ESPN.com · Oct 20, 2022
'This guy, he's different': What it's like to watch Yordan Alvarez up close
At the beginning of the Houston Astros' 2019 spring training, Michael Brantley couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Brantley is regarded as one of the purest professional hitters of his generation, someone whose bat control and swing decisions had convinced the team to lavish $16 million a year on him in free agency. And a 22-year-old outfielder named Yordan Álvarez, who had split the previous season between AA and AAA, was putting on a show in batting practice. After a round of swings, Brantley pulled Álvarez aside.
"I asked him his name, I asked him what position he played and I asked him why they signed me," Brantley said. "I didn't understand."