Jose Altuve - thoughts

[G-Snarls]

Jose Altuve is a f'n beast

 

Is he the second best player in baseball after Trout? And is it actually close/debateable now??

 

He has maybe the most team-friendly contract in all of baseball

 

2014 (age 24) $1,500,000 - 5.1 WAR

2015 (age 25) $2,500,000 - 4.6 WAR

2016 (age 26) $3,500,000 - 6.8 WAR

2017 (age 27) $4,500,000 - 7.5 WAR

2018 (age 28) $6,000,000

2019 (age 29) $6,500,000

 

He's gotten better every year since 2015... don't even know what his ceiling is now.

 

If you're the Astros do you do a mutually beneficial solid and beef up those last 2 contract years in exchange for buying out 2-3 more years starting in 2020? It seems like something you could pull off and have both sides be happy

[Krylian]

He's good

[Olerud363]

Jose Altuve is a f'n beast

 

Is he the second best player in baseball after Trout? And is it actually close/debateable now??

 

He has maybe the most team-friendly contract in all of baseball

 

2014 (age 24) $1,500,000 - 5.1 WAR

2015 (age 25) $2,500,000 - 4.6 WAR

2016 (age 26) $3,500,000 - 6.8 WAR

2017 (age 27) $4,500,000 - 7.5 WAR

2018 (age 28) $6,000,000

2019 (age 29) $6,500,000

 

He's gotten better every year since 2015... don't even know what his ceiling is now.

 

If you're the Astros do you do a mutually beneficial solid and beef up those last 2 contract years in exchange for buying out 2-3 more years starting in 2020? It seems like something you could pull off and have both sides be happy

 

Josh Donaldson has been better over the last 3 years, and 5 years. And their WAR/162 was really close this year.

 

As of a random day in 2017 I think one would have to say Josh Donaldson is a better player. A random day in 2015 or 2016, Josh Donaldson was clearly the better player.

 

However looking ahead, Altuve is likely to be better, given he is 5 years younger, and entering his peak, Donaldson is leaving his.

[G-Snarls]

Josh Donaldson has been better over the last 3 years, and 5 years. And their WAR/162 was really close this year.

 

As of a random day in 2017 I think one would have to say Josh Donaldson is a better player. A random day in 2015 or 2016, Josh Donaldson was clearly the better player.

 

However looking ahead, Altuve is likely to be better, given he is 5 years younger, and entering his peak, Donaldson is leaving his.

 

And Donaldson is going to get paid 20M++ per season for a while now

 

Altuve is a crazy bargain

 

They're both perennial MVP caliber guys when healthy

[G-Snarls]

Starting a new team today and you can poach any player you want (so age matters) I'd be hard pressed to pick between Trout, Altuve, Stanton, Harper, Machado and Lindor

 

...

 

but I probably still go with Trout LOL

Edited October 6, 2017 by G-Snarls

[AdamGreenwood]

Jose Altuve is a f'n beast

 

Is he the second best player in baseball after Trout? And is it actually close/debateable now??

 

He has maybe the most team-friendly contract in all of baseball

 

2014 (age 24) $1,500,000 - 5.1 WAR

2015 (age 25) $2,500,000 - 4.6 WAR

2016 (age 26) $3,500,000 - 6.8 WAR

2017 (age 27) $4,500,000 - 7.5 WAR

2018 (age 28) $6,000,000

2019 (age 29) $6,500,000

 

He's gotten better every year since 2015... don't even know what his ceiling is now.

 

If you're the Astros do you do a mutually beneficial solid and beef up those last 2 contract years in exchange for buying out 2-3 more years starting in 2020? It seems like something you could pull off and have both sides be happy

 

My thought is that he is better than Matt Harvey.

[Boxcar]

Starting a new team today and you can poach any player you want (so age matters) I'd be hard pressed to pick between Trout, Altuve, Stanton, Harper, Machado and Lindor

 

...

