Do the Houston Astros Employ the Best Leadoff Hitter in MLB?
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The Houston Astros just play better baseball when second baseman José Altuve is in the lineup.
And Altuve just plays amazing baseball every single time he dons an Astros uniform -- as he's done for 12 years and counting.
Although the All-Star Venezuelan has only been back with the ball club for eight games this season, he's already making his presence felt both defensively and at the plate.
Through 31 at-bats with the Astros in 2023, Altuve is slashing .355/.444/.645 with two home runs and six RBI as the leadoff hitter for Houston.
On Monday against the Minnesota Twins at Minute Maid Park, Altuve made it back-to-back games with a blast that left the ball park -- this time a grand slam that gave Houston a momentary lead before dropping the contest in extra innings.
Throughout a Major League Baseball career that started back in 2011, Altuve's career slash line is .307/.363/.468 -- and he's the longest-tenured player on the roster.
In fact, Altuve was with Houston when the team was still in the National League, and he also made the leap from Double-A to the Majors with relative ease.
Just to hit on a handful of his accolades since joining the Majors, Altuve is an eight-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a three-time American League batting champion, a two-time AL stolen base leader and a two-time World Series champion.
He also has 1,946 career hits and counting with 194 home runs, 702 RBI and 279 stolen bases.
And his career is far from over.
Monday's Memorial Day slam made him the eighth player in Astros' history to reach the 700 career RBI mark.
He's proven himself time and time again, so it begs the question: is Altuve one of the best -- if not the best -- leadoff hitter in baseball?
His numbers alone prove it.
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