Altuve, José (1990-…), is one of the best players in Major League Baseball (MLB). Altuve is from Venezuela. He plays for the Houston Astros in the American League (AL). Altuve plays second base and hits right-handed. He is small for an MLB player, standing 5 feet 6 inches (1.7 meters) tall, but he has become known for his exceptional durability, quickness, and strength during his career.
Since his first MLB season in 2011, Altuve has led the AL in batting average three times, in hits four times, and in stolen bases twice. He has been named to eight All-Star teams. Altuve won the AL Most Valuable Player award in 2017. In that year, he had a .346 batting average, collected 204 hits, hit 24 home runs, scored 112 runs, and stole 32 bases.
José Carlos Altuve was born on May 6, 1990, in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. He grew up in the nearby city of Maracay. Altuve excelled at baseball as a youth, but MLB teams were reluctant to sign him to a professional contract because of his small size. In 2007, the Astros took a chance and signed Altuve as a free agent. He played in the Venezuelan Summer League before entering the Astros minor league system in the United States in 2008. Altuve made his MLB debut in July 2011.
