Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
In the super exciting first season the American League for the Houston Astros, not everything is looking to be successful. That is not the case at second base however. Young phenom José Altuve shined last season in his first full season at the MLB level. Now going into his second full season, Altuve looks to be poised for a breakout season at second.
In 2012 he came through with a .290 batting average, .340 on base percentage and .399 slugging percentage. He legged out four triples, 34 doubles and stole a very impressive 33 bases. His power isn’t incredible, but for a speedy second baseman, the seven bombs are bonus at this point. His 37 runs batted in don’t seem like much, but he isn’t usually knocking runs in because he is usually the one on the bases. Last season he scored 80 runs.
Those numbers were enough for an All-star nod in 2012. His main breakout season could be his sophomore full season bid in 2013. I would look for his average to top the .300 mark, more homers and more RBI. Stolen bases will be a huge plus for the young Astros team and Altuve is great at that. Look for him to be in the top five in the league for swiped bags. Every part of this Astros season might not be very fun to watch, but José Altuve should be.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
