Astros great Jose Altuve nabs 300th stolen base
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Ángel Cantú, Contributor
- May 4, 2024
Jose Altuve is only sixth Venezuela with 300 MLB stolen bases
Jose Altuve added another historical marker to an already memorable career. The Astros’ legendary second baseman joined elite company with the 300th stolen base.
Altuve put himself among some of the greatest names in Astros history, Venezuelan history and MLB history on an elite list Friday night. After driving in the go-ahead run in the 5-3 victory over the Mariners with a safety squeeze, Altuve treated the crowd of 33,796 to a bit of history.
Altuve became just the third Astros player in franchise history to collect 300 stolen bases. He joined Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and four-time All-Star Cesar Cedeño as the only players in franchise history with 300 stolen bases.
More impressively, perhaps, Altuve became the fifth player in major league history with 2,000 hits, 400 doubles, 200 home runs and 300 stolen bases with a career batting average in the .300s.
Jose Altuve joins Cooperstown crowd
The four other men to accomplish those feats are all enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. That exclusive list includes Derek Jeter, Paul Molitor, Willie Mays and Roberto Alomar.
“All those guys are Hall of Famers,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of Molitor, Jeter, Mays and Alomar. “Well, you know where (Altuve is) going.”
There’s no doubt the 2017 American League MVP deserved to be in Hall of Fame discussions as his list of accolades grows. The native of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, also joined a special list of countrymen.
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With his seventh-inning stolen base, Altuve joined Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio, 11-time Gold Glove winner Omar Vizquel, Bobby Abreu, nine-time All-Star Dave Concepcion and Elvis Andrus as the only Venezuelans with 300 stolen bases in the majors.
“Imagine all the names that were just listed,” Altuve said. “I feel proud to represent my country and be part of the selective group.”
The two-time World Series champion made his major league debut with the Astros in 2011. He was famously overlooked by many clubs because of his stature when he tried to sign as an amateur free agent at 16 years old in Venezuela.
Altuve recently signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension through 2029. That deal basically makes him an Astro for life. If all goes as planned, he’ll join Biggio and Jeff Bagwell as club icons who played their entire careers in Houston.
The eight-time All-Star has accomplished so much in this game. Altuve, who will celebrate his 34th birthday on Monday, surely has the potential to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There are still more milestones ahead.
He is chasing 3,000 hits and 300 home runs and 1,000 RBIs. He joins Aparicio and Miguel Cabrera as the greatest Venezuelan players in MLB history. Altuve is arguably already ahead of Aparicio, and Cabrera is likely to be the next Venezuelan Hall of Famer in five years.
“Jose is an icon of our country,” Cleveland Guardians All-Star Andres Gimenez says of Altuve.
Ángel Cantú
Contributor
Our Esquina contributor Ángel Cantú is a co-host for the Full Seam Ahead podcast. He joined Teach for America after graduating from Texas A&M University. He is currently a fourth grade teacher at KIPP Public Schools in Houston.
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