Astros insider: How Jose Altuve put together one of his most complete seasons at the plate
Houston Astros Alex Bregman chats with Arizona Diamondback’s Brent Strom, former Astros pitching coach during batting practice before the start of an MLB baseball game at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 in Houston.One day this spring, Jose Altuve sat at his locker and lamented shortcomings so few watching him even saw. Altuve criticized his approach and bemoaned the absence of a “really, really good season.
“You go to 2019 and I think when I hit 30 or 40 points less, I got to a .900 . That’s what I describe as a good season for me. Obviously you want to do both — .900 and .300,”“I think .900 is the new .300 for batting average. I don’t want to say I don’t want to hit .300 — I do, I want to hit .400 — but 2019 was my last really, really good season.”Seven games separate Altuve from finishing something more than just a “really, really good season.
“Mentally, he knows what he needs to do right now. He has known for a long time, but he’s adjusting,” hitting coach Alex Cintrón said. “He’s working walks, not so much on hitting the ball out. He has 28 homers, but he’s not trying to hit homers like he was in the past.” Few will ever mistake Altuve for a patient hitter, but his ability to work deeper counts this season has been apparent. He is swinging less frequently than at any point in his career and entered Tuesday’s game seeing 3.84 pitches per plate appearance — more than any in his major league career. His walk rate has spiked to 11 percent after 11 seasons of never eclipsing 9.7 percent.