Jose Altuve was told that he was too small to play in the big leagues.
Yet, despite his short stature and lack of belief in his potential by scouts, Altuve has carved out a legendary career and one that has prompted the question, “Is Jose Altuve the greatest Astro ever?”
It is hard to argue against the statement that he’s the greatest Astro ever.
Sure, arguments can be made for legendary players like Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Nolan Ryan, Billy Wagner, Roy Oswalt, etc. But the resume that Altuve has put together in his 12 seasons in Space City has been nothing short of memorable.
Remember when the Astros almost didn’t sign him?
Altuve was home in his native Venezuela when the Astros hosted a prospect camp. Houston was the first team to open an academy in Venezuela, but it was closed in 2009, largely believed to be the result of political issues in that country.
When Altuve arrived at the tryout, he did the typical drills: 60-yard dash, ground balls, batting practice, and more. But at the end of the tryout, he was told he didn’t make the cut because Houston was only advancing 20 players from the 50-60 that tried out. Being 5’5″ certainly put Altuve behind the 8-ball.
“It was tough,” Altuve said in an interview. “Seriously, I was 5’5″ and 140 pounds, so everybody used to say the same thing to me: ‘Hey, Jose. You can play. You can hit. But you’re not going to make it because you’re just too small. Sorry.’”
However, that didn’t stop Altuve from showing up the very next day and trying out again.
Altuve completed the second tryout and was given the rest of Houston’s rookie money, around $15,000, and was assigned to rookie ball. But it didn’t take long for Altuve to climb through the ranks.
In just two seasons, the 21-year-old from Maracay, Venezuela, who is as popular in his hometown as the Pope, made his Major League debut for the Houston Astros. Altuve looked back on his early days with the team in a 2017 interview with USA Today.
“I got to the big leagues, you know, I don’t know how,” Altuve said. “They just called me up, and in 2011, we lost 100 games, 2012 and 2013, too. But I cannot lie – I believe in the process. I believe in what Jeff Luhnow and Jim Crane used to tell me, like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna win one day. We’re gonna become a really good team.’”.
It wasn’t long after Altuve joined the Astros, the organization drafted George Springer 11th overall in 2011 and then Carlos Correa first overall the very next year. Before long, Luhnow and Crane’s dreams started to manifest, with a Sports Illustrated cover saying the Astros would win the 2017 World Series.
After the Astros won their first World Series title in 2017, Altuve became the face of the franchise. The 2017 season was the best of his career, earning him the American League MVP award for hitting .346 (.349 in the postseason) with 39 doubles, 24 homers, and 81 RBI. His OPS of .957 was the highest of his career until this season.
It wasn’t long after that season that Altuve and the Astros were shed in a bad light.
The MLB launched an investigation into sign-stealing allegations against the team that eventually led to the firings of Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch. The Astros were booed by every opposing fanbase in America, none more than Altuve. This went on for years, with some fanbases still booing Altuve when he steps up the plate, as he was/is the face of the franchise.
To this day, people still rip Houston for Altuve’s walk-off homer in the ALCS against the Yankees where Altuve grabs at his chest and tells his teammates not to rip off his jersey. The big rumor that circulated was that Houston was continuing their sign-stealing because Altuve was wearing a wire to relay the signs.
The point in bringing up the scandal is that in baseball, a scandal and backlash like that would typically end a player’s career. Often leading to the star player never playing at that same level again.
However, Altuve has been consistent in his last four seasons and continues to stack up ridiculous statistics, including hitting three home runs in three consecutive at-bats Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers in a 14-1 win. Altuve had his three home runs before the bottom three hitters of the Rangers’ lineup even saw the plate.
The story of Altuve’s career goes deeper than the numbers that he’s been able to display throughout his career. His story is one of determination, grit, and the ability to know what you’re capable of.
But the numbers are quite impressive: eight-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger, 2017 AL MVP, 2019 ALCS MVP, two-time World Series champ, over 2,000 career hits, .307 career batting average, .364 on-base percentage, and a career OPS of .836.
There’s no doubt that there’s other elite company within the franchise history of the Astros: Craig Biggio with 3,060 hits, Jeff Bagwell with 449 home runs, or the career 2.31 ERA of Billy Wagner. You can even argue that both Biggio and Bagwell have done more because they’re Hall of Famers and currently working in the organization’s front office.
But what Altuve has been able to accomplish and will continue to provide the franchise and the city of Houston cannot be measured. He’s the heart and soul of the Astros in the team’s most successful era and will go down in history not only as the third Hall of Famer the Astros have produced, but the greatest to ever wear orange and navy.
Matt Miguez is the host of “The Miguez Mindset” podcast which is available on YouTube @espnsouthwestlouisiana and he is a contributor for ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station.