JOSE ALTUVE
#1 AL BA Hitter at .357
April 20, 2016
“The Best of the Best”
Take a look at the 40 current batting average leaders in the 2016 American League season. Jose Altuve (.357 BA, 133 hits) is the leader in hits and 30 points up on David “Big Papi” Ortiz of the Red Sox for the BA leadership and he looks good to date to be well on his way to a second American League Batting title.
At the same time, take a look at the obvious. Altuve is the only member of the Houston Astros to qualify for member ship in the Top 40. You have to go all the way down the list to the player ranked # 48 to find Carlos Correa (.266 BA, 92 hits) as the next Astro – and to # 57 to find George Springer (.257, 98 hits) as the third man:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/league/al/qualified/true
As we feel sure you will also note, the Texas Rangers have 4 of their members among the Top 40 hitters for batting average.
The stretch run needs and possibilities for the Astros in 2016 raise the question, even if it sort of answers itself. – Do you see anyone out there among the best hitters for non-contending teams that would be worth a trade conversation – or are we looking at a list of MLB’s modestly talented best hitters that would still invite a mortgage on the farm as the cost of their acquisition?
The 40 AL Batting Average Leaders
Through the Afternoon Games of Wed., 7/20/16:
| RK | PLAYER | TEAM | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | WAR |
| 1 | Jose Altuve | HOU | 373 | 73 | 133 | 26 | 3 | 15 | 54 | 25 | 3 | 44 | 40 | .357 | .427 | .563 | .990 | 5.5 |
| 2 | David Ortiz | BOS | 309 | 45 | 101 | 34 | 1 | 23 | 75 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 45 | .327 | .421 | .667 | 1.088 | 3.7 |
| 3 | Xander Bogaerts | BOS | 378 | 68 | 121 | 22 | 0 | 11 | 59 | 11 | 3 | 34 | 62 | .320 | .377 | .466 | .843 | 2.7 |
| 4 | Mike Trout | LAA | 338 | 74 | 108 | 23 | 2 | 19 | 62 | 16 | 1 | 61 | 73 | .320 | .425 | .568 | .993 | 6.1 |
| 5 | Ian Desmond | TEX | 371 | 67 | 117 | 22 | 2 | 17 | 57 | 16 | 3 | 30 | 98 | .315 | .369 | .523 | .892 | 3.8 |
| 6 | Yunel Escobar | LAA | 334 | 41 | 105 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 45 | .314 | .364 | .410 | .774 | 1.3 |
| 7 | Eduardo Nunez | MIN | 340 | 48 | 105 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 43 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 48 | .309 | .335 | .465 | .800 | 1.6 |
| 8 | Manny Machado | BAL | 360 | 63 | 111 | 30 | 0 | 19 | 54 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 70 | .308 | .366 | .550 | .916 | 4.2 |
| 9 | Josh Donaldson | TOR | 357 | 85 | 110 | 22 | 5 | 24 | 70 | 6 | 0 | 65 | 69 | .308 | .421 | .599 | 1.020 | 5.9 |
| 10 | Robinson Cano | SEA | 388 | 66 | 118 | 23 | 1 | 22 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 63 | .304 | .358 | .539 | .896 | 4.7 |
| RK | PLAYER | TEAM | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | WAR |
| 11 | Carlos Beltran | NYY | 319 | 46 | 97 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 61 | .304 | .343 | .555 | .898 | 1.4 |
| 12 | Mookie Betts | BOS | 406 | 75 | 123 | 25 | 4 | 18 | 60 | 16 | 1 | 25 | 58 | .303 | .343 | .517 | .860 | 4.2 |
| 13 | Melky Cabrera | CHW | 328 | 43 | 99 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 38 | .302 | .348 | .466 | .815 | 1.1 |
| 14 | Francisco Lindor | CLE | 361 | 67 | 108 | 20 | 1 | 12 | 49 | 13 | 4 | 35 | 56 | .299 | .358 | .460 | .818 | 3.9 |
| 15 | Eric Hosmer | KC | 355 | 49 | 106 | 19 | 1 | 13 | 51 | 4 | 1 | 32 | 77 | .299 | .356 | .468 | .824 | 1.6 |
| 16 | Nick Castellanos | DET | 349 | 47 | 104 | 21 | 4 | 17 | 52 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 89 | .298 | .337 | .527 | .864 | 2.0 |
| 17 | Danny Valencia | OAK | 272 | 41 | 81 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 65 | .298 | .349 | .478 | .827 | 0.5 |
| 18 | Elvis Andrus | TEX | 311 | 44 | 92 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 45 | 13 | 6 | 26 | 42 | .296 | .348 | .421 | .769 | 1.6 |
| 19 | Didi Gregorius | NYY | 318 | 41 | 94 | 18 | 1 | 11 | 41 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 40 | .296 | .328 | .462 | .791 | 1.6 |
| 20 | Jonathan Schoop | BAL | 350 | 51 | 103 | 25 | 1 | 16 | 54 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 76 | .294 | .327 | .509 | .836 | 2.5 |
| RK | PLAYER | TEAM | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | WAR |
| 21 | Dustin Pedroia | BOS | 367 | 58 | 108 | 21 | 1 | 9 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 40 | 49 | .294 | .363 | .431 | .793 | 3.0 |
