‘This guy, he’s different’: What it’s like to watch Yordan Alvarez up close
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Jeff PassanESPN
At the beginning of the Houston Astros‘ 2019 spring training, Michael Brantley couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. Brantley is regarded as one of the purest professional hitters of his generation, a left fielder whose bat control and swing decisions had convinced the team to lavish $16 million a year on him in free agency. That day a 22-year-old left fielder/designated hitter named Yordan Álvarez, who had split the previous season between AA and AAA, was putting on a show in batting practice. After one round of swings, Brantley pulled Álvarez aside.
“I asked him his name, I asked him what position he played and I asked him why they signed me,” Brantley said. “I didn’t understand.”
Even then, before Álvarez stormed into the big leagues in the middle of 2019 and won American League Rookie of the Year, before he made it a habit of looking unstoppable in postseason series, before he established himself as arguably the game’s best left-handed hitter and inarguably one of its finest bats period, Brantley knew. It took all of one BP session to recognize what New York Yankees pitchers went into this American League Championship Series understanding: Álvarez is the Astros’ answer to Aaron Judge — a supremely talented leviathan, the sort of player who can carry a team to a championship.
This season, he hit the ball harder on average than everyone but Judge and was the only player in his universe offensively. After winning ALCS MVP honors last season, Álvarez is primed for a repeat against the Yankees, ready to do what he didn’t in the last postseason matchup against New York, when he went 1 for 22 in the ALCS as a rookie.
The many feats of Yordan Álvarez that have already become the stuff of legend in Houston would strain credulity if the ubiquity of video and the ball-tracking systems installed in every major league stadium weren’t there to verify them — or if his teammates didn’t enjoy telling the stories so much.
Here’s second baseman Jose Altuve‘s entry: In his second major league at-bat, against then-Baltimore starter Dylan Bundy, Álvarez took a second-pitch changeup, low and on the outer half of the plate, and deposited it 413 feet away to the opposite field. On the bench, Astros players stirred. Álvarez had hit 23 home runs in AAA, but this established that he could do more than let his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame propel balls over the fence.
“We asked him, ‘Changeup, to left-center?'” Altuve said. “You normally pull those when you’re a rookie. You just pull everything. And he said, ‘Yeah, I was looking at some video the night before, and the guy throws change away after a fastball inside.’ As a rookie — that was like, oh, God, that’s your first homer, and you’re already thinking like that? His approach is so good.”
On first base that day stood Trey Mancini, who Baltimore traded to Houston before the deadline this July. After Álvarez rounded the bases on his first homer, Mancini turned to then-Astros first-base coach Don Kelly and said: “Who is this guy?” Kelly’s response: “He’s gonna be a stud.”
“It’s just such an easy swing,” Mancini said. “It’s the same swing every time. He doesn’t lose his posture very often. He gets everything he has into it, but it’s simple at the same time. It’s a beautiful swing. I’m very jealous of it. I would love to have a swing like that.”
The Astros were certainly fond of the swing when they pulled off one of the great deadline moves of all-time — acquiring him from the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a deal for reliever Josh Fields just six weeks after Álvarez signed following his defection from Cuba. But Houston’s front office couldn’t have imagined Álvarez would be this: 25 years old, with a career line of .296/.384/.590. Even better are his numbers this season: .306/.406/.613 with 37 home runs and 97 RBIs in 135 games alongside a walk rate of 13.9% (seventh in the big leagues) and a strikeout rate that dipped below 20% for the first time this season.
“The most impressive thing about him is it doesn’t matter what part of the field,” Astros reliever Ryne Stanek said. “Doesn’t matter where you go. He has power from pole to pole — real power. Being as young as he is and as disciplined as he is, is the actually scary part of his game.
“I had never actually faced him until my first spring training here last year. And I faced him my very first live (batting practice) here. It was early in spring. Velo still building. So I was like, all right, well, I know he’s obviously really good. I don’t wanna throw a bad fastball to him and lose my face. I’ll throw him a bunch of splits …. Not realizing that he just absolutely murders changeups.
