The Houston Astros are filled with talent from top to bottom. While they have multiple star players, one of them has an argument to be the best hitter in baseball.
Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and Kyle Tucker are all in the mix, but one Astros player claims that there's only one of them who is a top-two hitter in the league.
Altuve was talking about when he steals with Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, saying it's different this year with him leading off and Alvarez hitting behind him.
The all-time great second baseman then made a bold claim on Alvarez, which could very well be argued.
"We might be talking about the best hitter, if not the second-best in the big leagues. It's worth it to let him hit."
From strictly an eye test, Alvarez is a treat to watch.
The left-handed slugger does nothing but hit balls hard and has great at-bats to go with it.
In the 2023 season, he hit 31 home runs and slashed .293/.407/.583, posting an OPS+ of 170. It was the third year in Alvarez's five-year career where he posted an OPS+ of 170 or higher.
Advanced stats also back up Altuve's claim.
The Houston slugger ranged in the 96th percentile or higher in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel%, and hard-hit%.
There are many elite hitters in baseball and Alvarez is right up there with the best of them.
The Astros lineup is rare with three of the top hitters in the MLB.
Anyone of them can be the best on any given night, and the fact that they typically all put it together is what makes this team so scary.
More must-reads: