From 2011-2013, the Houston Astros were hands down the worst team in Major League Baseball. In each of those years the Astros lost at least 106 games as they were in the midst of an ownership change, while they also shifted from playing in the National League to the American League. But even as bad as things were for the Astros, they had one bright spot in second baseman Jose Altuve.
The Astros signed Altuve in 2007 at the age of 16 out of his native Venezuela. Altuve would spend the next four years progressing in the Astros minor-league system which paved the way for his debut with the big club in 2011.
In 57 games with the Astros in 2011, Altuve batted .276. And the following season would see Altuve bat .290 while earning his first bid to the All-Star Game as he led Houston in hits with 167. The hits just kept coming for Altuve and by 2014, he set a single-season record for the Astros with 225 hits. Each of the last three years has seen Altuve produced at least 200 hits and coincidentally he has led the American League in that category for each of those seasons.
This has been a typical season for Altuve who after one month into the campaign was batting .326 with a .402 on-base percentage. On the season Altuve is batting .365 which leads the American League and the same can be said about his 138 hits. Altuve is on pace to win the A.L.’s batting title for the third time in the last four years, while this would also be the fourth consecutive season in which he led the way in hits. This month Altuve is batting a phenomenal .507 as he has gotten at least one hit in all but one game for the Astros in July.
A few years ago Altuve was the lone bright spot for a fledgling franchise, but now he is a key cog. The Astros record of 66-33 has folks thinking about them making the World Series for just the second time in franchise history as they are running away with the American League West. The next closest team to the Astros in the A.L. West are the Seattle Mariners who are 17 games behind them. And at the pace that the Astros are going, they should put a bow around their first A.L. West Title in early September.
Altuve is a very big part of what a championship teams need as he is a a contact hitter at the top of the Astros lineup who consistently gets on base which allows him to generate offense. And when Altuve gets on base, his speed is an asset as well. Altuve has led the American League in stolen bases twice in his career which included swiping 56 bags in 2014. Altuve’s ability on the bases is an important element for the Astros as this creates opportunities for the team’s power hitters behind him such as catcher Brian McCann and utility man Evan Gattis to get better pitches to swing at.
Altuve is the total package as he also has one Gold Glove Award to his credit, but this season he is a legit candidate to be the American League’s MVP. Altuve finished third in the voting last year, but once Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout suffered a thumb injury which put him out of action for nearly six weeks, it has opened things up for players such as Altuve this year. Altuve is making the most of this and he is garnering serious consideration in spite of the season that New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is having as he is hitting baseballs to kingdom come.
Altuve is adding to the Astros reputation of having quality second basemen. Before Joe Morgan helped the Cincinnati Reds win a pair of World Series Championships in the 1970’s, he began his Hall of Fame career with the Astros where he earned two All-Star Game appearances. For 20 years Craig Biggio was a constant at second base for the Astros. Biggio was vital to the success of the Astros in the 1990’s and 2000’s which included helping the organization make the World Series in 2005. Like Morgan, Biggio is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame and his 3,060 hits are the most in franchise history. Now Altuve is adding his name to this select group, but he has a chance to help the Astros do something that neither Morgan or Biggio could not do which is to make Houston World Series Champions.
Once upon a time Major League Baseball scouts thought that Altuve was too short to play this game as he only stands in at 5’6″. However Altuve is getting the last laugh as he carries a big bat which has helped him get his fair share or respect around the league. And as Altuve has collected some hardware for his mantle, an MVP Award might be in the very near future for him as well.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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