Yordan Alvarez's Explosive Start Completely Changes AL Playoff Picture

It's Yordan Alvarez's world, and we're all living in it.

Ever since the Houston Astros called up their third-ranked prospect on June 9, the team has won four of the six games they've played, and he's shown out in most of those games. Alvarez has been absolutely mashing to signal his entry to big leagues, as he's currently hitting .381 with 4 homers, 8 runs batted in, and has posted a video game-like 1.471 OPS. He's also the only Astros player to ever hit a home run in each of his first two career games.

The Astros have scored an average of 6.5 runs per game since Alvarez made his debut, and that's without the likes of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer in the lineup. Alvarez is ensuring that the Astros don't have any regrets about calling him up, and he's making up for the lost production of Houston's ailing stars.

For a while, it's looked as though the Minnesota Twins were the best team in baseball, posting a league-best 417 runs in 70 games, and the seventh-best ERA at 3.95. And while they still may be, the conversation could shift when the Astros finally get healthy. Houston will arguably have one of the most stacked teams from top to bottom in all of baseball, and could still be active on the trade market as well.

The Astros have been looking to recapture the magic they had when they won the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and with Alvarez around, they might have found it. Add him to the mix with Alex Bregman, Springer, Altuve, and Correa, and it's a scary sight for any Twins, Yankees, Rays, or Red Sox fan.

The 'Stros already boasted plenty of high-profile talent on their roster, and the fact that they're able to swoop into their farm system and snag a complete slugger like Alvarez is just downright nasty! If he can continue at even a portion of his torrid pace, the Astros may just be the team to beat in the American League.