Astros: Jose Altuve’s fifth consecutive 200 hit campaign in jeopardy

Due to his three week stint on the DL, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve may not reach 200 hits this season.

Earlier this season I predicted that reigning A.L. MVP, Astros’ Jose Altuve will reach 200 hits to make it five consecutive hit seasons landing him on the list with Ichiro Suzuki who accomplished that from 2006-2010 with the Seattle Mariners. Suzuki went on to have the most 200+ consecutive hit seasons with ten from 2001-2010.

Altuve currently holds the active record for most hits in consecutive seasons with 999 through five straight seasons, and 2018 isn’t done yet. And as it stands, he will remain the hit leader for that rolling time frame after this season concludes.

Not one for personal achievements

Altuve does not come off as a player who’s all about individual accomplishments. He is a team player and lived up to his MVP status thanking everyone who helped him get there and making the team better. According to MLB.com, his 8.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) was the highest in the league last season.

He missed twenty-one games after landing on the DL on July 26^th with a knee injury and returning on August 21^st. According to baseball reference, Altuve currently has 154 hits and batting .318 on the season. And despite missing all that time, he is still only second in hits to Alex Bregman (162) on the team. So there is no doubt in my mind he would have surpassed the 200 hit mark.

I don’t think the possibility of not reaching 200 hits this season is bothering him. It just would be great to witness that for him and the Astros franchise. He is currently in his eighth season and shows no signs of slowing down.

So, you’re saying there’s a chance?

With 154 hits and sixteen games left, Altuve will roughly need 2.875 hits per game to reach 200, thus making it five consecutive seasons with 200 or more hits, the first to do that since Suzuki.

Since his return on August 21^st, Altuve had seven multi-hit games. He is also currently on a six-game hit streak. Therefore, there is a slight chance he can get there. He will just need a bunch of 3 hit games. Now, that would be fun to watch.

Either way, we are glad he is back and healthy. Achievement or not, he is ready for to post-season and so are we.

Stats courtesy of baseball-reference and MLB.com ***