When looking at a traditional baseball lineup of sluggers and speedsters, a 5’6” second baseman would usually not stand out from the bunch. But the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve is not a typical ballplayer, hailing all the way from Venezeula to excel at the highest level of professional baseball with tools that make him a potent force at the plate and on the basepaths.
Altuve, or “Tuve” as he is nicknamed in Houston, enters the second half of the season leading the American League with 130 hits and 41 stolen bases, and gives the Astros a legitimate franchise cornerstone to build around for the future.
Except for a .335 batting average placing him behind the Rangers’ Adrian Beltre, he would’ve joined Ichiro Suzuki as only the second player since 1957 to lead the league in hits, stolen bases and batting average at the All Star Break. He also is 2nd in the AL in doubles, ranks 1st in multi-hit games, and has converted on 41 of his 44 stolen base attempts, proving he is a multi-faceted player.
While he may not have name recognition among the fans toiling in relative obscurity for the rebuilding Astros, Altuve is definitely getting his accolades around MLB with a 2nd All-Star selection. His previous appearance was for the National League in 2012, and with his AL All Star nod in 2014, he has become the only player to play for two different leagues in the Midsummer Classic while with the same team.
Individual accomplishments are not the driving force for Altuve, even if getting recognized by his peers around the game is an honor. “It means a lot, but it’s something I haven’t talked about because we’re focused on winning games,” he said.
Altuve’s year started off quite differently with his insertion in the cleanup spot, which is the baseball equivalent of putting a 4 cylinder compact car in a muscle car race. Now he is back atop the order, a position he has thrived in as the table setter for the rest of the lineup.
Having Astros’ rookie phenom George Springer hitting behind him surely helps, but it is mutually beneficial with the havoc Altuve presents for opposing pitchers once he is on base.
Altuve’s swiping of bases has already been historic with four consecutive multi-stolen base games over a span in late June. It was the first time a major league player did it since Ray Chapman in 1917, and the Baseball Hall of Fame called for his cleats to be placed in the museum after the accomplishment.
To have this kind of distinction must still amaze Altuve, who got his start playing on the fields and streets of Maracay, Venezuela. The country has produced Luis Aparicio, Miguel Cabrera, and Omar Vizquel, among others, and that love for the game seeped into Altuve’s system from an early age.
He played baseball as much as he could as a youngster, and overcame questions about his size with raw ability and continued production at every level. That fondness for his native land where he developed his game is reflected in his attitude now that he is carrying on the tradition in the major leagues. “Baseball is the #1 sport [in Venezuela],” he said. “I feel really proud to be one of those players.
The superb season Altuve is putting up is drawing comparisons to another Astros 2nd baseman and franchise icon, Craig Biggio, who in 1998 finished the season with 210 hits, 51 doubles, and 50 stolen bases. Altuve knows there will always be a connection to the probable Hall of Famer as long as he plays 2nd base in Houston and he is appreciative Biggio is around the organization to help him.
“Every time I have the opportunity I go to Craig and ask him something, about defense and hitting and how it is to play very day. He does the best he can to tell me what I have to do and you know I really appreciate it,” Altuve said. “It’s really nice to have a guy like him close to you and access him as many times as you want.”
Another sign of Altuve’s progression this season is his plate discipline. While he’ll never be confused with Joey Votto or other extremely patient hitters, through 388 at-bats, Altuve has 23 walks and 29 strikeouts. This is a great improvement for a player who had nearly twice as many strikeouts as walks over his MLB career. It shows that he is making adjustments as he accrues time in the big leagues, which bodes well for a still relatively young 24-year-old player.
As Astros manager Bo Porter recently told MLB.com about his star hitter’s more analytical approach at the plate, “His mental strike zone has gotten better, which is helping his strike-zone discipline.” If Altuve can continue to exhibit such refinement in his game, he can become an even deadlier hitter as he enters the prime of his career.
The Astros are still a team building for the future, but there is no question they have a key cog in their All Star 2nd baseman Jose Altuve. He may be the smallest player in Major League Baseball, but the heart and hustle he has shown from his earliest days in Venezuela has helped launch him into one of the most exciting players in the game today.
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