THE CASE FOR JOSE ALTUVE
The case for Houston’s Mount Rushmore: Jose Altuve
May 27, 2020, 3:36 pm
When Jeff Bagwell retired following the 2005 MLB season, the then 37-year-old first baseman ended his career as the Houston Astros' most celebrated player in franchise history. He held several all-time records at the time of his retirement, and still holds the Astros' highest batting average in a single-season (.368) set in 1994 — which led to a unanimous MVP.
Bagwell will forever be one of the greatest athletes to represent Space City, but the absence of a World Series title has reduced his chances to be placed atop Mount Rushmore. The one player who is well on his way to — and in some cases has— surpassed the Hall of Famer is current Astros' second baseman, Jose Altuve. What Altuve has accomplished in his first nine seasons in Houston is enough to engrave the Venezuela native atop of the city's pinnacle.
"Don't be content with being average. Be better. Work harder. Be great." These are the words Altuve wrote to himself in an inspirational letter penned to himself prior to the Astros' 2019 postseason run. The message was aimed to increase his confidence, but the self-written letter symbolizes the theme of his career more than a self-esteem booster.
When he arrived in Houston during the spring of 2011, the Astros were in disarray. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth time since 2005, finishing the 2010 season with a 76-86 record. Although he did not have much of an impact as a rookie, Altuve's production through 57 games solidified a bright future for the team. He batted .346 over his first 21 games before falling off a little to end his rookie season with a .276 average. The following year, Altuve received his first of six All-Star selections in 2012 hitting .290 with 33 stolen bases, 34 doubles, and 37 RBIs.
Since his first two seasons, Altuve has established himself as one of the most decorated players in franchise history capturing: Five Silver Slugger awards. Led the American League in stolen bases twice (2014 & 2015). And received a Golden Glove honor in 2015. His career accolades have already placed Altuve as an all-time great, but what separates him from Bagwell and the rest of the Astros' legends is his 2017 season.
In his seventh year, Altuve arguably had the greatest individual season in Astros history. For the first time since 2001, Houston finished first in their division with a 101-61 record, as Altuve took home the 2017 American League Hank Aaron Award, and his third batting title slashing .346/.410/.547 with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs. His outstanding play earned Altuve his first MVP award, as the 5-foot-6 second baseman became the shortest player to receive the honor since Phil Rizzuto in 1950 (Yankees).
The season ended with Altuve helping the Astros capture their first title in a World Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Altuve further cemented his legacy in Houston off the diamond by raising millions alongside Houston Texans' star J.J. Watt, to help the city recover from its devastation from Hurricane Harvey.
Following the fallout from the sign-stealing scandal, his image has taken an inadequate hit, but it is not enough to discredit the greatness Altuve has put on display since 2011. A multi-time All-Star. An MVP. And a champion. It's quite a story Altuve is putting together for a 16-year-old baseball hopeful who was once denied a chance to participate in the Astros tryout camp due to his height.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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