The world is right for one evening: Astros win
- Thread starter Oldmanastro
- Start date
The sad fact is that you cant keep both the prospects and the super stars...luxuory tax wont allow it
The old Dodger formula was to trade your stars when they have just one maybe two good years left for the other guys top prospects.....worked for decades.
Right that's what Im saying. Trade prospects to keep the guys already producing.
The stros are basically leading the MLB in every offensive category- runs, HR, batting avg, etc.....
I've honestly never seen a hitting line up this dangerous. Maybe the 96 Mariners with Griffey, Arod, Buhner, Martinez etc....they had like 4 dudes with over 100 rbis. If the houston bats stay this hit and th ery can pick up one more arm in the rotation, watch out...
I've honestly never seen a hitting line up this dangerous. Maybe the 96 Mariners with Griffey, Arod, Buhner, Martinez etc....they had like 4 dudes with over 100 rbis. If the houston bats stay this hit and th ery can pick up one more arm in the rotation, watch out...
The 63 Dodgers swept the Yankees when they didnt have a single 300 hitter and NO big RBI guys....seems Koufax/Drysdale easily trumped Mantle/Maris/Howard/.Kubek and Richardson.
The 69 Mets easily beat Baltimore when they were almost the lowest in the League in runs scored.
Those big bats are great, but pitching wins at playoff time. The only anomily to that was the 90's Braves, but they played the stupidest baseball possible, including dropping popups in the infield( up to 3 or 4) They burned one of the best pitching staffs ever for only one title.
The 69 Mets easily beat Baltimore when they were almost the lowest in the League in runs scored.
Those big bats are great, but pitching wins at playoff time. The only anomily to that was the 90's Braves, but they played the stupidest baseball possible, including dropping popups in the infield( up to 3 or 4) They burned one of the best pitching staffs ever for only one title.
Damn, Correa out 6-8 weeks with torn thumb ligament. Set for surgery. I'm guessing Bregman will move over to short, maybe split time with Marwin G. Colin Moran called up, having a good year in minors.
McHugh scheduled for first start of season this weekend.
Glad we have a 15.5 game lead.
McHugh scheduled for first start of season this weekend.
Glad we have a 15.5 game lead.
Altuve....He was hitting over 433 in 45 road games this year. He has the highest road batting average since baseball was integrated in 1947
As of the 25 of July he was hitting .507 for the month of July!...there is no place in the strike zone safe from his bat.
As of the 25 of July he was hitting .507 for the month of July!...there is no place in the strike zone safe from his bat.
And he is not a one trick pony...He has 60 RBIs, 15 HR and 21 SB. Has anyone ever combined such a high batting avg/OBP with good power and speed to this degree? Plus a good defender.
Ya............there was this one guy...... played for the Yankees back in the 50's and 60's. But his name escapes me.....................
You dont have to go as far as Mickey Mantle Clob.....Jeff Bagwell was putting together a Mickey Mantle type triple crown year until they broke hi hand.....and Bagwell despite not having great speed was one of the best base runners on the team.
And CONGRATS to Baggy today for entering the HOF!!
So, if Mick is the comparison that says a lot about Jose.
Mick had more power than Jose while Jose has more speed. Both players have put together some impressive batting average years, though Jose has been more consistent in that regard.
If Jose can keep up this style of play for another 5 years or so he will cement his place in cooperstown.
If you think Jose has more speed than Mantle did you were not paying attention. Mantle was at one time just about the fastest guy in the game. Also saying Mantle had more power than Jose is kinda like saying The USA has a stronger military than Fiji.
I was not paying attention, as I was about 30 years from being born.
I can't say who was faster, but Jose statistically steals more bases and hits more doubles.
And yes, of course Mantle had more power. I was just comparing the two and giving Mantle credit where it was due.
Both guys get on base a ton, Jose with the better batting average but Mickey drew a lot more walks. Mantle hit a lot more dingers and Altuve hits a lot more doubles and steals a lot more bases.
The Astros need to acquire a couple of pitchers. I have serious concerns about Houston's chances in the post season. McCullers has shown his usual mid/late season drop off. It seems that his arm doesn't have the stamina to pitch a full season and the Astros likely cannot count on him in the playoffs to be the kind of pitcher he was in the first third of the season. Also, the bullpen could use another dependable arm.
Mick batting as a lefty had arguably the fastest time from home to first base than any player ever.....until he blew out his knee when he stepped on a sprinkler head in the outfield.
They asked Mantle years after he retired why he didnt stel more bases. He said if he had known it was going to be a big deal he might have thought about it....but after he thought about it he said Steingle would not let him steal because of so many HR hitters behind him and big RBI men.
Clob is right...Mantle was so fast he could litterally drag bunt his way on base at will. Nothing anyone could do about it.
Clob is right...Mantle was so fast he could litterally drag bunt his way on base at will. Nothing anyone could do about it.
Never got to really see him play and the highlights I have seen don't seem to focus on drag bunts. lol
Other than Mantle (in the argument for greatest player of all time), can y'all name any other comparable players to what Jose is doing this year?
George Brett...Rod Carew..Tony Gwyn....just off the top of my head....and dont forget Ted Williams...Stan Museul...Willie Mays....nice company I would say.
Is Jose the shortest player in MLB to do what he's been doing in the history of MLB? Just curious LOL!
• His .485 batting average in July was the best by any Astros player in any month, surpassing Hidalgo's .476 average in September 2000.
• Altuve posted a career-long hitting streak of 19 games from July 2-28. It was the longest streak by an Astros player since Hunter Pence had a 23-game stretch in 2011.
