Is it safe to say Jose Altuve will be the greatest Astro 2nd baseman of all time?

We also initially signed Kent without notifying Biggio based on the intro press conference. We couldn't sign Beltran and Kent after 2014....and we put all our eggs in the Beltran basket. Just needed one to have a chance I'm 2005

 

Average for a MLB second baseman for the decade of the 2000’s was 93. He had a 92 with 1 Horid year at the end. Average 2b. For 6 years. That you said he was very bad in. He wasn’t. He was a more or less league average 2b. Which is miles from where he was at his peak, but it wasn’t Mays stumbling around in NY.

 

See, you just conflated 07 stats in with 06 by averaging one pitiful year with one run of the mill slightly below average year in 06. And I’m well aware of the Chris Burke era that never happened, to which I’d say “thank goodness for that”.

 

He posted a .310 OB% as a lead-off hitter in 2006; .302 OB% when batting second. They gave him 522 plate appearances at those two spots. Chris Burke had a .347 OB% that year; Kent .377. The Astros lost the division by 1.5 games.

 

Instead we got the Kaz Matsui and his masseuse era instead!

Should have kept that masseuse for Correa.

 

Those fissures, though...

 

Has it, though?

 

With this thread resurrected, I was kind of hoping to see a tweet with Altuve dancing...

 

Aged better than Altuve did.

 

Use your real account

 

All he needs is longevity. Looking at just the postseason, Altuve is light-years beyond any Astro prior to 2013, and the only company he has is Springer and Correa.

 

Sir, I will hear none of this, as the answer to the question of "Who is the greatest all time 2B in Astros history" is also the answer to all of life's questions: BILL DORAN.

In my home, we speak of little else.

 

Forgive my blasphemy, I was temporarily punch-drunk on a ninth-inning ground ball from October 2017 and a certain memorable bomb from October 2019.

Doran was the greatest, although it got really old constantly hearing my cousin talking about his ass. Evidently, she found it visually appealing.

 

Altuve has exceeded almost anyone’s expectations from when he was called up. He got into the league as a contact hitter with little or no power. He was adept at stealing bases, but he’s shelved his base stealing for HR swings.

Sustainable play is the key. If he stays above league average, he is very likely to pass the Astros greats.

But considering how clutch Altuve has been when the stage is biggest, one could make the argument that Altuve has been the catalyst for the greatest stretch run of any Astros dynastic periods.

 

I can't believe I'm saying it but I'd take altuve over biggio

 

When this thread started I posted something akin to "not yet", but I'm almost there now. Almost. The postseason performances have nearly won me over. Also, the clubhouse, from a distance and listening to the press (so main grains of salt here), seems much more healthy with Altuve and Correa & company as opposed to those 'Killer B' years. Springer was a huge part of that, too.

Watching Biggio in his prime, as a contact hitter with power (before he forgot how to take low-and-away sliders) and as an incredible defensive 2B was something special. His defense is all the more remarkable when you consider his arm was almost a complete noodle.

 

Those who do not remember Biggio in his prime will of course say Altuve is the best. Those who look at post season will of course say Altuve is the best.

I will only argue that 11 years into their careers, they are almost identical in the regular season. Both are High OBP guys with occasional Power. Both have multiple .300 BA seasons and both found ways to get on base without a hit. Well without the batter getting the hit. Biggio's modern record (almost pre modern too) of HBP is unlikey to be challenged anytime soon.

Part of Altuve's success is due to the high octane offense that surrounds him. Biggio's Astros always struggled to inch above 4 runs per game.

So I'll just say, not yet, but maybe when Altuve's career is over he will be the best.

What is likely is that we are also about to see the best Astros DH ever after just over 700 PA. This is primarily due to the short history of Astro's DH and partly due to DH being rotated around with few players playing the position for more than a few years. This along with the historic start by Alvarez make this seem inevitable.

 

Let's quibble about the difference between below average <100 OPS+, bad <75 OPS+ and very bad <50 OPS+. He was essentially a replacement level player after 1999 and the move to Enron Field. But he only reached BAD (by my measure) in his final season after several average to below average years.

But at the time, we rarely had more than 3 or 4 average players on the field and felt like a powerhouse with 5. At the time, Pitcher, Catcher and SS accounted for 3 mostly wasted AB and someone in the regular lineup was always in a slump. We played a lot of low scoring games before 2000.

 

No mention of Joe Morgan?