Yordan Alvarez Chases 2026 Triple Crown and AL MVP Honors

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez leads the American League with a .325 batting average but trails in home runs and RBIs entering the final two weeks of the 2026 season.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez enters the final two weeks of the 2026 season trailing in two of the three Triple Crown categories after a mid-August slump. As of September 14, Alvarez leads the American League with a .325 batting average, holding a five-point advantage over Chandler Simpson. However, he now trails Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero in home runs (40 to 38) and Baltimore’s Pete Alonso in RBIs (100 to 96).

Alvarez reached a statistical peak on August 2, when a 4-for-5 performance with three doubles raised his average to .330. At that time, he led the league in all three categories, including a four-homer lead over Ben Rice and an 11-RBI margin. Over the subsequent 35 games, his production slowed to a .242/.380/.383 slash line with three home runs and 12 RBIs. Despite the dip, his 1.016 OPS remains the highest in the American League, with Willson Contreras ranking second at approximately .900.

In the AL MVP race, Alvarez ranks third in combo WAR at 5.8, trailing Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. (6.4) and New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (6.2). Schlittler leads the league in bWAR and holds a 14-6 record with a 1.95 ERA and 228 strikeouts. Alvarez has created 138 runs this season, which is 35 more than any other player in the American League. If he secures the Triple Crown, he would be the first to do so since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.