• From July 4-28, Altuve posted 43 hits over an 18-game span, becoming one of six players in MLB's modern era to record 43-plus hits in an 18-game stretch. The others: Ty Cobb, George Sisler, Jack Tobin, Heinie Manush and Ichiro Suzuki, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
• Altuve was hitting .544 with 37 hits in 68 at-bats from July 4-28. Over the 15-game span, Altuve became the first player with 37 hits in 68 or fewer at-bats since Rogers Hornsby went 37-for-62 in July 1923, according to Elias.
• Altuve earned a hit in 21 of 23 games in July and leads the Majors with 148 hits.
• And, yes, his .368 batting average this season leads MLB as well.
• His .485 batting average in July was the best by any Astros player in any month, surpassing Hidalgo's .476 average in September 2000.
• Altuve posted a career-long hitting streak of 19 games from July 2-28. It was the longest streak by an Astros player since Hunter Pence had a 23-game stretch in 2011.
• From July 4-28, Altuve posted 43 hits over an 18-game span, becoming one of six players in MLB's modern era to record 43-plus hits in an 18-game stretch. The others: Ty Cobb, George Sisler, Jack Tobin, Heinie Manush and Ichiro Suzuki, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
• Altuve was hitting .544 with 37 hits in 68 at-bats from July 4-28. Over the 15-game span, Altuve became the first player with 37 hits in 68 or fewer at-bats since Rogers Hornsby went 37-for-62 in July 1923, according to Elias.
• Altuve earned a hit in 21 of 23 games in July and leads the Majors with 148 hits.
• And, yes, his .368 batting average this season leads MLB as well.
Last edited:
Brett (my namesake by the way) didn't bat for as high an average (career 305), Carew had only 92 career homers while Gwynn only had 135 - both played for 20 years. Williams stole about 1 base a year, while Musial (probably the closest comparison to Jose) never stole more than 9 bases. Willie Mays was a career 302 batter.
All great comparisons, especially off the top of your head. I'm still curious to see if there has been a player that has averaged 10+ HRs, 30+steals and a batting average of 315.
I'm not saying Jose is better than all these greats but he has a pretty unique profile of attributes. He also, has to keep this up for about 10 more years to have the careers those you mentioned had.
Brett one year carried a .400 average into August...He ended the year hitting .390....with 24 HR...The reason he ended with a career .305 average is ....like all of them his last 3 years drug him down....same as Mantle, Williams. Museul, Mays....and Altuve in the end. Happens to them all. Nobody but Koufax quit on top.
No disrespect to Jose. He is special....just not unique.I also suspect he will end as a .310 or less hitter as well.
No disrespect to Jose. He is special....just not unique.I also suspect he will end as a .310 or less hitter as well.
Somehow ya'll think I am down on Jose when the opposite is true. Like I said on the Astro forum....Altuve had to win a batting title before he quieted the talk about being sent down to the minors(true)....He had to win 2 batting titles before he quieted the talk of him being traded so we could get the second baseman for the future(also true)....He will have to win the 3rd before he gets the respect he deserves. Not only is he a super star, but he is a good guy.
The knock on him as a defender is limited range. The knock on him as a hitter is ,...or was his very low walk rate. That has improved as opposing pitchers are reluctant to give him a decent pitch.
As an aside....Freddy Patek (KC) was also 5'6" and he made 2 all star teams....but never close to a batting title.
The knock on him as a defender is limited range. The knock on him as a hitter is ,...or was his very low walk rate. That has improved as opposing pitchers are reluctant to give him a decent pitch.
As an aside....Freddy Patek (KC) was also 5'6" and he made 2 all star teams....but never close to a batting title.
I'm just messing with you. You have more knowledge of baseball in your little pinky than I have in my 39 years of life. I just like picking and choosing quotes and adding a little smart ass too it.
There a no doubt he on a run......unlike anything I've seen in a while. He's not "feared" as a hitter and I think that's because he's a midget. Remember back in the late 90's early 2000's when Bonds OBP was like .900? Dude would stand on top of the plate and either go yard or you'd walk him. Altuve doesn't have that power but he will slap it over your head like he hit it with a wet newspaper.
Jose named July player of the month! Gurriel named rookie of the month.
Need the boys to heal up and get our lineup back in order.
Need the boys to heal up and get our lineup back in order.
I agree, we are seeing him at his peak right now. It will be interesting to see how long he can keep this up.
Actually, I disagree. I dont think he has hit his peak yet. I dont expect him to always hit 365, but I am sure he will stay in the 300's for years.He is only 27!....Hard to believe.Hitters generally get stronger and better into their 30's up to around 35 or so. What I was speaking to is that they refuse to retire until around 39 or so and at that point they tend to stick around to fill out records.....(3000 hits....or in Jose;s case maybe 4300 to pass Rose). Thats when the averages go south. I guess the best guy to look at to project Jose's average at what age is Tony Gwynn.
But to your point, I expect his HR's to go up, but his average to come down, but not yet.
But to your point, I expect his HR's to go up, but his average to come down, but not yet.
I mis spoke....I just looked again at Tony Gwynn at Jose's age and realized it was an unfair comparison. Tony at age 27 only got 7 HR's....but he batted 370 for the year ....and stole 56 bases. I was right that Tony stayed too long. Tony played at age 41 and he limped in with a 324 average. At age 40 he only hit 323.....he ended at 338 for his career and not many who played the game in the modern era finished higher. If Jose finishes like that he will have a career for the ages.
Jose's power/avg/speed combo is what I think makes him a bit unique. Gwynn for example was a crazy high average guy and stole a lot of bases. Jose may hit for about the same average with a lot more steals and HRs (could pass Tony in SB and HRs in 3-4 years).
Again, the question is sustainability. Can Jose keep this up at this pace for much longer? I hope, as you said, he hasn't hit his peak yet.
Similar threads
