WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — On Sunday afternoon at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, the Houston Astros got a glimpse of where they are and where they’re going—and both pictures looked pretty good.
Yordan Alvarez, 28, was in the lineup at designated hitter, working his way back to full strength after a 2025 season derailed by a hand fracture and an ankle sprain that limited him to 48 games. Kevin Alvarez, 18, was in left field, making his Grapefruit League debut after being called up from minor league camp for the first time. They share a last name, a homeland, and a left-handed swing. They had never met before this spring.
By the end of a 1-0 Houston win over the Marlins, they had spent considerable time together in the dugout—the veteran offering counsel, the teenager asking questions.
“He was a little bit nervous,” Yordan said of Kevin. “He asked me a couple of questions. I noticed it was the first time he faced Major League pitching, so then the second at-bat he was a little more relaxed and hit the ball pretty good.”
That’s an understatement. Kevin’s hardest-hit ball of the afternoon—a lineout in the fifth inning—left his bat at 102.7 mph. He’s 18 years old. Yordan, who has spent years as one of the most feared hitters in baseball, watched from the dugout and kept his praise simple.
“It’s a beautiful swing,” Yordan said. “I was joking with him and I told him, ‘When I was 18 I didn’t hit the ball that hard.'”
Kevin left Cuba with his father in December 2021 and eventually made his way to the Dominican Republic, where the Astros signed him for $2 million in January 2025—one of the largest international bonuses in franchise history. He hit .301 in his Dominican Summer League debut last year and has reportedly hit eight home runs in scrimmages and minor league games this spring. Manager Joe Espada had been watching closely from a distance and liked what he saw up close on Sunday.
“I like the professional at-bats for a kid who just turned 18,” Espada said. “He moves well in the outfield.”
Meanwhile, the other Alvarez is making his own quiet statement. Yordan said his swing feels “almost there” with ten days until Opening Day—encouraging words from a player whose health is the single biggest variable in Houston’s offensive outlook. He hit his first spring homer Saturday, a 108.3 mph rocket off the Mets’ Saul Garcia, and over his last three games has put eight balls in play, all but two at 103 mph or higher.
“He’s moving very well,” Espada said. “He feels really good in the batter’s box. He’s healthy. Just really happy where he’s at right now.”
One Alvarez is the reason the Astros believe they can contend in 2026. The other is the reason they believe they can contend beyond that. For one afternoon in West Palm Beach, they shared a dugout—and the organization got to see both at the same time.
