By: DANIELA PEREZ LEAL / CHIEF A&E EDITOR
Houston Astros star Jose Altuve made his debut in left field against the St. Louis Cardinals at CACTI Park under the sun in Palm Beach on Feb. 28.
Fans and reporters were expecting a lot of action but the ball never made its way out to the Venezuelan player. He remained set in his position, trying to stay engaged while the activity stayed in the infield.
“Hopefully, next game is going to be more exciting,” Altuve expressed. “I felt like I was expecting a fly ball. It was good to know your position, get to see where the center field is playing and all that stuff.”
The 2017 AL MVP and the only player who has been with the Astros since they were in the National League has been playing almost his entire career at second base – 1,765 games to be exact. However, in an effort to keep Alex Bregman on the team, Altuve started his transition to the outfield.
Despite Bregman agreeing to a contract with the Boston Red Sox, Altuve is likely to remain in the outfield, according to manager Joe Espada.
“Right now the plan is for him to play the majority of his games in the left field,” he told the Houston Chronicle, adding that moving Altuve “back and forth is something that I am going to avoid.”
Despite his uneventful first game in the outfield, Altuve came back to action one more time on March 2 against the Washington Nationals. There, he finally had the opportunity to make two defensive plays.
The first one was not the best but he made up for it two innings later by snagging a potential hit from Keibert Ruiz at the warning track. That incredible play earned high-fives, smiles and applause from the Astros’s bullpen. Later, Altuve admitted that he was following the ball off Ruiz’s bat but he was not sure at the first moment if he would be able to make the play.
“I saw the ball and thought, ‘Ok, this is going to be interesting.’ I saw the ball, saw the fence, I knew they were getting close to each other,” he said. “The last second, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to catch it.’ So it was like boom-boom. The bullpen was cheering for me, They were helping me, too, saying, you’ve got room and all. It was great, I’m really happy about it.”
Espada was happy about the play, showing a big smile.
“I like the way he went back on that ball, good jump, good direction, he turned the right way and made a nice play against the fence.” Espada said. “He was really on time. The ball would have hit the fence, those are the things we’re looking for to be ready at contact, turning the back the right way, finding the fence and then making the play. That was a really good effort.”
The good times for Altuve continued against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 5, a game where Altuve made great catches during his time in the game. He also crushed his first homer of the spring which helped power the Astros over the Cardinals, 6-5.
Altuve has exclusively worked during this spring training as the left fielder. But after just a couple of games, it could be too early to have a clear idea about how good he will be in the position once the regular season begins. But even so, his positivity, effort and enthusiasm for the new challenge is encouraging for the Houston faithful.
Altuve is about to start his 15th MLB Season in a completely different scenario but he looks happy and thankful for all the support he has been getting from the team about his transition. This season will be different for him and probably one with many challenges but it is clear that Altuve is ready to do all he can to help his team win.
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