Jose Altuve reminded Astros fans that transitioning to outfield is no small task

Jose Altuve's move to the outfield has been the talk of Houston Astros' camp this spring. Fans and experts alike have been debating the team's ideal alignment with Altuve on the grass, and what it could mean for the team's roster going forward.

Most agree that Altuve's experience and raw talent will be enough to make the transition to left field a successful one. Assuming Altuve continues to move around well, his skillset should translate well to playing in the relatively small left field at the newly-named Daikin Park.

That doesn't mean, however, that switching positions will be easy, even if Altuve has the talent to do so. It is going to take a lot of reps and when tested over the weekend, Altuve had mixed results.

Jose Altuve still has a lot of work to do to be ready to play in the outfield

On the plus side, Altuve did make a nice catch up against the wall while facing the Washington Nationals during Sunday's Grapefruit League game. Altuve has yet to get a lot of chances to make plays in the outfield, but it was nice to see him read the ball well off the bat and pull it down to secure the out.

However, the news was not all good. On a grounder that got through the infield, Altuve's throw home left a lot to be desired. It was up the third base line and the runner easily scored. When asked about the throwing error after the game, Altuve candidly shared that he is still learning the ropes.

Altuve explained, "That first throw was kind of tricky because it wasn’t like a normal base hit and long throw. It was like mid-distance so you don’t really know if you throw in the air or to the ground. But I think I’m going to learn and get better."

No one should be making too much of one bad throw in a spring training game, but it is something to keep an eye on. Altuve is going to have to show he can make a basic plays before Houston is willing to fully commit to him playing in left field.

While he's putting in the work and clearly has the right mindset about the move, this is a change that is going to take some time, and it sure seems like Altuve has a long way to go.

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