Fansided

Best MLB player on each team in 2019

By Joshua Sadlock

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to his solo homerun for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to his solo homerun for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 09: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a home run in the third inning against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park on April 09, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The home run was the 100th of his career. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 09: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a home run in the third inning against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park on April 09, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The home run was the 100th of his career. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Houston Astros: Jose Altuve

Throw a dart at the Houston Astros roster, and you’re liable to land on an All-Star or potential future Hall of Famer. The poster boys for the analytics age are loaded with talent and some of their youngest stars have yet to fully hit their stride. Scary to think that Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa still have not reached their full potential as big leaguers.

It’s hard to choose just one star from the Astros for this list, but the choice still has to be the team’s unlikeliest, the diminutive Jose Altuve. The guy who was signed essentially because he showed up and begged for a contract has defied all logical projections for what type of production a 5-foot-6 second baseman could give a World Series contender.

Altuve was pretty good during the first four years of his MLB career while the Astros were in a deep rebuild. He hit .302/.340/.401, made two All-Star teams, won a batting title and led the league in stolen bases in 2014. Since the Astros flipped the switch and started winning, however, he has hit .328/.386/.497 with 77 home runs, 307 RBI and 118 stolen bases. Altuve has added another pair of batting titles and stolen base crown while also leading the league in hits three times. He was named the 2017 AL MVP and has picked up five Silver Sluggers in a row.

Incredibly, Altuve is still in his age-29 season and is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. He has more hits than Pete Rose at this stage of his career and has more home runs and stolen bases. Altuve is a five-tool player and rock-solid leader in the clubhouse. He will go down as one of the most beloved athletes in Houston’s history.

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