Robbie Ray vs Yordan Alvarez Stats Comparision: Who is the Better MLB Player?

The ALDS between the Houston Astros and the Seattle Mariners is well underway, with Yordan Alvarez playing the hero in Game 1. The young Astros slugger hit a three-run home run off Robbie Ray to secure a home victory for Houston.

Ray entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, replacing Paul Sewald. On only his second pitch of the night, Ray left a 92 mph sinker in the middle of the strike zone, which Alvarez sent over the right field fence.

"Yordan Alvarez just hit a baseball harder than anything I've seen here since Albert Pujols. FINAL: Astros 8, Mariners 7." - Jeff Passan

As Alvarez rounded the bases last night, Mariners fans may have been questioning whether Robbie Ray was the correct choice to enter the game from the bullpen. Here is a deeper look into each player.

Yordan Alvarez, the Astros future is now

The 25-year-old Cuban-born slugger originally signed as an international free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 before being traded to the Houston Astros. The Dodgers traded Alvarez to the Astros in exchange for relief pitcher Josh Fields.

Upon making his MLB debut, Yordan's superstar potential was on full display. He became only the fourth player in MLB history to hit home runs in four of his first five games. He was named the unanimous 2019 AL Rookie of the Year after finishing with .313 average, 27 home runs, and 75 RBIs in 87 games with the Astros.

"Yordan Alvarez is the greatest hitter in Major League baseball history." - Space City Sports

Since his debut, Yordan Alvarez has not only been one of the best players in Houston, but one of the best players in the entire MLB. Through four MLB seasons, Alvarez has hit 98 home runs with 283 RBIs and a .296 batting average.

Robbie Ray's long road to success

In one of the more polarizing pitching careers of the last decade, Robbie Ray's playing career has been a roller coaster of success and failure. After originally being drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 12th round of the 2010 MLB Draft, Ray has played for the Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Seattle Mariners.

After his first All-Star appearance in 2017 with an ERA of 2.89, Ray saw that number bloat to 3.93 (2018), 4.34 (2019), and 6.62 (2020), before revitalzing his career in Toronto in 2021. Ray's 2021 season was the best year of his career. He finished with a 2.84 ERA with 248 strikeouts over 193.1 innings pitched, en route to his first AL Cy Young Award.

Ray has had mixed results in his first season in Seattle. He finished the regular season with a 12-12 record with a 3.71 ERA and 212 strikeouts. While his last two seasons have been successful and have redefined his career, the walk-off home run by Yordan Alvarez may be one of the moments that will stick to his resume when he retires.

Yordan Alvarez vs. Robbie Ray head-to-head history

The decision to have Robbie Ray enter the game for the Mariners has been widely criticized due to Ray's lack of 2022 success against the Astros and Alvarez specifically. In five plate regular season appearances, Yordan Alvarez drew two walks and recorded one hit, finishing the season matchup against Ray with a .333 average and one RBI.

"Robbie Ray in 3 starts against the #Astros in the regular season: 10.2 IP, 10.97 ERA, 13 ER, 23 H, 6 HR. Why is he in the game in the bottom of the ninth for the #Mariners" - Karl Rasmussen

While one cannot definitively say that one player is better than the other, the only take away is the fact that having Ray enter the game was a mistake by the Mariners manager Scott Servais.