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MLB Network has been counting down the Top 100 players in Major League Baseball before the start of the 2024 season. Cincinnati Reds' shortstop Elly De La Cruz got the conversation started at No. 100, and MLB Network has been steadily releasing its list of the best players in baseball over the past week.
Several Houston Astros players appeared on MLB Network's Top 100. Astros new closer Josh Hader came in at No. 60, while Framber Valdez (55) and Alex Bregman (44) also received plenty of adulation. Both Kyle Tucker (23) and Jose Altuve (22) ranked among the Top 25, but as far as MLB Network is concerned, Yordan Alvarez is the Astros' best player.
The former AL Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star put up monster numbers, despite limited playing time, in 2023. Alvarez hit .293/.407/.583 with 31 home runs and 97 RBI in only 114 games. Alvarez found his name at No. 8 on the list of the best players in baseball. That's certainly not going to sit well with all the Astros haters out there, especially because he hardly plays defense.
Astros haters will be furious with Yordan Alvarez’s overall ranking on MLB Network
"They hate us because they ain't us," definitely describes that stubborn group of baseball fans who just can't stand the Houston Astros. Nor can they stomach the fact that Houston is always in the World Series conversation.
Speaking of which, after participating in the American League Championship Series for a seventh consecutive season, and winning the AL West for the sixth time in seven years, the Astros are right on target to return to the postseason in 2024 as they run back nearly all of last year's roster.
⭐️ Top 10 ⭐️
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 22, 2024
These stars make up the final list on this year's #Top100RightNow! pic.twitter.com/RftKZQBzHD
With Hader locking down the ninth inning, Altuve now an Astro for life, and Bregman entering a contract year with his eyeballs on Trea Turner-type money during free agency next winter, Houston could be on their way to another run at the World Series in 2024.
The Houston faithful are looking forward to another winning season in H-Town. Don't listen to the haters, Astros fans. Yordan Alvarez should easily be considered one of the Top 10 players in Major League Baseball. Look for Air Yordan to live up to his name during the upcoming season, as he readies to launch 40-plus big flies.