Some Houston Astros star players are struggling this season, and that has been reflected in reduced player ratings in a popular video game. Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Altuve, George Springer lose top status on video game amid season struggles

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 8/15/20

Some Houston Astros star players are struggling this season, and that has been reflected in reduced player ratings in a popular video game.

“MLB The Show 20” assigns players overall ratings for the game. Anyone who has an 85-or-higher rating receives a diamond; 80-84 is gold; 75-79 is silver; and bronze is 65-74.

Due to their poor starts to the 2020 season, both Jose Altuve and George Springer have dropped from diamond ratings to gold ones.

Altuve was the No. 1-ranked second baseman prior to the start of the season, and his 85 rating made him the only diamond-quality player at the position. With an 85 ranking, Springer also had diamond status. For context, Mike Trout received the highest overall rating at 95, and the next highest players were Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer at 92.

Springer has dropped to an 83 as of the most recent game update, while Altuve is an 82.

Both Springer and Altuve have lost their diamond ratings in MLB The Show pic.twitter.com/kNuSnAWdJE

— 2020 Astros Shame Tour (@AsteriskTour) August 15, 2020

The ratings drops make sense given how the players have performed this year.

Springer is batting .189/.338/.377 this season. Altuve is batting .171/.244/.305 and has been dropped to the seventh spot in the team’s lineup. Some fans have a very good idea about the reason for the players’ struggles, though the solid play from Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, Carlos Correa and Michael Brantley runs contrary to the popular theory.

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

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