The alternate headline for this one: Why was Yordan Álvarez stuck in the minors?

Seven home runs. A 1.241 OPS, 16 RBIs, 12 runs and eight walks. Throw in a .333 batting average and .429 on-base percentage. All in just 12 games.

SMITH: Yordan Alvarez has everyone's attention

The last time I remember a rookie being this hot, I was trying to collect every Kevin Maas baseball card in existence during the amazing summer of 1990. The New York Yankees' first baseman blasted 21 longballs in just 79 games and finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, despite debuting June 29 of that year.

I won’t ruin it and tell you how Maas’ short-lived career ended up.

Right now, during the Astros’ 2019 season, there is simply pre-Álvarez and post-Álvarez.

That weird time when the normally smart Astros kept insisting that their 21-year-old slugger wasn’t quite ready for the daily intensity of MLB life.

Then crack, boom, blast! Álvarez hitting shot after shot, connecting with massive uppercuts inside Minute Maid Park and Yankee Stadium.

He commands the box. He looks like he’s been doing this for years.

Álvarez’s home-run log almost follows his game log. One in his sudden June 9 debut. Another in game two. Four in his initial five contests. Then three more homers during a four-game road trip to the biggest regular-season stage in professional baseball.

In case you were on vacation last week: The Astros took a bit of a hit. Seven consecutive losses, allowing the surprising Rangers to pull within 6½ games in the AL West. But Álvarez kept destroying baseballs, and is now already tied in home runs with Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Justin Turner, Evan Longoria and Brian McCann.

There will be adjustments. Game tape will stack up and opposing dugouts will search for holes.

But Álvarez’s early OBP is almost as encouraging as his seven HRs, and he embraced big moments at the plate inside the home of the bombing Yanks.

George Springer, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman all had instantly memorable debuts for the Astros. Álvarez is the only player in MLB history with seven homers and 16 RBIs through 12 games. And when he connects — swift, precise, so powerful — the end result is instantly obvious.

“He did it again!” shouted a fan inside a neighborhood bar Saturday night as the Astros briefly took a seventh-inning lead against New York on national TV.

Then Álvarez did it again Sunday, going 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run. And, of course, another home run.

I’ll trade you 10 Maas rookies for one Álvarez …