Yordan Alvarez is the front-runner for the AL MVP Award. After Saturday's grand slam he now leads the AL in home runs (22) and RBIs (48). He is also batting .316, putting him in contention for a Triple Crown. No Astros player has ever won the Triple Crown, but that could change this year.
The Grand Slam That Changed Everything
Alvarez hit the Astros' first grand slam of the season Saturday, his fifth career slam, to cap a five-run second inning in a 13-2 blowout of the Athletics. The homer was his 192nd career, moving him into sixth place on the Astros' all-time home run list and surpassing Alex Bregman. He is now batting .316 with a .430 on-base percentage and .654 slugging percentage, per MLB.
The Triple Crown Chase
Alvarez leads the AL in home runs with 22, sitting just one behind Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies who leads all of baseball with 23. He also leads the AL in RBIs with 48 and is batting .316, putting him in contention for the batting title. The closest an Astros player came to a Triple Crown was Jeff Bagwell in 1994. Alvarez himself finished in the top five in all three Triple Crown categories in 2022, but this is uncharted territory for the franchise. If he keeps this up, he could make history.
The MVP Race
Alvarez was already the front-runner in MLB.com's second MVP poll of the season. Then Aaron Judge landed on the IL with a stress fracture, removing his biggest competition from the race. Bobby Witt Jr. and Ben Rice are the next closest but neither is anywhere near Alvarez's numbers. Nobody is close to his numbers right now and with Judge on the IL the race is his to win.
Alvarez has played in all but one game this season after missing over 100 games in 2025. Everything is lining up for a massive second half. The Astros are starting to get healthy with Hader back, Altuve back, and Brown returning soon. When Alvarez is this locked in the Astros are a dangerous team.
A Triple Crown would be historic for the franchise and for Alvarez personally. The second half of the season is going to be very interesting to watch. If Alvarez keeps doing what he has been doing, the Astros are not just playing for a playoff spot. They are playing for history.
