Astros fans may want to look the other way on this Jose Altuve prediction originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2025 season was a learning experience for Houston Astros veteran Jose Altuve. He was tasked with learning the outfield on the fly, a position he had never played during his MLB career.
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Altuve ended up playing 66 games at second base, 49 games at DH, and 47 games in left field. He would go on to struggle in left field, posting a -10 Defensive Runs Saved.
However, he is expected to return to being primarily a second baseman in 2026. That should be a relief for the veteran slugger, but there are some growing concerns about his game outside of his difficulties in the outfield last season.
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Astros fans may want to look the other way on this Jose Altuve prediction
While Altuve is returning to the infield, he is not getting any younger. He will be 36 years old early in the upcoming season.
Combine that with his offensive numbers last season, and Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter believes this could be a down year for Altuve offensively.
“Age and ugly batted-ball metrics make Altuve a prime candidate for a cliff season as he comes down the home stretch of his storied career. He ranked near the bottom of the leaderboard in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and bat speed, which could make it increasingly difficult to maintain his power production.”
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While Altuve did struggle with hard-hit rate, bat speed, and average exit velocity, he was still able to hit 26 home runs, the third-highest of his career.
His BABIP was also 40 points lower than his career average, suggesting he had a bit of bad luck on batted balls last season.
There are reasons why Altuve could have a good season or a bad season. It will be interesting to see how he comes out swinging during the 2026 season.
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