected a backmost tract astatine the Astros' spring-training complex. He estimated the region determination betwixt 475 and 500 feet. Bench manager Joe Espada confirmed Álvarez's outpouring exploits, suggesting helium regularly hits batting-practice pitches astatine slightest 480 feet. He's gone other tract into a water connected the spot and deed balls each the mode retired of the analyzable itself, onto the streets that adjoin the facility.

And if that weren't enough, Bregman said, Álvarez has "great shot knowledge. Good consciousness for the game. Good instincts. And he's got each the tools. He tin play defense. He tin throw. It's accurate, too. I don't cognize what the numbers and metrics say, but I deliberation this twelvemonth he's been above-average."

By immoderate metrics, yes, Álvarez was a positive outfielder this twelvemonth -- a astonishment this year, aft helium had played 174 games astatine DH compared to 51 successful near tract entering this season. Particularly awesome is his arm, which FanGraphs' antiaircraft metrics fertile 3rd among each large league outfielders successful 2022.

Of course, the Astros didn't springiness Álvarez a six-year, $115 cardinal declaration hold successful June due to the fact that of his throwing ability. He's the contiguous and aboriginal of the enactment due to the fact that helium tin deed similar fewer others, due to the fact that his plaything is much beatified than holey, due to the fact that for each the feats Yordan Álvarez has reached successful specified a abbreviated time, determination are plentifulness much to come.

"I conscionable spot a nonrecreational hitter who has a large knowing of what helium wants to bash successful the container and goes retired determination and executes connected a precise precocious level," Brantley said. "How helium carries himself, you would deliberation helium has 10-plus years successful the large leagues. He has a beauteous swing, and each the carnal tools, but astatine the aforesaid clip immoderate intelligence aspects and attack that helium carries up to the sheet springiness him a large knowing of what helium wants to do.

"It's precise awesome however helium thinks and however helium goes astir his business, and it's been an grant to ticker him hit."