The Astros are 35-46 in last place in the AL West entering Saturday’s action, but they’re actually in much better shape than we thought they’d be (they were 51-111 last season), and they’re actually a fun team to watch. Second baseman Jose Altuve is a big reason behind both of those.
Altuve is now hitting a league-leading .342 with a league-leading 32 stolen bases in 35 attempts. He’s had seven multi-hit games out of his last ten starts, and went 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI last night. Oh, and also? He stole home.
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According to Baseball Reference, it’s the second time in Altuve’s career that he’s stolen home.
While the Astros, stunningly, have several viable nominees (Dallas Keuchel, George Springer) to represent the club at this year’s All-Star Game at Target Field, Altuve should almost certainly get the honor if the Astros are to have only one representative. He may not start, however, as one can make an argument in favor of Ian Kinsler or Brian Dozier for starting honors. (Robinson Cano leads all American League second basemen in balloting by about 670,000 votes at the recent count.) Still, Altuve is having a fine season and has quickly become one of baseball’s most exciting players to watch.