We're not going to get too ramped up about Jose Altuve - well, not anymore than we already have - but it's worth wondering about: What to do with Jose Altuve next?
First of all, don't expect Altuve's stop at Corpus to be brief before heading to Oklahoma City. It took 213 ABs of Altuve hitting .408 for the Astros to decide that maybe he was too good for the level of competition he was facing. 200 ABs at Corpus could take him to the middle of August, and that's given the possibility that he's completely lights out.
That said, it's a good opportunity for Altuve. Those currently on the roster with more than 10 games at 2B in Oklahoma City include Anderson Hernandez and Jose Vallejo.
Anderson Hernandez has done the best job, hitting .261/.315/.400, with 10 errors. Vallejo is hitting .228/.287/.278 in 33 games. Hernandez is hitting .308/.368/.519 against lefties, but .242/.293/.352 against righties. Minor League Baseball's website is kind of a prick, only letting me see Altuve's current splits - meaning, his 4ABs at Corpus last night, and not his Lancaster splits. But I'm guessing they're better than Anderson Hernandez' splits.
So there's an opening at OKC for a good second baseman, and by mid-August we could be seeing Altuve playing there.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
