ffs. I forgot about that also. I wonder is this what started him wearing that pad over his hand? Seems like he got hit a few times on the hand.
Altuve now owns the record in the AL for most silver slugger awards at second base with 6. Only Ryne Sandberg has more with 7. Altuve is clearly on a path to the Hall of Fame.
2x champion doesn't hurt either Cheating is the only real issue The upcoming contemporary ballot with Bonds and Clemens could be telling
It’s going to be an injustice if Altuve is kept out of the HOF because of the cheating scandal. Most evidence points to that he never used the sign stealing and was annoyed when other Stros were using it.
I don't believe there is any debate about that multiple time all star, multiple championships, one of the all time leaders in postseason HRs, MVP. We all remember how great Biggio and Bagwell were but you can't put them over Altuve. They have zero titles between them so in my opinion you can't have them over Altuve. Losing to SD in 98 when that should have been a title year definitely tarnishes their legacy. No way they should have lost to the Padres that year. We had Randy freaking Johnson in his prime on the team and he lost both starts against the Padres like what are the chances of that. They got swept their only time in the World Series that is a mark against them as well. To have a rotation of Clemens, Oswalt, and Pettite and not win a single game is a huge disappointment. The Astros have been competitive in every World Series appearance in the Altuve era they should have 3 titles if they don't collapse in 2019.
Altuve is sitting at 48.5 fwar. He should have at least another 15 in him barring catastrophic injury or unexpected rapid decline. I don’t think a single player outside of the roid guys has over 60 and isn’t in the Hall. Altuve is very likely a Hall of Famer.
There are lots of guys with WAR over 60 not going to get in. I think Altuve should make it though for leading the league in hits 4 consecutive years, delivering in the playoffs, the two titles, etc. Rolen Lou Whitaker Kenny Lofton Whitaker would be the one that would worry me..75 WAR 5 time all star, 4 time silver slugger, 3 gold gloves, world series champ, 2300 hits, 250 homers. He only finished once in top ten of MVP voting, but is that because the voters were not evaluating things correctly at that time? If Altuve keeps plugging away close to what projections would likely give him he will be at 2500 hits, 275 homers and 300 steals in four years after his age 36 season. That should be enough when you add in his post season numbers.
There was a time I thought Altuve had a real shot at 3000 hits. I'm not so sure there is much likelihood of that anymore. But I do think he will make the HOF either way with what his numbers will be when his career wraps up. If the voters keep him out because of the stupid cheating scandal thing I will start kneecapping b****es.
He clearly doesn't need to cheat because he has been an all star almost every year he has been playing.
I love how everyone outside of Houston is on and on about the cheating scandal. How about the Yankees who have cheated and bended the rules more than any other team but nobody talks about that.
I don't think his career WAR will be good enough to get Altuve in the hall by itself, he's gonna have to keep compiling stats. 3000 will be tough, but not unreachable. He's certainly not a lock at this point, still quite a bit of work to do.
Altuve just needs to average 18 HRs over the next 6 years to get to 300. I think that's nearly a lock. He's averaged 30 his last 3 full seasons. 150 hits the next 6 years gets him to 2,835. He's averaged 161 over his last 4 full seasons. The shift change rule gives him an extra 20 hits a year, so that 150 suddenly turns into 170. That gets him to 2,955. So I think 3,000 will be more attainable that most people think. He hit .300 this year in a season in which you're not supposed to.
Third greatest 2B of all time for now. I'll let Jackie Robinson and the Hornsby dude fight for 1 and 2.
Optimistic projections. To get both in the time frames you're mentioning, he'd basically have to completely overcome natural aging curves and maintain his physical peak (28-31) production well into his post-peak and later career ages. He should be entering post-peak territory by age, although this season certainly wasn't concerning for it. At some point in the next few years he should lose bat speed and power and have to make a decision to focus on average or power.
You did see where I said 18 HR average vs his "peak" of 30 over the past 3 full seasons? That's 60% of peak. Hardly optimistic. Very realistic. Something like: 26 23 21 16 14 13 That degradation is still a sum total of 5 HR better than my 18 per year average. That doesn't look "optimistic" to me. And I'll stand by my claim that the shift rule change will mean more to a player like Altuve and I think you'll see him adjust at the plate to take advantage of it. I would definitely not be surprised to see him hit .325 next season.
Think Altuve will get to the Hall of Fame. As long as he wants to play he's gonna get his hits. He already has the MVP and championships. The voters should be able to look past the scandal now that we are an official dynasty. That was significant. Most baseballers know it was overblown, and now they have a resonable path to look the other way on this one. And that's all they needed.
