Is Jose Altuve the Best Baseball Player in the Majors?

Jose Altuve
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The Houston Astros are 42-63, second worst in the major leagues. They have a run differential of -107 and their hitters have the second most strikeouts of any team. Astros' pitchers have the third worst ERA (4.47) and WHIP (1.41) in the majors. They are on their way to their sixth straight losing season and possibly their fourth straight 100+ loss season. There have been few bright spots on the Astros in these last few years. One of those bright spots has been Jose Altuve, an unheralded prospect who is leading the major leagues in hitting and made his second All-Star Game this year. While Mike Trout, Troy Tulowitzki, Jonathan Lucroy, and other star players are being discussed as MVP, Altuve is not being heavily considered. However, he may be the best player in the league this year.

Altuve is 5'6", 175 pounds, so he is never going to be a man who hits many home runs, but he can hit the ball with the best of them. He is currently hitting .344, which is first in the MLB. He has 148 hits, most in the majors, with 30 doubles, tied for fourth in the majors. He has also only struck out 39 times and has averages one strikeout per eleven at-bats, which is third best in the league. Not only is he raking at the plate, but he is also making a fantastic baserunner. He is second in the majors in stolen bases with 42, and has only been caught five times. 

Defensively, Altuve has been good. He is second in the majors in putouts (192), assists (295), and double plays turned (72). His 4.98 range factor per nine innings is fourth in the league. Some other advanced defensive metrics have Altuve as a middle of the pack second baseman, but he still very good defensively. 

The sabermetrics are not very high on Altuve. His fWAR is 3.6, which is 19th the majors, and his rWAR is 3.9, which is 22nd. With his production this year, I would think they would be higher. His secondary average is not in the top 75 and his 1.6 win probability added is 44th in the majors. He is top ten in a few sabermetrics. He is fifth in the league in offensive runs above replacement level, eighth in the majors in runs created with 77, and first in runs above replacement level. 

Jose Altuve
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Altuve has been great this season. His combination of hitting and speed has not been seen in the majors in the last few seasons. The problem with Altuve is he is on one of the worst teams in the majors who may lose 100+ games for the fourth straight season. That is the reason Altuve is not in the MVP race. While most sabermetrics do not due Altuve justice for his production, he should be put into the best baseball players of the year category. He is not the best, but he is playing exceptionally and should be rewarded for it. He is a player that plays the game with a lot of heart and does the little things exceptionally well. Altuve is in elite tier of second baseman and should be there for a long time.