Most of the specialists and analysts consider Aaron Judge the MVP of the American League so far, while another sizable contingent thinks that as long as Shohei Ohtani is thriving at both pitching and hitting, he should win the award.
Yet, there should be a third name in the race as things currently stand: Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez.
A designated hitter rarely gets MVP consideration, but it wouldn’t be the first time one wins it if Alvarez ends up getting most of the votes.
He hit his first career walk-off home run on Monday, and keeps making franchise history.
“Yordan Alvarez hit his 24th HR this season in the Astros 79th game this season, tied for the 4th-most over the team’s first 80 games in a season,” ESPN Stats & Info tweeted.
Yordan Alvarez hit his 24th HR this season in the Astros 79th game this season, tied for the 4th-most over the team's first 80 games in a season. pic.twitter.com/pYQzMcbAou
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 4, 2022
Can He Hit 50 Home Runs?
If he keeps performing at this pace, it’s not out of the question that he reaches 50 home runs, which would be an impressive feat.
However, the most amazing thing about Alvarez is that he has legendary power while boasting excellent contact skills.
He is not your traditional all-or-nothing slugger.
The left-handed slugger is slashing .310/.410/.653 before Tuesday’s games: incredible production that makes him arguably the Astros’ best hitter in a lineup full of All-Stars and MVP winners.
If the world is truly a fair place, Alvarez should earn more than a few MVP votes, and why not, end up with the award.
His potent bat is, without much doubt, the hottest in baseball at the moment.
The sole fact that he appears on a leaderboard with Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman, and George Springer speaks volumes about what he has achieved in 2022.
He is truly one of a kind.
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