El Gigante : The José Altuve Story Pt. 1

Updated: Sep 18

Introduction

José Carlos Altuve was born on May 6, 1990 in Maracay, Venezuela. His mother, Lasterina Linares, and his father, Carlos Altuve, were both major inspirations to how Altuve developed his passion and drive to never give up in a series of rejections growing up playing baseball, a topic we will touch more on later. Altuve is currently listed as 5 feet 6 inches tall, and weighing 166 pounds, which makes him the shortest active player in the MLB. This makes his nickname of "El Gigante", meaning the giant, all the more hilarious. However, while Altuve's small stature may be the main first impression someone would make of him, there is so much more than what meets the eye with Altuve...

Early Childhood

When Altuve's mother was in labor with José at the hospital, his father was at the local Tigres de Aragua baseball game at Maracay's José Perez Colmenares Stadium. This fixation and passion his dad had for baseball, while his son was being born, would permeate throughout José's childhood.

(Image: Houston Chronicle)

In a local interview with Altuve's parents, his father, Carlos, described them putting their kids in sports "with the intention of them being healthy, to meet new people and learn something new." His mother went on to say "Santa Claus brought him a bat, ball and glove" and José would wait "religiously" everyday for his father to come home from work to play baseball with him. Even though his father would be exhausted, he never said no to his son as Altuve "was in love with the sport and that's why he's driven." Altuve was already well ahead of other kids his age in fundamentals of the game because his father was his teacher, and he was committed every day to help his child practice and grow in the sport he has fallen in love with.

At 7 years old, Altuve would meet fellow future Major Leaguer Salvador Pérez, catcher for the Kansas City Royals, The two have since formed a close relationship because of their roots from Venezuela and competing and starring together many times in the American League. Jose Altuve's hometown of Maracay is known for being a rich network of youth baseball leagues and schools that grow and mature young kids into talented stars. Other notable baseball players from Maracay include future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera, Miami Marlins first baseman Jesus Aguilar, and Chicago White Sox middle infielder Elvis Andrus.

Scouted and Signed by the Houston Astros

The Astros became the first Major League Baseball team to open a baseball academy in Venezuela in 1988. So, when they sent special assistant Al Pedrique down to Venezuela to perform some international scouting for the club, Altuve's energy, the way he swung the bat, and how he handled himself on the field is what caught the scout's eye. Ironically, the Astros strategic scouting plan was to look for big, physically strong guys, whereas Altuve does not meet either of those criteria. Also, Pablo Torrealba, another Astros scout down in Venezuela, repeatedly told Pedrique to not go by Altuve's size, "just let him play."

In the tryout the tryout they were holding in Venezuela for young players to be scouted, Altuve was originally one the 25 players rejected and told to go home the first day. But, Altuve was persistent and with his father's encouragement, he wanted to at least have another chance and came back the next day. That next day was when Pedrique arrived in Venezuela, coming from the Dominican Republic a day late because of a cancelled flight. Ultimately, he noted that Altuve was different in comparison to everybody else. The way José walked on the field and maintained composure, how quick his hands were, and being the fastest one at the 60-yard dash in his group were several things that made his talent recognizable beyond his size.

Andres Reiner, the person who ran the Astros Venezuelan academy would tell Pedrique to always have an open mind when evaluating players for the first time, and do not turn anybody down. Also he would go on to say "Give them a chance to get on the field. You never know." Altuve would go onto sign as an undrafted free agent in 2007 with the Astros as result of Al Pedrique convincing the the Astros' front office that he would have the strength, talent, and ability to eventually play in the Majors. It was a tough ask due to the generic first impression everyone makes of him, but José impressed in his evaluation in front of team officials and would sign a contract on March 6th of that year with a $21,000 bonus in today's money.

(Image Source: Front Row & Backstage)

In the 2007 Venezuelan Summer League, once Altuve's manager, Omar Lopez, gave him the chance to start consecutive games over the older players with more experience, he would go on to tear it up and only end up getting one off day a week. Altuve would go on to have a batting average of .343, showcasing his consistency and the ability to drive the ball to the gaps of the outfield was how he was able to garner the respect of everybody and make them look past his small size.

How Faith Plays a Major Role in Altuve's Success

In 2019, in an interview with CBN News, Jose Altuve mentioned that if God gave him the ability to play baseball, then He would want Jose to go all the way through and make it to the Major Leagues. Altuve thanks God for everything he has in baseball because the dream that he had growing up playing at the highest level possible in the sport is a reality now. Altuve was asked about how he is someone who's not supposed to be in the Majors because of his small size compared to the average height of a professional baseball player being 6 feet tall. His answer was simple: he prays to God before he leaves his house every day for his health, his family, the spectators in the stand each day, and that he and his team compete every single day no matter what the circumstances are.

(Image Source: CBN)

Altuve grew up knowing that Jesus went to the cross and died for us, which means baseball is ranked third on his list of his priorities in life. His family comes second, and then his faith has remained steadfast as his number priority ever since his parents instilled those values in him. Jose would go on to mention that all he has to worry about is his faith in God, and all the other little things will be put in order because of Altuve's belief in God.

What's Next?

Next Monday, September 25th, we'll cover Altuve's journey through the Minor Leagues and his Major League debut. Then, we'll look at the first few seasons of his career where he broke through and made a name for himself. Be sure to tune in!