Struggling Àlvarez Finds Comfort in Teammates’ Support
NEW YORK – Yordan Àlvarez is obviously frustrated. How could he not be? The American League Rookie of the Year front runner is in the first prolonged slump of his career, leaving him searching for the powerful swing that punished opposing pitchers.
At a time when the entire baseball world is watching while he and the Astros face baseball’s most storied franchise, Àlvarez has struggled to get on track in the American League Championship Series.
He has found comfort, though, in his veteran teammates. The postseason is never easy, especially for a 22-year-old rookie. Álvarez’s teammates appreciate what he’s going through, and they are constantly by his side.
Àlvarez is not alone, they remind him. This is a shared burden. Nobody carries a team to the World Series alone even if they appeared to carry the team through long stretches of the season.
Àlvarez’s teammates have reminded him often during the ALCS that they believe in him. They reassure him that he will be fine.
Yuli Gurriel, Michael Brantley, Aledmys Diaz, José Altuve, Carlos Correa and most other Astros teammates have approached Àlvarez during the ALCS to remind him that he’ll be fine.
“Absolutely,” Brantley said. “This is a team effort all the way around. Everybody believes in that young man. He carried us throughout the season. He has quality at-bats and everything is going to be just fine with him.”
Àlvarez, a native of Las Tunas, Cuba, was a relative unknown to the casual baseball fan heading into the 2019 season. Even those who follow prospects didn’t predict he would have such a dominant rookie season.
The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., and the Padres’ Fernando Tatis, Jr., were both more renowned than Àlvarez heading into the 2019 season.
Álvarez’s legend grew quickly, though, as he tormented Class AAA pitching with towering blast after towering blast for the Round Rock Express.
The move up to the majors didn’t stall his assault.
The stage was bigger, and Àlvarez was ready.
His regular season success is a major reason he believes he’ll shake out of this rut.
“Sure, clearly, I’m confident,” he said. “I believe in myself. Obviously things aren’t going well, but I clearly believe in myself.”
He’s human, though. Even the greatest players in baseball history have had their confidence shaken at one point or another.
His veteran teammates know how fragile confidence can be. That’s why they make sure to stop by and remind Àlvarez that they believe in him.
Gurriel approaches his fellow Cuban in the dugout often.
“Since he’s always designated hitter, we have time each time we come in from the field,” Gurriel said. “We talk a lot about the approach. Everybody knows that baseball is always getting harder and people make a lot of adjustments. It’s a war between the pitcher and the batter. So that’s why I’m always trying to do the best possible to help.”
Álvarez’s teammates have reason to believe. He hit 27 home runs with 78 RBI in only 87 games in the majors this season, leading all AL rookies with 53 extra-base hits and a 1.067 OPS that broke the rookie OPS mark set by “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in 1911.
He also hit 23 homers in 56 games at Round Rock.
He was 7-for-34 (.206) with three doubles in the Division Series against the Tampa Rays.
“He’s going to be just fine,” Brantley said. “He’s a great hitter. He has a lot of talent. I’m not worried about him at all.”
Àlvarez is hitting .053 through the first five games of the best-of-seven ALCS against the AL East champion Yankees.
He has one hit and 10 strikeouts over 19 at-bats. High strikeout rates aren’t rare for sluggers like the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Àlvarez, but his ALCS strikeout rate is much higher than he had in the regular season when he had 94 strikeouts in 313 at-bats.
He let his frustration show in Game 2 when he slammed and broke his bat walking back the dugout after a strikeout.
“I get frustrated at the moment, but I get over it,” he said. “We’re in the playoffs. I’m not going through good times right now, but God willing it’s in God’s hands for my moment to come to do something big.”
That’s the mindset his teammates are trying to instill in him. Àlvarez appreciates how his teammates are going out of their way to approach him with reminders that they believe in him.
Moreover, he was grateful that manager AJ Hinch reiterated after Game 5 that he’ll have Àlvarez back in the lineup as his designated hitter in Game 6 as the Astros attempt to close out the ALCS to clinch their World Series berth.
“I think it gives me confidence,” he said. “He’s giving confidence. At this point I’m not going through good times, but at any moment I can wake up and help the team.”
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