HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- After a poor regular season and uneven postseason, Astros general manager James Click said Monday he expects Jose Altuve to bounce back and return to form in 2021.
In a short regular season Altuve finished with a career-low .629 OPS, which was ninth worst among the 142 batter with enough plate appearances to qualify. His .219 batting average was also a career-low. To make matters worse his 18.6 percent strikeout rate was the worst of his career, and he swung at more pitches out of the strike zone than in any season since he was a rookie in 2011.
“We had high hopes for Jose in the regular season, and I think he'd be the first to say that he didn't perform up to the level that he wanted to perform at or expected to perform at,” Click said.
The good news for Altuve and the Astros is that his bat woke up once the calendar turn to October. Following a hitless series in the Wild Card Round against the Twins, Altuve batted .439/.549/.854 in 11 games against the A’s and Rays. He hit five homers and finished with seven multi-hit games.
“We saw the player that we all know that he is (in the playoffs). Offensively, it was it really impressive to watch.”
However, Altuve’s postseason wasn’t all roses. He committed a pair crucial errors that helped the Rays win games two and three of the American League Championship Series. He played a clean second base from that point on and Click says he liked the way Altuve played through his struggles.
“I was really impressed by the fact that he didn't take (his defense) with him to the plate, and he didn't let that affect the rest of his game.”
Altuve is the longest tenured member of the Astros and will turn 31 years old in May. His 2020 season may not have gone as plan, but according to Click, the Astros believe he will return to his MVP form in 2021.
“We are 100 percent confident that those blips are behind him,” Click said. “He is going to come back next year, I'm sure, as the elite offensive and defensive player that we know he is.”