Hitting Coach Breaks Down Why The Dodgers Might Have Traded Yordan Alvarez

Yordan Alvarez spent only a month with the Dodgers before he was traded but even a former big leaguer didn't see all too much in the 19-year-old at the time.

Although we're not the biggest fans of the Houston Astros we have to give credit where credit is due and I believe Jordan Alvarez is quite deserving of that respect. 

He's been absolutely dominant this past season between the regular season and the month of October plus in his previous years as well. But, it's still hard to believe that he was once a Dodger and we could have held onto him. So why didn't we?

Alvarez spent a month with the team's organization out in the Dominican Republic until a press release announced that the "Cuban minor league infielder/outfielder” was traded to the Astros for right-handed reliever Josh Fields.

So what made the Dodgers want Fields over the 19-year-old who barely got a chance? 

In the Dodgers' defense, 6 years ago, Alvarez wasn't exactly in the All-Star form he's in now. The Astros' hitting coach, Alex Cintron, told LA Times columnist Jorge Castillo that even he wasn't all that impressed before the left-handed batter's 2019 AL Rookie of the Year campaign.

"I saw him a little in spring training in 2019, but I didn’t think that he was that good,” Cintrón said. “Then he [thrived] in triple-A. He was at another level. His mentality. His maturity. How he controls the plate. What he does, his approach, everything. Impressive.”

 That Triple-A season Cintron is referring to was in 2019 when Alvarez was slashing .343/ .443/ .742 with a 1.185 OPS.

Now that the Dodgers have let him slip away, Alvarez is now playing in his third World Series of four seasons as a pro. It's hard not to be happy for the guy but can you imagine him in a lineup with the 2022 squad? Maybe the Dodgers would have faced off against Alvarez's current team...but also maybe not. 

We'll never know for sure but we can only imagine what could have been.