Houston can be a great place to visit at certain times of the year. Like October through May. But, in the month of July, Space City gets downright miserable with high temperatures averaging nearly 93 degrees combined with humidity from the nearby Gulf of Mexico to make the heat indexes rise to 100 degrees before noon almost daily. While the western US bakes in their dry heat, Houston’s annual summer sauna season is just as relentless.
Kind of like the incredible batting performance from the pint-sized second baseman for the Houston Astros, Jose Altuve. Unlike most Houstonians, Altuve is really enjoying this July. With his July batting average hovering around .500, Altuve is the hottest player in the league playing for the hottest team in MLB.
Just how special is hitting .500 in one month? Only seven major league baseball players have ever hit .500 over a single month. The last player to accomplish the feat was Alex “Pudge” Rodriguez with the Texas Rangers in June, 2004. When you think of the thousands of baseball players who have played at the highest level over the past 114 years, you are more likely (statistically speaking) to find the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Jose Altuve has bumped his season batting average up to a major league-leading .365 through Wednesday, July 26. Contrasted alongside of the New York Yankees’ young home run hitting sensation, Aaron Judge, the Astros’ Altuve seems easy to overlook. Judge, who stands 6’7″ and weighs 289 pounds, has blasted 32 home runs thus far in 2017. On the other hand, Jose Altuve is generously listed at a height of 5’6″ with a listed weight of 165 pounds. Compared to Judge’s Superman act in the Big Apple, the diminutive Altuve is playing like Mighty Mouse for the Astros as he has belted 15 homers already this season, too.
MVP candidates generally come from teams that make the playoffs and compete for the World Series. Unless the Houston Astros blow a 17-game lead in the American League West over the final two months, Jose Altuve could become the second Houston Astros player to win the league MVP award. He would join soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame first baseman, Jeff Bagwell, who won the award back in 1994.
With the way Jose Altuve has played for the Astros over his six-year career, he also might be joining Bagwell in Cooperstown, New York one day, too!