Former Prospect Thought Dodgers Kicked Him Out of Dominican Academy When He Was Traded

Sam Garcia | Aug 30, 2024

Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Hailing from Las Tunas, Cuba, a former Dodgers prospect was naïve in his first season as a professional baseball player.

Left fielder Yordan Alvarez was signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in July 2016. As the only member of his family to play a professional sport, Alvarez was unaware of the potential routes a major league organization might send him. 

Alvarez was sent straight to the Dominican Republic to train at the Dominican Academy. On July 30, he was assigned to a Dodgers affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. Two weeks after signing with the organization and two days after being assigned to the DSL, the Dodgers traded Alvarez at the deadline to the Houston Astros in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Josh Fields. 

When Alvarez was informed of the trade, the then-19-year-old thought he was being kicked out of the academy entirely and frantically shared the news.

"I didn't know what a trade was and at that time I thought... they're getting rid of me! I called everyone. 'Hey, they are kicking me out!" Alvarez said on a recent episode of Corona's La Vida Mas Fina. 

Yordan Alvarez didn't know what a trade was until he got traded from the Dodgers to the Astros 🤣

Check out the latest episode of @CoronaUSA La Vida Mas Fina #For21+ pic.twitter.com/LjiWq5oLBa

— MLB (@MLB) August 27, 2024

The three-time American League All-Star laughed as he reminisced on his early days as a professional baseball player. Alvarez never played a game in a Dodgers uniform. 

"A lot of people don't know that part of my story. I'm always asked, 'Did you play with [the Dodgers]?' I only put on my uniform once and I didn't get to play. Just hanging out and taking pictures!" Alvarez said in the episode. 

Alvarez, 27, went on to make his major league debut with the Astros on June 9, 2019, just 18 days before his 22nd birthday. The Cuban outfielder has remained with the Astros for his entire six-season career.

Since departing from the Dodgers organization, Alvarez has established himself as one of the best hitters in baseball. Six years after being traded by the Dodgers, Alvarez won the first World Series title of his career in 2022. That same year, Alvarez was selected for his first of three AL All-Star teams. 

Alvarez has become a key asset to the Astros’ lineup. Health has been on his side this season, as he's tied with third baseman Alex Bregman for the second-most starts (125) on the team behind only shortstop Jeremy Peña (131). The 2022 Silver Slugger has made 43 starts at left field and 82 as the designated hitter.

Even though he knows what a “trade” is now, Alvarez has never been the subject of a deal since his first two weeks in professional baseball.