Mighty Mouse
5'5 and 165 pounds. An obese teenager or the 2017 AL MVP? Since coming into the league in 2011 Jose Altuve has been the involved in some way or another with every game. Averaging just over 154 games played a year (except for 2011 when he was called up in July) and most them being the starting second baseman. To say he gets overlooked or has been overlooked (pun intended) is a fact. Unless you follow baseball or the Astros you probably had no idea who this guy was until it came post-season time and people were debating if he or Aaron judge should get the MVP. There really was no contest.
Altuve's resume speaks for its self. 5x all-star('12,'14-'17), 3x Batting titles ('14,'16-'17), 2x Stolen base leader ('14-'15), 4x Silver Slugger ('14-'17), a Gold Glove ('15), World Series champ (2017), and AL MVP (2017). All this in his first 7 years. Then you look at his slash line of .316/.362/.453. Then this guy just doesn't strike out, only striking out on avg. 66 times a season he will get that bat on the ball and make you get him out. His WAR (Wins above replacements) ranks 62 among all active players at 29.6 which is not anything to look over. Then looking at All the second baseman to play he ranks 56th that same number which is 7th among all active second basemen.
When he was 16 he went to an Astros camp in his hometown of Maracay, Venezuela. The first day they turned him away due to the fact that he was so short and they did not believe that he was as old that he said. The next day after his father convinced him to come back he brought his birth certificate to show that he was in fact 16. He showed up and did what he does best prove people wrong. After impressing the scouts there the Astros decided to sign him for just $15,000.
Once they signed him he did what he does now. Put the ball in play an make people get him out. During his time in the minors he never hit below .275 with a team and at one point was hitting .408 in 52 games with the Lancaster JetHawks. In 2011 the Astros called him up mid-season and lets put it this way...they have never looked back.
To say that he is one of the most all-around second basemen in the league could be an overstatement. The fact that I root for the team that is arguably the Astros biggest rival the rangers and love to watch his games just do to the fact that he is playing and you never know what he is going to do is the best. The best part of his game isn't his stats, or his awards, or his talent. I think the best part of his game is how he plays it. He's just a kid playing a game he loves, for a team that took a chance on him and having a blast doing it.