Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez should be the 2026 AL MVP. He has compiled a dominant offensive season and reached his first 40-home run campaign.

He recorded his 41st home run and drove in three runs in a 7-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 22. That homer tied Alvarez with AL MVP competitor Junior Caminero for the most home runs in the AL. 

While Caminero is also a front-runner in the race, Alvarez's overall offensive metrics give him the edge in the AL as he leads in several key categories. 

Alvarez leads Caminero in batting average (.314 to Caminero's .275) and wRC+ (180 compared to 143). Alvarez also owns a 6.5 WAR and 1.032 OPS, while Caminero checks in with 5.1 WAR and a .886 OPS. Alvarez also leads the AL with a .601 SLG, 329 total bases and 106 walks. 

Yordan Álvarez has joined some elite company. He is now just the 5th player in MLB with 40+ HR, 100+ RBI and 30+ intentional walks in a single season before turning 30.

The last to do it? Albert Pujols.@baseball_ref pic.twitter.com/hh1qE4XvzC

Alvarez is also chasing his first Triple Crown. He is currently leading the AL in batting average, tied for first in home runs and second in RBI (102), trailing Pete Alonso by six. 

He has five games remaining to climb the RBI ranks. Winning the Triple Crown would do wonders for MVP candidacy, while also adding another impressive bullet point to his already strong resume. He is a four-time All-Star, ALCS MVP (2021), Silver Slugger winner, World Series champion and Rookie of the Year (2019). 

Alvarez's stellar campaign has put him among the game's elite, helping the Astros in their postseason push and landing him squarely in the MVP discussion. He deserves to add that trophy to his mantle.