INSCMagazine: Get Social!

You can’t deny the talent of Jose Altuve. He’s going to go down as one of the best hitters in baseball’s history. It’s a bold statement, but what he’s doing this season is nothing short of remarkable.

Altuve isn’t going to intimidate opposing pitchers at the plate. Standing only 5’6, Altuve is the shortest active player in the baseball. That doesn’t stop him from putting up awe-inspiring statistics.

Only at his age 26 season, Altuve is already a four-time All-Star, two-time A.L. hits leader, and two-time A.L. stolen base champ.

While Altuve has already had much success over his career, it’s 2016 that might be his best season to date. As of August 2nd, Altuve is batting .356. That’s a full 30 points higher than Xander Bogaerts for the AL title. This is in addition to his 145 hits, which is also great for the American League.

Altuve also ranks in the top-three of WAR and stole bases. All of these numbers signal that Altuve might be able to capture his first AL MVP. It’s a tough race with Josh Donaldson, Manny Machado, Bogaerts, and Mike Trout, but Altuve might be the best of the bunch.

It’s hard for people to get behind Altuve. His height obviously plays a huge role in this. He doesn’t look like your typical baseball player, and that will likely sway fans away from him. However, Altuve is every bit as good of a player as Trout and Machado are. He can be a great ambassador for the game of baseball.

The Houston Astros are certainly thankful that Altuve is on their team. He’s been the heart and soul of Houston since his rookie year. Any chance the Astros have at the playoffs will hinge on Altuve’s leadership and play.

Jose Altuve is one of the best players in baseball. He is deserving of consideration for the A.L. MVP. His career is just reaching its peak, and that means he will be around for quite some time.

Follow Daniel JamesGentile on Twitter @dgentleman9288.