Athletic Yordan Alvarez Tries On Outfielder’s Glove

First baseman Yordan Alvarez made as many strides as any Astros prospect in 2017. He started the year in extended spring training and finished at high Class A Buies Creek.

But the 20-year-old Cuban’s year didn’t end in early September.

The Astros sent the 6-foot-5, 225-pound lefthanded batter to the Arizona Fall League with the objective of having him gain experience playing first base.

Because of his frame, many around the industry project Alvarez to end up at first, but he has surprised the Astros with how he has played the outfield. First base is the position at which they want him to get more exposure in the AFL.

“He’s a big guy, so he kind of gets the label of being a first baseman first and then an outfielder. But he’s actually really fleet of foot and runs well in the outfield,” farm director Pete Putila said. “He’s pretty natural out there. (We just want him to) really just work around the (first base) bag.”

In the AFL, Alvarez is playing alongside outfielder Kyle Tucker and other Astros prospects with Mesa, which is managed by Astros minor league coach Omar Lopez. The Astros also want Alvarez to work on his posture at the plate in an effort to have him produce fewer ground balls and more line drives.

Alvarez began the 2017 season as a sleeper. Houston acquired him just before the 2016 trade deadline from the Dodgers in exchange for reliever Josh Fields. The Dodgers had signed Alvarez for $2 million on June 15, 2016, at the end of the 2015 international signing period.

By the middle of 2017, Alvarez was much more widely known. He played in the Futures Game in July and batted .360/.468/.658 in 32 games at low Class A Quad Cities before his promotion to the Carolina League.

Alvarez, who models his swing off Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, will begin next season in high Class A or Double-A Corpus Christi.

“He moves really well, and I think that’s where his power comes from,” Putila said. “He’s just a really athletic guy.”