"I thought he was joking" - Astros star Yordan Alvarez admits being caught off guard by manager Joe Espada's tactics

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez expressed his surprise recently after manager Joe Espada broke the news to him that he will bat second in the order, the highest ever in his career. The Cuban designated hitter hit third in each of his 98 appearances last season but was moved to second in Tuesday's spring training game against the Washington Nationals.

Despite Espada's reputation of being straightforward with news such as this, Alvarez said he was surprised when he first heard it.

Joe Espada took over the team from Dusty Baker in November and soon established a reputation for saying what is on his mind. In typical fashion, the manager revealed to Alvarez ahead of Tuesday's game that he will be batting second. It gives the Astros an alternation between right- and left-handed batters through the top four.

Nonetheless, the Cuban was surprised with the news, almost just as much as the way it was delivered.

“I thought he was joking,” Alvarez said through an interpreter in a story in The Athletic by longtime Astros beat writer Chandler Rome. “The closer we got to spring training, he kept mentioning it and I asked him, ‘Are you being serious?’ and he said, ‘Yes, I’m being serious.’”

Joe Espada also interrupted his schedule at Winter Meetings to have a personal word with outfielder Jake Meyers, reassuring him of his place with the team after general manager Dana Brown had already let reporters know:

“I said, ‘Listen, what you (saw), I just want you to know, you’re going to come to camp and you’re going to get an opportunity to play. I don’t want you looking over your shoulder. We know the type of player you are and you can be, come to camp to be that type of person.’”

Could Joe Espada's changes to the lineup lead to Yordan Alvarez's best year ever?

Since the Houston Astros manager revealed his plans to move Yordan Alvarez up to second in the batting order, there has been much anticipation about how it will turn out.

Some believe that it could lead to his best season in the MLB, given that he will get an extra 20 to 40 plate appearances over the season. It will also ensure that the top four batters in the lineup will alternate between righties and lefties. Will it turn out to be the masterstroke many have already claimed it to be?