Houston Astros: Top three batters and pitchers so far
By T.A. Mock
4. Jose Altuve
WHAAAAAT?!?! The reigning MVP 4th on this list?! I’m right there with you. How on earth can Altuve be this low? Well, when you get down into it, it’s quite simple. Sort of.
Altuve is currently leading the team with a .316 batting average. However, this is a far cry from what we’ve become accustomed to. He also only has three stolen bases and two home runs. He is second on the team in OBP and third in slugging.
His fielding percentage is also pretty good at .994, accounting for only one error. He has also been a part of an astounding 24 double plays thus far. Additionally, he hasn’t missed a game yet.
So how did he manage to only be the 4th best player on the Houston Astros? Well, the team and fans alike have become accustomed to numbers way higher than these. Is that a failure on our part from this man playing out of his mind? Maybe. Maybe not.
Regardless, Altuve has fallen short of his MVP level expectations and that’s why he lands at 4th. It’s not a knock on him or what he’s done this year. He is still having an outstanding year, he just hasn’t reached expectations he created.
He currently stands at 1.8 WAR. This currently has him on pace for 6.1 for the entire year. To put that in perspective that’s lower than 2016 and 2017. It is what he had in his breakout 2014 season.