Since 2020, the Astros have been hated due to the signal theft scandal. Everywhere the guys go, they are hated.
It’s systematic.
Several important position players from those years are now elsewhere (like George Springer, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel or even Carlos Beltran)… and they are getting booed too.
But guys like Alex Bregman and – especially – Jose Altuve are still identified as the faces of the scandal. And they are still eating the smack.
But the guys don’t really care about that.
It has to get to them, obviously, but they know what to expect. And it must be said that the club, in the playoffs, thrives on boos and not the applause of Houston fans.
The Houston Astros know very well that Altuve is important to the club. He’s the one who gets up for the boys and often hits the big hit.
Think about Friday night’s game, in particular.
From what they say, if the Astros were to extend the contract of a single player between Altuve and Bregman (both free in a dozen months), Altuve would be the choice.
In short, he is adored.
As Jeff Passan notes, in Houston he is considered the face of the dynasty. He is the one guys look to for guidance.
And this, even if it doesn’t make people happy elsewhere in the MLB.
We agree that without the scandal, Altuve would be one of the most popular players in baseball. It has a history that is easy to marvel at.
But OK. He made the decisions he made in the past…and he has to live with them. However, this does not prevent his teammates from respecting him to the highest degree.
