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Ranking the Astros Hall of Fame Candidates From The Dynasty Era: Part 3

By Alec Brown |
World Series - Houston Astros v Philadelphia Phillies - Game Five
World Series - Houston Astros v Philadelphia Phillies - Game Five / Elsa/GettyImages
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The Astros’ golden era of baseball has been filled with greatness, both on a team level and an individual level. We’re spoiled to be living in this era of Astros baseball. It’s easy to fall into expecting a World Series ring at the end of each season, but when one takes a step back and examines this era from afar, the magnitude of their success begins to sink in. 

Multiple players from their dynasty will be enshrined in Cooperstown one day. Some will wear Astros’ caps and others won’t. 

In light of the election announcement this week, we’re going to take a look at the most deserving candidates, from the no doubters to the deserving dependent upon voters view of the scandal. We’ll look at the health dependent and the too early to tell, but they’re on track. And lastly, we’ll look at the just missed, the Hall of Greatness. 

We took a look at the no doubt candidates in part one. In part two, we took a look at the health dependent candidates. Now in part three, we'll look at the two candidates that already have the necessary resume, but may be most marred by the 2017 scandal fallout.

League Championship Series - New York Yankees v Houston Astros - Game Six
League Championship Series - New York Yankees v Houston Astros - Game Six / Elsa/GettyImages

Jose Altuve

The Astros have two players more than deserving of Cooperstown, but the fallout from 2017 and the voters’ viewpoint on their “transgressions” could be the deciding factor on their enshrinement. Jose Altuve and Carlos Beltrán both have Hall of Fame worthy resumes. 

Let's start with Altuve. He’s still in his prime and racking up accolades, but his numbers speak for themselves. He’s an 8x All-Star, a 6x Silver Slugger and won the 2017 MVP. He’s won three batting titles and should cross the 2,000 hit threshold this season, with 3,000 in his sights from there. 

Altuve holds a .307 career batting average and should blow past 400 doubles (with 500 a possibility) and 300 stolen bases for his career. 

On the backs of just the regular season, he’s a Hall of Famer. When October is factored in, he should be a lock. For his playoff career, Altuve is hitting .271 with an .844 OPS. His 23 home runs rank second all-time and assuming the Astros continue to make playoff runs for another few years, he’ll likely retire as the all-time leader. He’s got an ALCS MVP to his name after his walk-off in 2019 to send the Astros to the World Series. 

Every part of Altuve’s career screams Hall of Fame. He’s well on his way to building a first ballot case. Fans have unfairly punished him, though he didn't partake in the sign-stealing scandal. Now it will come down to how the voters see it and the fallout from 2017 on his legacy. They too could choose to unjustifiably punish Altuve.

World Series - Workout Day - Dodger Stadium
World Series - Workout Day - Dodger Stadium / Justin Heiman/GettyImages

Carlos Beltrán

Now for the candidate currently eligible for enshrinement, Carlos Beltrán. Carlos fell short of election in his first year on the ballot. He’s one of five players ever with 500 doubles, 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases. He’s in the top ten all-time among center fielders in WAR. His playoff OPS for his career was over 1.000, and who can forget his right home runs in 2004 with the Astros? 

Beltrán is the lone switch-hitter, and one of six total players, in MLB history with 2,500 hits, 300 home runs (435 for his career) and 300 stolen bases. 

Scandal or no scandal, which came in the last year of his playing days, Beltrán deserves enshrinement. He received 46.5% of the vote in his first year on the ballot, giving hope that he will one day be voted in. 

That said, Beltrán was one of the ringleaders of the scandal and helped come up with the sign-stealing scheme. He's a no-doubt, slam dunk candidate without the scandal. Had he retired rather than played the 2017 season, he still clears 500 doubles, 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases for his career.

This decision shouldn't be a tough one. Elect Carlos Beltrán into the baseball Hall of Fame.

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