Astros Figuring Out Greatest Unknown Could Be Key to Successful Season

The Houston Astros greatest unknown entering the season being figured out will lead to success on the field.

Mar 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Jose Altuve (27) is unable to catch a fly ball by New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (not pictured) during the first inning at Daikin Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros made several highly publicized moves during the MLB offseason.

Franchise cornerstones were on the move with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and third baseman Alex Bregman both leaving in free agency, agreeing to deals with the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox.

Two trades were made with the Chicago Cubs that garnered a lot of attention. Right fielder Kyle Tucker was moved in arguably the biggest blockbuster of the winter, and a few weeks later, veteran relief pitcher Ryan Pressly was also dealt.

But the thing people talked about the most once spring training got underway was what the team did with Jose Altuve.

A nine-time All-Star who has started 1,765 games at second base in the Major Leagues not logging a single inning anywhere else defensively, was being moved to left field.

Originally, the idea was floated when the Astros thought they had a shot at bringing Bregman back. With Isaac Paredes in the fold courtesy of the Tucker trade, some shuffling of the defensive alignment was going to be needed.

Alas, Bregman moved on, but the idea remained, and Altuve spent the entire spring working on his craft as a left fielder.

It has been an adventure, to say the least, as he learns a brand new position.

And that is the greatest unknown that has to be figured out by the team this year; Can he actually handle left field?

“Altuve has shown the athleticism to handle the position but dropped a pair of fly balls in Grapefruit League and mistimed a jump at the wall on another, so the book is still out on whether he can be a viable option in left field,” Brian McTaggart of MLB.com wrote.

His shortcomings defensively will be a little easier to handle if he can continue producing at a high level at the plate. The move was partially done to get some more production out of the outfield, which was a weakness before Tucker was traded away.

If he is too much of a detriment in the outfield, the team will have to seek other options who can help fill the void in the grass.

Houston is taking a massive risk with how their team is currently built, as Altuve isn’t even the least experienced outfielder on the Opening Day roster.

That title would go to Cam Smith, the crown jewel of the return package from the Cubs in the Tucker blockbuster.

A first-round pick in the 2024 MLB draft as a third baseman, he has been playing right field for about three weeks. With his torrid production at the plate in spring training, the team named him their Opening Day right fielder.

Their outfield defense, in general, is the biggest unknown.

If Altuve and Smith can handle themselves adequately and hit as well as they are capable of, it will keep the team in the playoff race.

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