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Despite top prospect Jacob Melton arriving at the major league level, the plan remains for Jose Altuve to remain the primary left fielder for the Houston Astros. Primary in the sense that when Altuve is in the Astros' starting lineup, it will often be as the team's left fielder, but he will continue to get spot starts at second base while also serving as a designated hitter in some games.
While Altuve, as the Astros see it, will be a left fielder, if he is selected for Major League Baseball's All-Star game this season, it will be as a second baseman. When the fan voting for the All-Star game opened this past week, Altuve was listed as a second baseman despite most of his starts this season being as a left fielder.
The decision to list Altuve as a second baseman has no impact on the Astros' plans this season, but Houston is likely trying to get the 9-time All-Star his 10th appearance in the Midsummer Classic.
Astros might be gaming the All-Star voting process to help Jose Altuve
For reference, entering play on Tuesday, Altuve has 32 games at left field this season, 14 games at second base, and 14 games as the Astros' designated hitter. Also, a fun fact while we're on the subject, FanGraphs still lists Altuve as a second baseman despite his left field run this season.
Overall, in 255 plate appearances this season, Altuve is slashing .264/.310/.404/101 wRC+. In other words, it hasn't been the typical All-Star season that Astro fans have come to expect from Altuve, but given that the All-Star game serves as a popularity contest, the former MVP certainly has a chance.
When you look at the other second basemen that Altuve is competing with for votes--Ernie Clement, Gleyber Torres, Brandon Lowe, and Jackson Holliday--chances are the Astros' star would be the leading candidate among fans given the name recognition. Given that the outfield vote would include top names at each of the three outfield positions, Altuve would likely have a blocked path toward appearing in the All-Star game next month.