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The Cuban baseball player Yordan Álvarez, from the Houston Astros, was named this Monday Player of the Month for March/April in the American League by Major League Baseball, capping off a historic season start that has placed him among the top hitters in professional baseball.
In 32 games played during that period, Álvarez recorded an offensive line of .356 batting average, with 42 hits in 118 at-bats, 12 home runs, 27 runs batted in, 25 runs scored, nine doubles, 21 walks, and an OPS of 1.199, according to the statistics published by Pelota Cubana USA.
The baseball player born in Las Tunas led Major League Baseball in OPS, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits, and total bases (87) during that period, and tied for first place in home runs.
His numbers broke multiple historical records for Cuban players in MLB.
His 42 hits in March/April are a record for a Cuban during that part of the season and the second-best mark in Astros history, only behind Derek Bell, who hit 45 in 1998.
His 12 home runs during that stretch also set a record for Cubans, surpassing the 10 home runs hit by José Abreu in 2014, José Canseco in 1999, and Tony Pérez in 1970.
Furthermore, Álvarez drove in 27 runs in March/April, matching his own personal record that he had already set in the 2023 season.
Among the most notable streaks during the period was one of 13 consecutive games hitting, from April 14 to 28, a personal record for the player and tied for the longest in the American League that season.
He also recorded 34 consecutive at-bats without a strikeout between April 19 and April 28, hitting .382 with two doubles, two home runs, and six runs batted in during that stretch.
This is the third American League Player of the Month award in Álvarez's career, following the ones won in June 2022 and September 2023.
The return of the Cuban in 2026 has been explosive after a 2025 season marked by injuries, in which he was only able to play 48 games due to a fracture in the fourth metacarpal of his right hand and a severe sprain of his left ankle that ended his regular season.
In April, Álvarez reached 700 games in his MLB career with a historic line of .298/.391/.580 and 177 home runs, establishing himself as one of the most dominant hitters of the modern era.
At a pace of 0.37 home runs per game in 2026, projections indicate that Álvarez could reach 54 home runs this season, surpassing the Astros' historic record of 47 home runs set by Jeff Bagwell in 2000.
The award comes weeks after Álvarez and his compatriot Andy Pagés won weekly awards in their respective leagues simultaneously, a milestone for Cuban baseball in the Major Leagues.
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