Subscribe
Follow Us
The Houston Astros are once again in the lead in the AL West standings, as they have extended their reign of terror over their division rivals despite losing one of their franchise cornerstones, Alex Bregman, in free agency. And the Astros own a seven-game lead in the division already (following their 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday) even though they've seen Jose Altuve's production decline.
Altuve entered the night with an OPS of just .730, with his batting average being at its worst mark of .257 (with the exception of the COVID-shortened 2020 season). It's clear that at 35 years of age, Altuve's bat is slowing down, although that wasn't very apparent during their Wednesday win over the Rockies. He went 2-5 in the Astros' most recent win, even driving in two runs — and in so doing, Altuve took sole possession of second place on the all-time Astros franchise hits leaderboard, surpassing Jeff Bagwell.
Altuve recorded his second hit of the night in the sixth inning, hitting a single to center field that scored two runs. And how fitting it was that the two-time World Series champion moved to second place on the all-time hits leaderboard for the Astros franchise with a two-run single.
Alas, the climb to the top will be close to impossible for Altuve. He's already 35 years old and his production is on the decline, and yet he still finds himself behind Craig Biggio, the all-time Astros hits leader, by 745 base knocks. At this rate, Altuve will need around four more seasons to even challenge Biggio, and by then, he may no longer be an everyday player.
Jose Altuve, Astros in AL West cruise control
The Astros have become similar to the St. Louis Cardinals that, year-in year-out, they seem to find a way to play winning baseball. Even without Yordan Alvarez, who's headed to the 60-day injured list, Houston keeps on trudging onward and finding success along the way.
It helps that the Astros have been one of the best fielding teams in MLB, and Altuve's transition to left field hasn't been quite as disastrous as some initially envisioned.
Altuve has defied so much adversity throughout his career; despite his diminutive stature, he managed to fashion for himself not just a long big-league career, but a lengthy stint as one of the most productive players in all of baseball. And when all is said and done, he'll be regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the Astros franchise.
