The Houston Astros announced a five-year, $125 million extension with second baseman Jose Altuve on Tuesday night.
It didn’t come as a shock for a variety of reasons: Altuve was close to hitting free agency and the Astros surely were going to have a word about that.
Secondly, the 33-year-old infielder has shown no signs of slowing down, and remains a top regular-season and playoff performer.
The move made sense: it carries a bit of age-related risk, but Altuve remains a star and it made sense to retain him.
He has been with the team since signing as an amateur free agent in 2007, and after a promising minor league career, he made his MLB debut in 2011.
Altuve shared a hilarious story about that first season as a major leaguer and how he has beaten the odds to dominate in MLB, per FOX: Sports MLB.
“When I got called up in 2011, they told me it was something temporary until they found another second baseman,” he said.
Looks like it worked out pretty well 😆 pic.twitter.com/CKnMQunIs0
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 7, 2024
When the Astros called him up in 2011, they were one of the worst teams in baseball.
It sounds hard to believe, but they had a 56-106 record that year.
People forget that, to build their current powerhouse, the Astros tanked for a long time.
The organization told Altuve that he would temporarily hold down the fort at second base until they found a replacement for him.
We really hope they stopped looking at some point because otherwise, they would be very, very tired.
All kidding aside, Altuve slashed .276/.297/.357 in 57 games in that 2011 campaign, enough to get him another chance in 2012.
In 2012, he was better, hitting .290/.340/.399 with seven homers and 33 stolen bases.
It was clear he was a starting-caliber talent who was, throughout his life, ignored or dismissed because of his height.
In 2014, Altuve had a .341/.377/.453 line with 56 thefts, and he won an MVP award in 2017 with 24 round-trippers and 32 steals.
He established himself as a star.
Nowadays, he is a two-time World Series winner, a three-time batting champ, and an eight-time All-Star.
He has 2,047 hits to this day.
Yes, we really hope the Astros were quick to stop looking for another second baseman.
NEXT: Astros Share Must-See Jose Altuve Video Following Extension