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Astros Facing Jose Altuve Decision After Latest Ranking

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated May 9, 2025 5:22 PM ET

The baseball outfield is an unforgiving place, and it's not for everyone. Especially not a star infielder like former Astros second baseman Jose Altuve.

The nine-time All-Star struggled at second base in 2024, posting a -1 WAR at the position, but the team decided to outright remove him from second - where he made 1,749 starts prior to 2025, and put him in left field.

Altuve stated in Spring Training that the move allowed the team more flexibility in the wake of the Kyle Tucker-Cubs trade, which he was happy to do as a veteran.

Over a month into the season, the move just doesn't make a lot of sense, with a new stat raising eyebrows on Altuve's defense.

Jose Altuve has crossed the minimum throws threshold to rank him in arm strength.

He ranks last in MLB among outfielders with an average velocity of 79.1 MPH. pic.twitter.com/giHIZ2CreE
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) May 9, 2025

Among 92 outfielders, the 35-year-old Altuve's 79.1 mph average velocity is the lowest rank. The league average, according to Baseball Savant, is 87.2 mph for left fielders.

Altuve's defensive WAR is -0.8, which dragged his overall WAR down to -0.6 for 2025.

The Astros, sitting at 18-18 and third in the AL West, are clearly in need of a decision on where Altuve plays. Yordan Alvarez is entrenched at designated hitter, and outfield options are already very limited.

The option to move Mauricio Dubon back to left field seems like it would be the best option should the Astros decide to make a change. Dubon won a Gold Glove at the utility position in 2023 and was a positive defender in left field in 2024.

Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart stated that the current situation is that Altuve will start in left field in the shorter home alignment of Daikin Park but start elsewhere in bigger parks like Coors Field, Camden Yards and Comerica Park.

Altuve's defense has slipped in recent years, and the Astros will have to mull over yet another decision to get back to their competitive ways.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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