BIOGRAPHY
Jose Altuve was born May 6, 1990, in Maracay, Venezuela. He is a second baseman in the MLB.
The Astros signed Altuve as an amateur free agent in 2007, and he made his major league debut in 2011. A right-handed batter and thrower, as of 2017 he was the shortest active MLB player at 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m). His listed weight is 165 pounds (75 kg). From 2014 to 2017, Altuve recorded at least 200 hits each season and led the American League (AL) in the category. He won three batting championships in that span.
A six-time MLB All-Star, Altuve has been voted the starting second baseman for the AL in the All-Star Game four times. In 2017, he won the AL Most Valuable Player Award, the Hank Aaron Award, and became a World Series champion with the Astros, each for the first time. Also in 2017, Altuve was Sports Illustrated's co-Sportsperson of the Year with J. J. Watt of the NFL's Houston Texans for helping to lead relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Other awards Altuve received in 2017 were the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year (making him the fifth player to be selected in consecutive years), and Baseball America's Major League Player of the Year. He has also won five Silver Slugger Awards and one Rawlings Gold Glove. In 2014, he became the first player in over 80 years to reach 130 hits and 40 stolen bases before the All-Star Game. That same season, he became the first Astro to win a batting title, leading the AL with a .341 average. He has twice led the AL in stolen bases. From Maracay, Venezuela, Altuve played for the Venezuelan national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He holds the record for postseason home runs among second basemen with 13.
On June 15, he had a walk-off grand slam against the Texas Rangers. The next day, he had a lead-off home run against them; Altuve is the first player in major league history to have a walk-off grand slam and then hit a lead-off home run in the following game. On June 23, Altuve hit his 150th career home run, doing so off Thomas Eshelman of the Baltimore Orioles.
In 2021, after finishing as the runner-up AL second baseman in fan voting, Altuve was named to his seventh All-Star Game, tying the Astros franchise record with Craig Biggio for the most career All-Star game selections.
On September 17, 2021, he hit a home run off Madison Bumgarner of the Arizona Diamondbacks at Minute Maid Park to collect his 849th career hit in the stadium, which tied him with Lance Berkman for most hits by an Astro in the venue. He then passed Berkman the next night with a double.
On May 19, 2022, Altuve doubled for the 344th time in his career, which broke a tie with César Cedeño for fourth-most in Astros history. Altuve appeared in his 1,500th career game on July 3, 2022, in a contest versus the Los Angeles Angels, going 3-for-5. On July 8, Altuve was named the starter at second base for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game. It was his eight selection overall, and fifth as a starter, both setting franchise records. He led AL second basemen in on-base percentage (.368), slugging percentage (.539) OPS (.907) and home runs (17). Craig Biggio (seven) previously held the record for most appearances.
Altuve hit an opposite-field double in the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium in Game 3 of the 2022 ALCS. The Astros advanced to the World Series and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to give Altuve his second World Series title.
In 2024, Altuve signed a 5-year extension with the Houston Astros good through 2029.