| 22 | Jackie Bradley Jr. | BOS | 317 | 55 | 93 | 23 | 6 | 14 | 55 | 7 | 1 | 36 | 72 | .293 | .374 | .536 | .910 | 3.8 |
| 23 | Ian Kinsler | DET | 380 | 76 | 111 | 18 | 3 | 19 | 56 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 73 | .292 | .347 | .505 | .852 | 3.5 |
| 24 | Victor Martinez | DET | 333 | 38 | 97 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 53 | .291 | .339 | .486 | .825 | 1.0 |
| 25 | Jose Ramirez | CLE | 309 | 46 | 90 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 10 | 5 | 27 | 37 | .291 | .352 | .408 | .760 | 1.4 |
| 26 | Evan Longoria | TB | 368 | 51 | 107 | 26 | 2 | 22 | 54 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 87 | .291 | .338 | .552 | .890 | 2.9 |
| 27 | Lorenzo Cain | KC | 286 | 39 | 83 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 39 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 64 | .290 | .336 | .416 | .752 | 2.1 |
| 28 | Miguel Cabrera | DET | 356 | 50 | 103 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 68 | .289 | .366 | .494 | .861 | 2.2 |
| 29 | Stephen Vogt | OAK | 277 | 35 | 80 | 20 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 42 | .289 | .331 | .462 | .793 | 1.9 |
| 30 | Michael Saunders | TOR | 318 | 50 | 91 | 25 | 2 | 16 | 43 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 97 | .286 | .365 | .528 | .893 | 2.2 |
| RK | PLAYER | TEAM | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | WAR |
| 31 | Hanley Ramirez | BOS | 325 | 50 | 93 | 19 | 1 | 11 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 34 | 70 | .286 | .363 | .452 | .815 | 1.0 |
| 32 | Jason Kipnis | CLE | 365 | 53 | 104 | 19 | 4 | 16 | 52 | 7 | 2 | 32 | 84 | .285 | .343 | .490 | .834 | 2.1 |
| 33 | Mark Trumbo | BAL | 369 | 55 | 105 | 17 | 1 | 28 | 68 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 104 | .285 | .338 | .564 | .902 | 2.0 |
| 34 | Kole Calhoun | LAA | 352 | 61 | 100 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 49 | 2 | 3 | 41 | 69 | .284 | .363 | .438 | .800 | 2.0 |
| 35 | Nelson Cruz | SEA | 345 | 56 | 98 | 17 | 0 | 23 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 96 | .284 | .370 | .533 | .904 | 2.7 |
| 36 | Kyle Seager | SEA | 357 | 56 | 101 | 27 | 2 | 18 | 63 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 66 | .283 | .361 | .521 | .882 | 3.9 |
| 37 | Jed Lowrie | OAK | 293 | 26 | 82 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 56 | .280 | .331 | .345 | .676 | 0.1 |
| 38 | Nomar Mazara | TEX | 321 | 38 | 89 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 37 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 58 | .277 | .330 | .411 | .741 | 0.7 |
| 39 | Salvador Perez | KC | 311 | 37 | 86 | 19 | 2 | 14 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 77 | .277 | .314 | .486 | .800 | 3.0 |
| 40 | Rougned Odor | TEX | 355 | 60 | 98 | 18 | 3 | 17 | 48 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 75 | .276 | .295 | .487 | .783 | 1.0 |
Publisher, Editor, Writer
The Pecan Park Eagle
Houston, Texas
The Pecan Park Eagle 
July 21, 2016 at 1:46 pm |
Bill, you are correct in saying the Astros must have more solid hitters in the lineup. And despite what the “nouveau stats guys” say the batting average is still the best way to determine who can hit. Certainly someone who doesn’t hit near .300 but has TREMENDOUS power can have more value than a .300 punch hitter. But how many .260 hitters with tremendous power who don’t strike out 150-200 times come around? (Don’t use players like Correa or anyone on the Astros as examples. They aren’t. They have good power, but are not threats to hit 45 or more homers.) And for the Astros hitting .260 is good! Used to be .260 hitters all batted 8th and played a defensive-minded middle infield position. Now they can hit in the main spots in the lineup because others are hitting .185 or .210 or .220.
Folks those are the weak-hitting shortstop numbers or (horrors) what some pitchers can hit in the NL!
Hopefully for the Astros when Bregman comes up he will follow the Altuve model of 2011 and not the White or Reed sample. He will hit on the MLB level right away. Hopefully when Gourriel joins the club he will be able to turn MLB into just another Cuban League game.
Of course, it would also be nice if players like Castro, Rasmus, Gattis and Gomez could find the skills they once showed at the plate in MLB. Probably asking too much for all of them plus any newcomers to all get it together this year. But it sure would help and could lead this team to heights never reached before.