“Got him on the first one, foul ball. The second one was like, f— yeah, I’m gonna throw another one. Missile. That’s not normal. … I was like, oh, damn, this guy, he’s different.”
The Seattle Mariners were the most recent team to leave a series against Álvarez spooked. In Game 1 of their division series against the Astros, he pummeled a Robbie Ray fastball 438 feet for the first come-from-behind, walk-off postseason home run since Joe Carter won the 1993 World Series. On the next day, with Mariners starter Luis Castillo cruising, Álvarez tracked a 99-mph sinker that ran 19 inches — starting on the inside corner and moving outside the strike zone — and drove it into Minute Maid Park’s left-field Crawford Boxes for another homer.
Following the game, Stanek and Astros closer Ryan Pressly were in the training room watching the replay. Even after seeing Álvarez turn the impossible into reality for years, Pressly was still gobsmacked. How? How, on a pitch at that velocity, with that sort of movement, in that location, could he possibly homer? Stanek’s response: “Don’t ask questions. Just let it happen.”
“Sometimes you get around hitters who the scouting report is just try to get them to hit singles,” Astros general manager James Click said. “And I think he’s reaching that territory. I remember being on the other side of him in 2019 when we were coming in here with Tampa, trying to figure out how to pitch to him. And you just kind of threw your hands up in the air because there isn’t an obvious way to do it. Almost every hitter in the big leagues, there’s something — there’s a hole in, there’s a hole out, there’s a hole up, there’s a hole down, there’s a hole soft, there’s a hole hard, there’s a hole lefty, there’s a hole righty. And he just doesn’t have ’em.”
Oakland pitcher Adrián Martinez learned that on Sept. 16. In his first at-bat, Alvarez hit a 95.1-mph sinker 434 feet out to center field. Next time around, Martínez opted for a changeup — which Álvarez walloped 431 feet out to center again. The third time up, Martínez went back to the fastball.
“And the first pitch, he hits it out to some poor guys trying to have a nice dinner in center field, 460 feet away, never thinking that a baseball was gonna hit them,” Click said. “It landed on their table. It was in that center-field restaurant out there. They showed the video of these guys out there, sitting around one of those silver high-top tables and realizing that a baseball was coming for them that had absolutely no business that far away from home plate.”
Álvarez came up to the plate once more in the seventh inning.
“The fourth at-bat, he hit a single and everyone was mad,” Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said. “And he hit that one 120 [mph].”
It was actually 109.3 mph, but forgive Bregman for the exaggeration. Already that day Álvarez had hit balls at 110.5 in the first inning, 108.7 in the third and 114.9 in the fifth. He does these sorts of things regularly enough that a 120-mph single isn’t out of the question (his record this year is 117.4 mph, off Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito on June 17).
Some stories about Álvarez verge on apocryphal. Astros center fielder Jake Meyers said he heard that Álvarez had hit a ball over a net far beyond the outfield fence on a back field at the Astros’ spring-training complex. He estimated the distance somewhere between 475 and 500 feet. Bench coach Joe Espada confirmed Álvarez’s spring exploits, suggesting he regularly hits batting-practice pitches at least 480 feet. He’s gone opposite field into a lake on the property and hit balls all the way out of the complex itself, onto the streets that adjoin the facility.
And if that weren’t enough, Bregman said, Álvarez has “great baseball knowledge. Good feel for the game. Good instincts. And he’s got all the tools. He can play defense. He can throw. It’s accurate, too. I don’t know what the numbers and metrics say, but I think this year he’s been above-average.”
By some metrics, yes, Álvarez was a plus outfielder this year — a surprise this year, after he had played 174 games at DH compared to 51 in left field entering this season. Particularly impressive is his arm, which FanGraphs’ defensive metrics rank third among all major league outfielders in 2022.
Of course, the Astros didn’t give Álvarez a six-year, $115 million contract extension in June because of his throwing ability. He’s the present and future of the organization because he can hit like few others, because his swing is more holy than holey, because for all the feats Yordan Álvarez has reached in such a short time, there are plenty more to come.
