The Astros slugger received all 30 first-place votes, capping a comeback from an injury-riddled 2025 that nearly ended in a Triple Crown.
Yordan Alvarez has finally added an MVP trophy to a resume that already had plenty of other hardware. The Astros designated hitter was named American League Most XXXX Valuable Player on Thursday, sweeping all 30 first-place votes from BBWAA writers for a unanimous selection.
The award caps a bounce-back year for Alvarez, who dealt with injuries in 2025 before returning to form in 2026 with a season dominant enough to put him in Triple Crown contention. He did it almost entirely as a hitter rather than a fielder, appearing in just 25 games in the field while doing his damage at the plate.
Alvarez was already established as one of the sport's premier hitters, having built his reputation over the better part of a decade with Houston. He was acquired by the Astros at the 2016 trade deadline, arriving from the Dodgers organization in exchange for reliever Josh Fields after only a few weeks in that system. Since then he has helped Houston to a World Series championship and racked up individual accolades, though an MVP trophy had eluded him until now.
The unanimous vote cements Alvarez among the game's defining hitters of his era, regular-season MVP or not previously in hand.