 

but I probably still go with Trout LOL

 

Why would you be hard pressed? Trout is still the clear best player in the game and and no one is close.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2017&month=0&season1=2012&ind=0&team=&rost=&age=&filter=&players=

[Laika]

Hmmmm I think Kris Bryant is slightly better

[Terminator]

Why would you be hard pressed? Trout is still the clear best player in the game and and no one is close.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2017&month=0&season1=2012&ind=0&team=&rost=&age=&filter=&players=

 

Yeah it's not like you can rank them like the following and then say it's a toss up simply because first isn't that far off from third.

1. Trout

2. Bryant

3. Altuve

 

It's more accurate to think of how you would rank them like this:

1. Trout

....

....

....

....

....

....and so on

2. Bryant

3. Altuve

[Boxcar]

Harper deserves to be up there, too, if Stanton is.

[TheHurl]

They are basically the same age (exactly 1 month apart). if you were offered both Rendon and Altuve (at the same salary), would you snap decision say Altuve?

 

I'm saying Trout, Harper, Bryant ... then a host of others with Altuve in there.

[SaskJaysFan_2]

Short. Really great at baseball.

 

I don't get why height is a big deal for position players. It's not like a short player's muscles are smaller than a larger players. And typically they have a smaller strike zone and suffer from fewer back and ankle injuries.

[Jimcanuck]

Short. Really great at baseball.

 

I don't get why height is a big deal for position players. It's not like a short player's muscles are smaller than a larger players. And typically they have a smaller strike zone and suffer from fewer back and ankle injuries.

 

taller players have more extension which increases bat speed

 

all else being equal the more height the more power

[SaskJaysFan_2]

taller players have more extension which increases bat speed

 

all else being equal the more height the more power

 

There's a correlation, certainly, but it's not for shizzle. My father-in-law is 5'9" and I'll bet he was still throwing 85 mph at 60. I am 6'2" and topped out at 84 mph at the Canada Games back in the day. I remember reading that forearm length is a big factor in pitching speed. And you can be short, like my father-in-law, but have monkey arms and toss bullets.

 

That's all pitching talk, not batting, but the same notions may juxtapose to hitting mechanics, extension, and so on. I can easily make the case that tall hitters have less balance and are prone to lower BAs and OBP.

 

Anyway, pitchers like Stroman and hitters like Altuve really intrigue me because they buck the short guy stereotype.

 

But it's an interesting topic.

[TheHurl]

There was a 4 part fangraphs series on the topic of size and hitting search it and read it

[Jimcanuck]

There was a 4 part fangraphs series on the topic of size and hitting search it and read it

 

Don't need to, been following baseball since the days of The Bird.

[SaskJaysFan_2]

Don't need to, been following baseball since the days of The Bird.

 

I don't get why you don't have a job in baseball with all your knowledge.

[Jimcanuck]

I don't get why you don't have a job in baseball with all your knowledge.

 

don't need a job

[SaskJaysFan_2]

don't need a job

 

It'd be so great to harness all your baseball knowledge though. Consider a career change.

[Omar]

taller players have more extension which increases bat speed

all else being equal the more height the more power

 

Golfers with longer arms have slower swing speeds as do ball players relative to shorter players generally. The taller players generally have more mass and thus increase torque at their joints. The fangraphs article referred by TheHurl would serve you well.

 

Also,

 

https://www.tutelman.com/golf/swing/tallGolfer.php

 

Why Do Tall Golfers Hit It Further

The reason taller golfers hit it farther is mostly because their size provides a frame for more muscle and larger lever arms at the joints. The rest of it -- larger arc, more massive body -- reduces clubhead speed,

[Jimcanuck]

Golfers with longer arms have slower swing speeds as do ball players relative to shorter players generally. The taller players generally have more mass and thus increase torque at their joints. The fangraphs article referred by TheHurl would serve you well.

 

Also,

 

https://www.tutelman.com/golf/swing/tallGolfer.php

 

Why Do Tall Golfers Hit It Further

The reason taller golfers hit it farther is mostly because their size provides a frame for more muscle and larger lever arms at the joints. The rest of it -- larger arc, more massive body -- reduces clubhead speed,

 

definitely easier to be good at hitting a golf ball if you are short, but taller players once they learn to control their swing generally have a significant advantage in length from longer radii and longer swing path to generate velocity

 

shorter players like sergio and rickie fowler get their length from insane clubhead lag