“I just see a professional hitter who has a great understanding of what he wants to do in the box and goes out there and executes on a very high level,” Brantley said. “How he carries himself, you would think he has 10-plus years in the big leagues. He has a beautiful swing, and all the physical tools, but at the same time some mental aspects and approach that he carries up to the plate give him a great understanding of what he wants to do.
“It’s very impressive how he thinks and how he goes about his business, and it’s been an honor to watch him hit.”
For teams that aren’t playing in their conference championship games, this is it — the final chance to make a lasting impression on the College Football Playoff selection committee.
For some contenders, like Ole Miss, their regular-season résumé is now complete, and what happens in the fifth ranking on Tuesday night should be a strong indicator of their final placement on Selection Day. Others, like Miami, are banking on hope and help — and most importantly, one more win. It all began with the Egg Bowl on Friday — a game that not only kept Ole Miss in the playoff, but also technically in the SEC race.
That’s right — this thing is far from over, so check back after each game to see how the results will impact the playoff as the day unfolds.
Texas 27, Texas A&M 17
Rivalry Week presented its first shakeup of the top four when No. 16 Texas beat No. 3 Texas A&M — but it might not be all that jarring in the fifth ranking. The Aggies will likely drop to the 4-6 range behind Georgia. The Bulldogs have better wins including a 35-10 drubbing of … Texas. Georgia also has a better loss (to No. 10 Alabama), and has now clinched a spot in the SEC title game. The question is just how far Texas A&M will fall now that it has joined No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 6 Oregon and No. 7 Ole Miss in the one-loss club. The Aggies entered the weekend with a noticeable edge over Texas Tech in both strength of record (23 to 56) and strength of schedule (1 to 10). It’s possible the committee only drops the Aggies one spot, flipping them with Georgia, which means they’d still be in position to earn a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed. There would be a strong debate, though, about whether the Aggies, Texas Tech or Oregon, the latter which has impressed the committee lately by ranking in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency, deserves the highest seeding. The Aggies’ problem now is that they’d have to finish in the top four as an at-large team because they just got knocked out of the SEC title game.
While Texas now has arguably the best win in the country, it probably won’t be enough to catapult it into the top-10 as a three-loss team. Even with some upsets above them, it’s unlikely Texas would get higher than No. 12.
Indiana 56, Purdue 3
Indiana clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship game with its win against rival Purdue, locking in a CFP bid and beefing up its chances at keeping a first-round bye on Selection Day. The Hoosiers, who have been the committee’s No. 2 team in each of the first four rankings, still have a chance of grabbing the No. 1 spot in Tuesday’s ranking if Ohio State loses to Michigan. If the Buckeyes lose and Oregon wins Indiana will face Oregon in the Big Ten title game. If Michigan wins and Oregon loses the Hoosiers will face Michigan for the conference title.
The question is whether IU can maintain a top-four seed and a first-round bye as the Big Ten runner-up. If Indiana lost the title game, the committee would consider where their opponent was ranked and how close the game was. The Hoosiers would also be compared with other top one-loss teams, but playing a ranked opponent in the conference championship game — win or lose — would boost IU’s record strength by the committee’s metric.
Georgia 16, Georgia Tech 9
Georgia should keep its place as the committee’s top one-loss team following its win against rival Georgia Tech. Georgia’s Oct. 18 win against Ole Miss, along with their win at Tennessee and drubbing of Texas, impressed the committee. The Bulldogs’ consistency on offense and defense has also played well with the committee. Georgia’s first-round bye would only be in question at this point if it finishes as a two-loss SEC runner-up.
Barring an unusual combination of ACC results, No. 23 Georgia Tech will be out of the playoff at 9-3. The only way the Yellow Jackets can extend their playoff hope is through the ACC championship game. They entered the weekend with a 1.5% chance of making the game, according to ESPN Analytics.
Ole Miss 38, Mississippi State 19
With its win against rival Mississippi State on Friday, Ole Miss likely locked up a playoff spot and remains in a strong position to host a first-round home game. If Alabama loses to Auburn on Saturday, Ole Miss will clinch a spot in the SEC championship game. Even if it doesn’t, though, the one-loss Rebels should still be a CFP lock.
