You’ve heard of “Angels in the Outfield”, but the Houston Astros are going in a different direction this season.
They’re not going to have a literal angel in outfield, but the player they have in mind could be close enough for what he’s done for this franchise over the past 14 seasons.
Have you ever heard of Jose Altuves in the outfield? Well, there’s only one of him and as far as we know he can’t fly. After spending his career as a second baseman, though, Altuve is going to be moving to left field for the Astros this spring.
He’ll make his spring training debut in left on Friday. According to manager Joe Espada, it should go swimmingly.
“He’s actually been pretty good out there,” Espada said on Wednesday, according to ESPN. “One thing, it’s practice and we can control the environment and the volume, but once the game starts he’ll be tested and we’ll get a better read of where he’s at. Right now, the attitude is exactly what we’re expecting and the work has been pretty good.”
They say you can’t teach and old dog new tricks, but that’s exactly what the Astros are hoping to do with the 34-year-old Altuve.
He’s always been great with his glove and he’s one of the more clutch hitters of the past two decades, so there’s little reason to believe that this move won’t work out for him and the Astros. There is, of course, the idea of a 34-year-old man roaming left field, but Altuve is a pros pro and should be able to figure it out.
He’s a nine-time All-Star, the 2017 AL MVP, a Gold Glover, a seven-time Silver Slugger and a two-time World Series champion. He’ll likely be able to figure out how to shag balls in left field on a consistent basis.