Let’s not sugarcoat anything—we all saw that coming, right? Not surprisingly, someone had to deal with the fallout after the Houston Astros’ 0-1 loss to the Rangers and their poor play, which left them in third place in the American League West. And as expected, the Astros’ $115 million star is the one facing the wrath of an MLB insider for letting his team down when it mattered the most. Any guesses of the name?

We are referring to Yordan Alvarez, who many believed would be the driving force behind the Astros’ pursuit of AL West supremacy. His recovery from the injury and performance became the symbol of hope and resilience for the team having aspirations to be the best. However, Chandler Rome of the Athletics didn’t stop himself from taking a dig at the star.

During a recent podcast in the Crush City Territory, Chandler Rome, in a discussion with Tyler Stafford, put forward his LVP choice. While Rome considered that for Christian Walker, it was a new environment, as he didn’t have any spring training, the same cannot be said for Yordan Alvarez. “There’s no real excuse for Yordan Alvarez. I mean, he is; he’s got to be the guy that carries this lineup and it’s just, it has not manifested that way. You can blame the top of the hand, the trained muscle that still has him on the IL but, you know, if he was that hurt, then he should not have been playing for much longer before they put him on the IL a couple of weeks ago,” Rome said. 

For those unaware, more than a week ago, Alvarez was finally sidelined from the lineup before Saturday’s game against the White Sox and he went back to Houston on Monday to undergo tests. But he was dealing with the inflammation before Saturday. Manager Joe Espada, clarifying the injury, said, “It’s just been sore for a couple of days and created some inflammation, kind of on the side of his right hand. We’re going to give him a day.” So, why did he play with that pain? That was Chandler Rome’s prominent voice to raise this question.

Stressing upon the question, Rome further stated, “He’s slugging at .340 and he’s hitting .210. He’s got, I mean, he’s hit three homers all year; like, that just can’t happen for a guy that is making the money. He is making it because his extension is getting towards the backend where the money increases and he is in the middle of the order.” Not to forget that the Astros even traded away Kyle Tucker this offseason and even Alex Bregman while going for Yordan Alvarez.

While it’s just 41 games this season, Rome didn’t bother to call Alvarez the biggest “disappointment” this season. Do you think he can create a significant impact for the Houston Astros?

What Impact Can the $115 Million Star Bring for the Astros?

Yordan Alvarez’s impact is much more than the statistics on the scoreboard. His presence is enough for the Houston Astros to acquire a sense of hope, bringing optimism among the fans, overcoming challenges, and working towards the quest for dominance. However, Tyler Stafford hopes that it’s just the pain in his hand that’s causing him to struggle. According to him, “His numbers don’t look that different; like, his strikeout percentage is up a hair, but, you know, not anything crazy, and his average exit velocity is higher than it’s been the last two years.” The problem is with his ability to hit hard, as he hasn’t come close to the maximum exit velocity that he used to achieve earlier.

Well, honestly, Stafford’s got a point! Yordan Alvarez has struggled against the fastballs, which is a little bit concerning. The reason might be his batting stance that has changed a bit. He launched the ball at an average angle that was slightly higher than usual, which might have made it harder to hit the ball precisely.

However, as the season progresses, we will get to know more about him and how he can help the team to maintain a stronghold in the AL West. The number of times he stepped up and faced the challenges—rather than just his missteps—is what will define him as a person with tenacity, fortitude, and the desire to disprove those who doubted his abilities.

Do you think Yordan Alvarez can make a massive comeback?