Astros: Yordan Alvarez wins AL Player of the Week

Yordan Alvarez was named American League Player of the Week during his Monday press conference.

The Houston Astros held a press conference Monday for Yordan Alvarez’s six-year, $115 million extension he agreed to this past weekend. In the final minutes, Major League Baseball named Alvarez the American League Player of the Week for May 30 to June 5.

Alvarez batted .565 with a 1.847 OPS, scoring eight runs. The left-hander slashed 13 hits — a double, a triple and four home runs— while driving in eight over six games played in that span. It’s the 24-year-old’s first in-season award since winning American League Rookie of the Month in August of 2019.

As Alvarez spoke to reporters Monday, a handful of his teammates looked on in the back of the room. Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, Aledmys Diaz, Martin Maldonado, Kyle Tucker, Michael Brantley and Jake Odorizzi were all present, according to multiple reports.

“I feel very happy because I wasn’t expecting all of them here,” Alvarez said.

As reported by Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, the Astros’ fan base was also one of the reasons Alvarez wanted to stay in Houston.

The Astros streamed the press conference on social media, while Alvarez noted the adversity he faced after undergoing knee surgeries during the 2020 season. General manager James Click was also asked about Alvarez’s positional future with the team, noting the Astros won’t be placing an inning limit on the 24-year-old’s play in the outfield.

Beyond the praise Click gave to Alvarez’s hitting, the general manager highlighted the underrated speed Alvarez brings to his play in left field. While Alvarez doesn’t qualify for an outfield-jump percentile on Baseball Savant, the lefty’s sprint speed average has dropped in comparison to the rest of Major League Baseball.

Alvarez currently ranks second in the American League in home runs with 16, trailing only Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. His 1.015 OPS this season ranks third-best in the American League, while one of the four Major League Baseball players currently eclipsing 1.000.