Inside the Astros

Is Jose Altuve Among the Worst Left Fielders to Ever Play in MLB?

The Houston Astros legend was recently named as the team's primary left fielder coming out of spring training.

Claire Boyer

Mar 2, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Jose Altuve (27) throws to home plate but cannot retire Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (not pictured) during the first inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Mar 2, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Jose Altuve (27) throws to home plate but cannot retire Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (not pictured) during the first inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada made it official on Wednesday. Jose Altuve will not start at second base for the Astros on opening day. Instead, Altuve will be in left field during their season opener on March 27.

Espada made no guarantees on how many starts Altuve would make in left field. He said a variety of factors would play into that decision from game to game. But, he emphasized that going into the season, left field would be Altuve's primary spot.

How beneficial will this change be for Houston, though?

Altuve — who has played second base his entire career in Houston — spent the majority of spring training learning how to play left field after the team approached him about changing positions this offseason. He's experienced some bumps despite his good attitude about the change.

On multiple occasions, Altuve has dropped routine fly balls, something the Astros cannot afford during regular season games. There is analytic evidence that his defense at second base has fallen off in recent years. But this change doesn't seem to be setting him up for success, at least not in the field.

The goal was to alleviate the issues he's been experiencing at second base, not create a whole new problem in the outfield, right?

In Espada's announcement on Wednesday, he commented on Altuve's recent run of mistakes, saying it's the "small stuff" that he has been struggling to grasp.

Altuve having issues throwing to the correct base following a catch (if he tracks it right), may be a bigger problem than Espada is making it out to be.

As Houston sees it, this shift will open up the infield for more flexibility. Espada recognizes that Altuve is a true team player, but will the Astros be able to succeed with a seasoned infielder playing in the outfield?

Altuve's spring games haven't given him a number of defensive opportunities, but the ones he has been given he hasn't taken full advantage of. His troubles with the ball slicing away from him, for example, will need to be tackled if he is to stay in left field.

It hasn't all been bad for Altuve in left field. There have been times in which he has shown great athleticism, including this catch as he tracked down a baseball in the gap.

His new position should give the Astros offensive depth in the batting lineup, but this shift can't be worth all of the trouble if Altuve's troubles persist in the regular season.

The Astros will have some major decisions to make in the remaining days of spring training, but this one seems baked in — for better or for worse.

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Claire Boyer
CLAIRE BOYER

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