José Altuve, the second baseman, is one of the shortest players in the 21st century, standing barely 5′ 6″.
In 2006, he was signed by Houston Astros scout Wolfgang Ramos and began his professional career with the VSL Astros the following summer.
After appearing in the Futures Game, he was promoted to the main leagues with Houston in 2011. On July 20th, he was called up to replace Jeff Keppinger, who had been traded to the San Francisco Giants the day before.
He went 1 for 5 in his first game as Houston’s starting second baseman against the Washington Nationals on the same day.
On August 20th, he blasted the Astros’ first inside-the-park home run since Adam Everett in 2003, leading off the first inning against the Giants with a drive to deep left-center that allowed him to round the bases without needing to slide.
It was his first major league home run, coming off Madison Bumgarner, and it propelled his side to a 7-5 victory over the World Champions. In 57 games as a rookie, he batted .276/.297/.357.
In 2012, Altuve had a strong second season with the Astros, as one of the few effective players on a rebuilding team that finished with baseball’s worst record.
He was the team’s lone participant in the All-Star Game, hitting .290 with 34 doubles and 80 runs batted in.
How Tall Is Jose Altuve?
Jose Altuve stands at a height of 1.68 m.