Houston Astros: What to expect from a Yordan Alvarez call-up

Houston Astros prospect Yordan Alvarez has been called up for duty, a day that many fans have been waiting on. What should you expect in his debut?

Houston Astros fans — it’s June and the day of reckoning is finally here. Many of us thought that we’d be celebrating the promotion of two other high-profile prospects but the news of this particular one is just as refreshing.

Hey, it’s 2019 and we were expecting that Kyle Tucker would start turning it around to be recalled into the lineup and Forrest Whitley would rebound from injuries plus a 50-game suspension that he served last season for a violation of the MLB’s PED policy.

The storyline of our prospects hasn’t gone exactly as the script would indicate but that’s what happens in baseball — guys get their shot, make the most it and surprise along the way. You’d have to look no further than undrafted rookie Jack Mayfield, who is having the time of his life in the majors.

He’s playing out there with a chip on his shoulder, trying to prove all of the naysayers wrong and giving it everything he has in gratitude to the Houston Astros organization for taking a flyer on him.

It’s almost as if it’s poetic justice, that the little man can make it to the bigs despite the odds. Stories like this make me damn proud and extremely confident that the American dream still does exist. Jack is luckily having an extended stay because of lingering injuries with Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa so his versatility has been invaluable within his stay with the Houston Astros.

But let’s talk about today’s call-up in Yordan Alvarez. The Houston Astros will be bringing in a guy that led the minors in homers (23) and was just too damn good to be there. He is the more polished and pedigreed prospect but there’s nothing wrong with having the cream of the crop being called up to the roster.

Lance McCullers Jr. was moved to the 60-Day injured list to make room for Alvarez.

Alvarez is primarily an outfielder but does have the ability to play first base if needed, which could be possible depending on how AJ Hinch wants to set his lineup.

He will make his debut in today’s 1:10 p.m. CDT series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. He’s reportedly going to bat fifth and will be the team’s designated hitter.

So what can we expect out of an Alvarez call-up?

Obviously, the Houston Astros have a need for another hot bat with his slotting at DH today but he’s going to be used in the outfield in the future and his defense is pretty darn good. His 71 ribbies and 1.184 OPS are good enough for first and second in Triple-A so the Houston Astros know they’ve got a guy that’s going to obsessed with trying to get on base.

His left-handed bat — another plus-advantage for the Houston Astros — will be pitted up against Dylan Bundy, who currently possesses a 4.64 ERA, 64 strikeouts and 1.27 WHIP through 64.0

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innings pitched in 12 starts.

With those gaudy numbers, there’s a good chance that Alvarez will be able to homer on his first at-bat. Bundy isn’t known for having much velocity but I do expect for him to use his two his biggest weapons — his slider and change-up — to try to deceive Alvarez.

But quite honestly — if Bundy throws his four-seam fastball, it’s over and we’ll all be celebrating his first dinger out to home run alley at Minute Maid Park.

I’m excited, you should be excited and all of Houston Astros‘ nation should be feeling the same way as well!

I project that Alvarez will have the ability to get his first MLB hit off Bundy in his first at-bat. This may not be a groundbreaking prediction but I strongly believe that’s going to happen.

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Alvarez, 21, has batted .343/.443/.742 through 213 at-bats through 56 games with the Round Rock Express this season.

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