Jose Altuve

My name is Jose Altuve, and I play for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball. I am currently the shortest active Major League Baseball player, and the active batting champion. I have won the batting title two years in a row now, and hope to win it again this season. My journey to the Major Leagues was not easy by any means, and I worked hard to get to where I am today. When I was younger, I grew up in a poor Venezuelan village, and didn't have a baseball of my own. Every day me and my father would try and scrounge up a baseball or two from local players or games, and once we got one, we would go to the field for batting practice. Having one ball wasn't the best thing ever, because if I hit a foul ball and we couldn't get it, we would have to go home for the day. I worked hard and practiced as much as I could. One day, the Houston Astros were holding a tryout camp close to me. I saw that as my chance to do what I loved, so I tried out. Unfortunately though, I was cut. I was devastated. Was everything that I had trained for and practiced to be for nothing? I needed a lot of encouragement from my dad, but he eventually got through to me, and I returned the next year, and luckily for me, the Astros gave me a chance. They signed me to a low level baseball team within their organization with a fifteen thousand dollar signing bonus. I worked my way through the ranks, hitting over three hundred in every league I was called up to. I was playing Double A ball, still hitting over that three hundred mark, when the Astros called me up to pay in a game with them. I tied a franchise record with getting a hit in my first seven games of my career, and my first home run was actually and inside the park home run. I continue to hit as well as I did when I was in the minor leagues, and I am a key part to the Houston Astros team.

Jose Altuve may not have saved lives, or jumped fearlessly into a burning building to look for survivors, but he is a hero to many people. His small stature is extremely small for the average baseball player, and yet he is one of the best players in all of the Major Leagues. He's an all star, a batting champion, and lead a star studded Astros team into the playoffs last year. They unfortunately lost the series three games to two to the Kansas City Royals, who would go on to win the World Series that year. His small size paired with his immense success in such a pristine league is a huge inspiration to anyone who thinks that just because they're small, that they can't do what they want to in life, or they can't play the sport that they want. Jose Altuve is a living example that anyone can do anything no matter how small you are, or what background you have. Growing up, he lived in a poor Venezuelan village, where he and his dad would practice everyday, sometimes with just one ball. He tried out for the Astros, but got cut the first time around. It took a lot of convincing from his father, but he went back next year, and they gave him a chance. He got signed to a low level in the minor leagues, and his career started. He moved through the ranks fast, hitting over three hundred in every league that he was in, and got called up to play for the Astros when he was in Double A Ball.

Q: Why did you go back the next year after being cut? A: My dad convinced me to. I came back after they told me to go home, and although it took a lot of convincing, my dad finally got through to me and convinced me they had made a mistake cutting me. Q: Who is your personal hero? A: My dad definitely. Throughout my childhood, he would sacrifice his own time to help me practice my skills on the diamond, even if that meant only having one ball every day and having to go and retrieve it every time I hit it when we took batting practice. Q: Is your height still a problem for you today? A: It's more of a problem for the pitchers pitching to me. I'm the smallest target in all of baseball right now, it can be hard to hit your spots on the mound when the strike zone is so small Q: Do you think you're the best second baseman in the MLB? A: I can't really say that I am, there is so many in the game that it's hard for me to put myself on that pedestal with the best in the game. Q: What charity work have you done? A: I've gone into the inner city and helped inspire inner city kids to follow their dreams, and a charity ball not too long ago. Q: Do you think you'll ever win a World Series? A: I would hope to win at least won by the time my career is over, but who knows when that will be. Q: How does it feel to win back to back Batting Titles? A: It's a dream come true. To have the best batting average two years in a row in the American League is such a blessing. Q: How does it feel to know you're now a role model to so many young players out there? A: It's truly an honor to have so many young players look up to me. It's especially an honor to know some minor league players look up to me as well. Q: Do you keep in touch with your old Venezuelan village? A: Of course. I go back every off season and I catch up with my family and friends. We play broom ball, with a broom handle, and bottle caps. It's very hard, but it helps out with your contact a lot. Q: How does it feel to play baseball everyday, and live the dream of so many people? A: I mean, I'm literally living the dream. There's no real words to describe it. It's just simply amazing.