As for the uncertainty still looming around coach Lane Kiffin, if Ole Miss turns to an interim head coach for the playoff, the selection committee could consider that. CFP protocol states the group will consider “other relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.” Ole Miss won’t miss the playoff because Kiffin left for another job, but it could get dinged a spot or two if the committee thinks the team won’t be the same without him.
Utah 31, Kansas 21
No. 13 Utah punctuated its résumé with a win against 5-7 Kansas, but it’s still unlikely to reach the playoff without multiple upsets of teams above it — especially after just being leapfrogged by No. 12 Miami in the latest CFP ranking. Even with a win, to reach the Big 12 championship game, Utah still needs Texas Tech to lose and for both BYU and Arizona State to win. The Utes’ best hope to reach the CFP is still as an at-large team.
Getting that bid isn’t inconceivable if a combination of two-loss teams above them lose. If Oklahoma, Alabama and Miami lose, it would be difficult for any of them to stay in the top 12 as three-loss teams. Utah would need at least two of them to lose to move into the top 10, which is where it would need to be to actually be seeded in the field. The No. 11 and No. 12 teams this year will be excluded during the seeding process to make room for the fourth- and fifth-highest ranked conference champions.
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Mark Schlabach
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Lane Kiffin said he’ll decide Saturday whether he will return as Ole Miss‘ coach in 2026 or take another job, presumably at LSU, which is trying to poach him from its SEC rival with a lucrative contract offer that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
Kiffin, while speaking to reporters after the No. 7 Rebels’ 38-19 victory at Mississippi State in Friday’s Egg Bowl at Davis Wade Stadium, would only say that he’ll have to make a decision one way or the other, after Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce said they needed an answer by Saturday.
“I feel like I’ve got to,” Kiffin said.
When Kiffin was asked if he had made up his mind about where he’ll be coaching next season, he said, “Yeah, I haven’t. Maybe that surprises you. But, you know, I’ve got to do some praying and figure this thing out.”
Kiffin said he planned to attend his son’s high school playoff game in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Friday night. Knox Kiffin is Oxford High’s starting quarterback.
“Tonight, I’m going to go be a dad and watch a more important game to me,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin wasn’t sure what time he would make a decision Saturday.
“There’s a lot [that goes] into it,” Kiffin said. “It’s a hard decision. You guys have them all the time. You’ve got to make decisions about jobs you take and where you move, and we get paid a lot so I understand we’re under a lot of spotlight and scrutiny.”
Kiffin said he regretted not being able to speak to his father, Monte Kiffin, while trying to make one of the most important decisions of his career. The longtime NFL defensive coordinator died in July 2024. He was 84.
Kiffin, 50, has sought the advice of former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll, his former boss at USC, the past few weeks.
ESPN reported earlier Friday that Florida, which was also courting Kiffin, is now focused on other candidates in its search because the Gators believe he’s more interested in other opportunities.
Carter and Boyce met with Kiffin a week ago in Oxford, Mississippi, and the sides came to an understanding that Kiffin would make up his mind the day after the Egg Bowl.
If the Egg Bowl was Kiffin’s last game as Ole Miss’ coach, it was a fitting end to one of the most successful tenures in school history.
As speculation about Kiffin’s future continued to swirl over the past two weeks, the Rebels rolled past their rivals for their fifth win in the past six meetings in the heated series. The Rebels had 545 yards of offense, as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss passed for 359 yards with four touchdowns.
The Rebels (11-1, 7-1 SEC) all but secured a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. They’ll have to wait another day to find out whether they’ll play in next week’s SEC championship game in Atlanta.
No. 3 Texas A&M would have to fall at No. 16 Texas on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) and No. 10 Alabama would have to lose at Auburn in Saturday’s Iron Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET/ABC) for the Rebels to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game.
And, of course, Ole Miss fans will be waiting Saturday to find out which coaches will be on the sideline for the CFP, which might begin with a first-round game at home on Dec. 19 or 20.
If Kiffin decides to leave for LSU, former New York Giants coach Joe Judge would likely serve as the Rebels’ interim coach in the CFP, sources told ESPN.
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