Each MLB team’s current Hall of Famer

Houston Astros: Jose Altuve

Some excellent candidates in the Houston organization, but it really came down to two for me, Altuve, and his middle infield mate, Carlos Correa. The final decision between the two was the fact that Altuve just signed an extension with Houston that will carry him through 2024, or his age 34 season.

Altuve is on a course that playing out just until the end of that contract will leave him with some incredible numbers. He’s led the American League in hits four straight seasons (and is doing it again currently), and at his pace over the last four seasons, at the end of his current contract, he would have roughly 2,600 hits, over 500 doubles, ~275 home runs, and over 500 steals. If you lower those numbers even just a hair and look for players who have 2,500 hits, 500 doubles, 250 home runs, and 500 stolen bases, you come up with just two – Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson.

I don’t think people realize just how special what we’re seeing out of Altuve right now really is. Obviously keeping all of his skills at his most recent level for seven more seasons would be a challenge, but he would still just be 34 when that seventh season was done, meaning he would have more seasons, providing health to add to his career totals and put himself into a stratosphere of performance that feasibly no one has ever attained, especially at a middle infield position.

While the Astros have some other fine candidates that are young and dynamic like Correa, Alex Bregman, and George Springer, Altuve is my choice simply because his body of work is so incredibly underappreciated.

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