Jose Altuve attended a tryout camp in Maracay, Venezuela, when he was 16, with high hopes of signing a professional contract with the Astros organization. Well, he tried to attend, at least.
Team personnel sent him home. They didn't believe he was 16 because of his short stature and childlike appearance. Major league teams are prohibited from signing international free agents before they turn 16. (The Phillies signed Sammy Sosa out of the Dominican Republic when he was 15; Major League Baseball later voided the contract.)
Altuve persisted, however, and returned the next day with his birth certificate. He left the tryout with a $15,000 signing bonus and a minor league contract.
Now, the 5-5 second baseman is all but a lock to be chosen American League MVP this year. He leads the league in hits (183), stolen bases (31), batting average (.351), OPS+ (166), rWAR (7.3), fWAR (6.4), wOBA (.409) and wRC+ (161). He is well on his way to becoming the first player in baseball history to lead either league in hits outright in four straight seasons.
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Fun-sized fact: Altuve will likely become the shortest player with four straight 200-hit seasons since "Wee" Willie Keeler did it in eight from 1894 to 1901. He has already become the shortest player with consecutive 20-homer seasons since the 5-6 Hack Wilson had five straight from 1926 to 1930.
Altuve, now 27, is building an incredible career, and he continues to improve. Check out his year-by-year slash lines, OPS+, wRC+ and rWAR (2017 stats through Sept. 6):
| YEAR | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS+ | wRC+ | rWAR |
| 2011 | .276 | .297 | .357 | 81 | 80 | 0.7 |
| 2012 | .290 | .340 | .399 | 101 | 102 | 1.4 |
| 2013 | .283 | .316 | .363 | 89 | 84 | 1.0 |
| 2014 | .341 | .377 | .453 | 135 | 137 | 6.1 |
| 2015 | .313 | .353 | .459 | 125 | 124 | 4.5 |
| 2016 | .338 | .396 | .531 | 155 | 151 | 7.6 |
| 2017 | .351 | .412 | .557 | 166 | 164 | 7.3 |
After 962 career games, Altuve has put together a skill set that is garnering earnest comparisons to some of the game’s greatest hitters. He has 1,229 career hits, which is four fewer than what Tony Gwynn had through 962 career games — and Mr. Padre was nearly two years older at the time of his 962nd career games. Derek Jeter had three more hits than Altuve through his first 962 games, but Mr. November played his 962nd at nearly six months older than Altuve.
Perhaps the most compelling comparison of all is to the Hit King.
Altuve has a career slash line of .317/.362/.453 to go with those 1,229 hits in 962 games. Pete Rose was a .302/.361/.423 hitter through 962, but he had "just" 1,174 hits. He was also 310 days older than Altuve at the time of his 962nd career game.
This is not to say Altuve will match Rose's longevity — Rose registered a stout .354 on-base percentage in 728 games after his 40th birthday — nor is it to say he will one day be crowned Hit King, but it is safe to say he has a gambler’s chance. It would be extremely silly to bet against him at least joining the 3,000-hit club.