Predicting the Astros Opening Day Roster: Infield Edition

Houston Astros v St. Louis Cardinals
Houston Astros v St. Louis Cardinals / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
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Jose Altuve
World Baseball Classic Pool D Workout Day / Megan Briggs/GettyImages

Second Base: Jose Altuve

What even needs to be said about Jose Altuve? Anything behind his career statistics are basically fluff. Altuve won three batting titles from 2014-2017, led the league in total hits all four of those seasons, won the MVP in 2017, and yet somehow may be coming off of his most compete season in 2022. 

His 160 OPS+ tied for a career high and his 164 WRC+ were a career high. His 18 stolen bases in 2022 were his most since 2018, and more than his 2019-2021 totals combined. 25 may not be out of the question this year. With the bigger bases, look for the already aggressive on the basepaths Altuve to take even more chances this season.

A seventh Silver Slugger and even a top-MVP finish could be very much in play for the Astros leadoff hitter this season.