5 years agoHouston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez earned American League Rookie of the Year honors with half a season's worth of playing time because all he did was rake once called up. Alvarez slashed .313/.412/.655 with 27 home runs and 78 runs batted in over 87 games in his first taste of the majors. He ranked in 95th percentile or higher in hard hit rate, barrel rate, xwOBACON, and xSLG among others. Batting in the middle of the lineup for the reigning AL champs, Alvarez has all the ingredients that make up a Silver Slugger and fantasy stud. The question is whether he is due for a sophomore slump of any kind and may wind up being overdrafted compared to his peers. Alvarez was destroying minor league pitching before his MLB debut and sustained a high average throughout his early tenure in Houston. Considering the strength of the lineup around him, there shouldn't be much trepidation about him declining in year two. The fact that he brings no speed to the table and is eligible only at DH/UTIL in many leagues does hurt his value compared to players like Javier Baez, Ketel Marte, or Whit Merrifield, who are being selected after him. At the tender age of 22, Alvarez should bring a high floor on offense but will force fantasy owners to draft strategically in order to compensate for those minor shortcomings. Expect him to be gone within the first four rounds.--Pierre Camus