Yordan Alvarez
Yordan’s best comps in semi-recent history (let’s say within our lifetimes as baseball fans and collectors) are probably these four:
Jim Thome
Carlos Delgado
David Ortiz
Corey Seager
Ryan Howard
Thome debuted a week after turning 21, but his career didn’t really take off until he was 25. And so his trajectory is very promising for Yordan—if Yordan can shake the injury bug.
Big Papi’s trajectory is even more reassuring.
If Delgado were playing now, or if his career hadn’t been cut short by a bad hip, he would be held in much higher regard. Regardless, he had a spectacular career, and if Yordan were to stay healthy, he’d have some Delgado-esque seasons, and the hobby would go wild for him.
I include Seager because he and Yordan are similarly productive and similarly injury-prone.
So, I would say these four represent the real-life range of what Yordan’s career could be. (Of course, Seager story is only half-written at this point.) There are cautionary tales but also promising examples.
*Ryan Howard could also be included. But he started late, and he wasn’t nearly as talented of a hitter as the others. So, he actually doesn’t work that well as a comp.
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