3 Astros MVP candidates, and 1 player who should be benched

3 Houston Astros MVP candidates, and 1 player who should be benched

HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 05: Hunter Brown #58 of the Houston Astros walks to the dugout for his mlb debut with Martin Maldonado #15 prior to the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park on September 05, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

2 of 4

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

Astros MVP candidate No. 2: Yordan Alvarez, LF/DH

Another season, another 162 games where Yordan Alvarez is hitting the cover off of the baseball and bringing his teammates across home plate.

The 25-year-old outfielder and designated hitter was a monster throughout all of last year and especially in the postseason. And though it’s been a tad inconsistent in terms of his batting average to start the year, it’s clear that he’s about to put up huge numbers once again.

In 17 games played to start the 2023 season, Alvarez already has four home runs and is leading the American League in RBI with 21. His slash line of .262/.387/.508 could use a bit of work but, considering that he hit .306 a year ago and has been making good contact, cutting down marginally on the strikeouts could ultimately elevate those numbers quite a bit.

But really, when you look at what Alvarez has been doing, it comes down to continuing to crush the baseball and do so when it matters — when runners are on base. Just shy of half of his hits this season have gone for extra bases and, again, he’s driving in more runs than anyone in the AL.

With the team around him likely to keep putting him in those positions, he’s going to have MVP-level numbers when the 2023 campaign is all said and done.

Home/Houston Astros