Inside the Astros

Houston Astros Superstar Poised to Pass Multiple Hall of Famers in 2025

A Houston Astros franchise legend is rapidly climbing MLB's career leaderboards.

Tyler Maher

Sep 27, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) hits a double during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
Sep 27, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) hits a double during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Jose Altuve has been an outstanding player with the Houston Astros for a long time.

When that happens, players tend to compile some pretty impressive statistics.

That's what Altuve's done since debuting for the Astros in 2011. He's been one of the best players in baseball for over a decade, making nine All-Star teams and winning seven Silver Sluggers along the way.

After 14 terrific seasons in Houston, the 2017 AL MVP has cemented his legacy as one of the best second basemen in MLB history.

With three batting titles, two World Series rings and a Gold Glove award, he's already a lock to end up in Cooperstown.

His sustained excellence has also helped him amass some truly remarkable numbers, putting him in elite company on MLB's career leaderboards.

With another strong season in 2025, he's poised to pass several Hall of Famers on the all-time hits list.

Altuve enters this season with 2,232 career hits.

That ranks 177th all-time and second among active players, just 35 hits behind Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Freddie Freeman.

However, Freeman debuted a year before Altuve and has spent his whole career at first base -- a much less demanding position than second.

Despite missing some time with injuries recently, Altuve has averaged 156 hits per season over the last four years. Assuming he records a similar number this year, he'd finish the campaign with close to 2,400 career knocks.

If Altuve stays healthy, he'll eclipse some of the greatest hitters in MLB history this year, including legendary sluggers like Mike Schmidt (2,234 career hits), Edgar Martinez (2,247), Jeff Bagwell (2,314) and Eddie Mathews (2,315).

Although he turns 35 in May, Altuve has shown few signs of slowing down.

He missed only nine games last year, batting .295/.350/.439 with 20 home runs, 22 stolen bases and his most hits (185) since 2017.

Altuve is under contract through 2029, so he still has plenty of time to keep adding to his totals.

If he continues his current pace and avoids major injury, he's a good bet to reach 3,000 hits eventually -- something only 33 Major Leaguers have ever done.

Regardless of how well he plays left field this year, there's no denying his greatness at the plate.

Following the departures of Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and others, the Astros are counting on him to keep raking and remain a force in their lineup for the foreseeable future.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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