# Yordan Alvarez wins 2026 American League batting title with .316 average

**Date:** 09/28/2026

Cuban slugger Yordan Alvarez Cadogan, the Houston Astros' designated hitter, won his first American League batting title on Sunday, September 27, 2026, finishing the regular season at .316, Associated Press reported. The mark sat 10 points ahead of Tampa Bay's Chandler Simpson and was the lowest overall major-league batting-championship average since Dick Groat's .325 in 1960.

"The batting title was something I always wanted," Alvarez said after securing it. Born in Las Tunas on June 27, 1997, the outfielder/DH debuted with Houston in 2019 and was American League Rookie of the Year; late-season Cuban Baseball Digest tallies also had him leading Latino hitters in average, OBP, slugging and OPS heading into the final stretch.

The crown caps a campaign in which Alvarez contended for the American League Triple Crown and helped the Astros clinch the AL West, though Houston finished 81-81 (.500) — the lowest winning percentage for a modern first-place team, per AP.

With the batting title, Alvarez joins the short list of Cuban and Cuban-heritage hitters to lead a major league in average and strengthens his case in the American League MVP conversation after a dominant offensive year.