HOUSTON.- The excellent season of Cuban Yordan Álvarez, who yesterday was awarded four times in the MLB awards, could not end in any other way than with the Most Valuable Player award of the American League, a recognition that places him among the great figures of the Major Leagues and crowns an extraordinary campaign with the Houston Astros.
The designated hitter won the vote after an offensive performance that kept him among the main references on the circuit throughout the season. His numbers speak for themselves: a .316 average, 42 home runs, 106 runs batted in and an OPS of 1.033, figures that allowed him to lead Houston’s offense to take them to the playoffs.
Álvarez played in 158 games, the most of his career, and set new personal bests in home runs and RBIs. He also had 179 hits, scored 105 runs and walked 109, an example of the difficulty rival pitchers had in facing him.
His performance was notable in the main offensive departments. He led the Major Leagues in batting average, on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.601) and OPS. Additionally, he led the American League in total bases, with 341, and extra-base hits, with 77.
The campaign had an additional ingredient: Álvarez was close to winning the Triple Crown, one of the most difficult feats in baseball. He kept the batting title, but finished tied for second in home runs, with 42, and ranked second in runs batted in, with 106. The last player to win the Triple Crown in the Major Leagues was Miguel Cabrera, in 2012.
Fourth Cuban to win the MVP
With this recognition, Álvarez becomes the fourth player born in Cuba to win the Most Valuable Player award in the history of the Major Leagues.
The first was Zoilo Versalles, who received the American League award in 1965 with the Minnesota Twins. More than two decades later, José Canseco won the recognition in 1988 with the Oakland Athletics.
READ ALSO: Yordan Álvarez sweeps four MLB distinctions
The third Cuban to achieve it was José Abreu, who won the American League MVP in 2020 with the Chicago White Sox. Now, Álvarez joins that historic list and becomes the first representative of the island to obtain the award since Abreu.
The achievement also has a special meaning due to the career of the Las Tunas slugger, who had already finished third in the 2022 voting, when the Astros won the World Series.
Third member of the Astros
Álvarez also becomes the third Houston player to win the Most Valuable Player award, following Jeff Bagwell and José Altuve.
Bagwell was the first to achieve it, in 1994, when he received recognition from the National League after a season in which he batted .368, hit 39 home runs and drove in 116 runs. In 2017, Altuve won the American League MVP, after finishing with a .346 average, 24 home runs and 81 RBIs.
Álvarez’s distinction represents another important chapter in the history of the franchise, which once again has one of its hitters among the most recognized in baseball.
The Cuban arrived in 2026 after a previous campaign marked by injuries, which limited his participation to just 48 games. His return not only confirmed his ability to remain among the most feared hitters in the Majors, but also led him to have one of the best offensive seasons of his career.
To the recognitions such as Comeback Player of the Year, winner of the Hank Aaron Award, batting champion and best designated hitter in the American League, Álvarez now adds the most important individual award of the season. A reward for his consistency, power and ability to make a difference at the plate.
Pete Crow-Armstrong unanimous in the National
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong unanimously won the National League Most Valuable Player award.
Crow-Armstrong’s election marks the fourth consecutive season in which the National League winner has been chosen unanimously. Crow-Armstrong succeeds Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers in 2025 and 2024, and Ronald Acuña Jr. with the Braves in 2023. Before 2023, there had never been back-to-back unanimous winners in the National League. In the American League, the only consecutive unanimous winners were Ohtani with the Angels in 2023 and Aaron Judge with the Yankees in 2024.
This is only the third time that MVP award winners in both leagues have been chosen unanimously in the same year. The first time was in 2023 with Ohtani and Acuña, and the second in 2024 with Judge and Ohtani.
