Jose Altuve is a name to be reckoned with in the American baseball world. The Houston Astros star, who is also the reigning American League MVP, began his career with the Astros in 2007 as an amateur free agent before being promoted to the major leagues in 2011, where he remained to this day.
The dynamic player is the 6th player in Major League history as well as the No. 2 player to earn a contract averaging $30 million a year. Max Scherzer ($30M), Clayton Kershaw ($30.7M), David Price ($31M), Miguel Cabrera ($31M), and Zack Greinke ($34.4M) also reached this milestone. ).
Here are all the other facts you need to know about one of America’s most important and skilled baseball players.
How it all began…
The Venezuelan player was born and raised in the Venezuelan city of Maracay on May 6, 1990. His love for baseball led him to a Houston Astros tryout in Maracay when he was 16 years old. The team scouts denied him entry for two reasons; they thought he was too small and, secondly, they suspected he had lied about his age. The young aspiring baseball player thought about quitting but, with his father’s words of encouragement, he was back at camp with his birth certificate as proof that he wasn’t lying about his age.
A special assistant for the Astros at the time by the name of Al Pedrique looked him straight in the eye and asked if he could play. Altuve looked him in the eye and replied “I’ll show it to you.” It didn’t just show Al Pedrique but everyone else who cares to know. that he can actually play. After convincing team officials that he had what it took to make the team, he was signed as a free agent in March 2007 for $15,000.
After a successful 2007 season in the VenezuelaSummer League, he moved to the United States and played for the Greeneville Astros in the Appalachian League (rookie level) in 2008 and 2009. His 324 with 21 stolen bases in 45 season games 2009 not only earned him a spot on the All-Star Team, but he was also named the team’s MVP. He was promoted to the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League Class A-Short Season for which he played 21 games.
In 2010, he began his season with the Lexington League Legends of the South Atlantic Class A before moving to the California Advanced League Class A Lancaster JetHawks. It would be his last as a free agent, the following year ( 2011), he was promoted to the major league. Jose Altuve made his major league debut in July 2011 and has remained with the team ever since.
So far, he has registered many successes and led the team to several victories. He has recorded 84 homers in his career and is the second in history to do so. Three times he was voted the AL’s starting second baseman in the All-Star Game.
In 2018, Jose Altuve agreed to a five-year, $151 million extension with the Astros after the four-year, $12.5 million extensions he signed in 2013.
Price
Jose has won so many awards that there are too many to list, but here are a few. Between 2014 and 2017, he won three batting championships. He is also a five-time MLB All-Star.
In 2017, he won the AL Most Valuable Player Hank Aaron Award. The same year, he also became a World Series champion with the Astros. Other awards he received in 2017 include:
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year Award
- The Sporting News Awards for Major League Player of the Year
- Baseball America’s Player of the Year Award.
Jose Altuve has also won four Silver Slugger Awards and a Rawlings Gold glove.
See Also: Justin Turner Wife, Girlfriend, Family, Height, Weight, Dimensions
His wife (Nina), family
The five-time All-Star is married to GianninaElizabeth Cimetta Sandoval, but her name is Nina. The couple welcomed their first child together (a daughter), Melanie Andrea, on November 1, 2016. Altuve and Nina have been together since they were 16 years old.
Nina is also originally from Venezuela and graduated from the University of Carabobo, Venezuela. She is a bioanalyst by profession.
Height, Weight and Other Facts You Should Know About Jose Altuve
Altuve is a serious and devout Christian who speaks boldly about his faith.
His mentor is Víctor Martínez.
Altuve’s height was one of the reasons Astros didn’t want him on the team initially, but the same height turned out to be an advantage. In 2017, he was named the shortest active player in MLB with a height of 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in).
It also weighs 75 kg (165 pounds).
