Rookie second baseman Jose Altuve continues to impress Astros manager Brad Mills with the overall body of work and improvement he demonstrates on a daily basis since having his contract purchased by the organization on July 19 from Double-A Corpus Christi.
Altuve, 21, enters Friday night's game at San Francisco with a .305 batting average on the season -- good for third in the majors behind outfielder Desmond Jennings (.342) and first baseman Jesus Guzman (.331) among rookies with at least 100 plate appearances.
It hasn't taken long for the youngster to become a fan favorite in Houston due to the passion and winning attitude he brings to the field.
Mills pinpoints Altuve's approach, instincts and ability to make adjustments at such a young age as contributing factors to his early success.
"We knew quite a bit about him since we saw him in Spring Training a couple of years ago," Mills said. "It's just a matter of letting this kid develop. He has hit everywhere he's gone. He has made adjustments at every level, starting this year in A ball and coming all the way to the majors. He continues to hit and play the game the way he should. That's the biggest thing.
"What we know about him is he's not intimidated by anything. He's able to make adjustments and play a solid second base. Those are the answers to questions we might of had. He's getting more refined now, because he's been in the system and has played at different levels. He plays the game real hard. He's very intense. His skill level, obviously, is pretty good.
"His baseball instincts are elevated for a guy his age, whether it's been because he's played so much ball in Venezuela or I don't know. He does a real good job because of those solid instincts."
Altuve told Examiner.com that he plans to play Winter Ball in Venezuela following the season -- a decision Mills completely supports.
"You're talking about a guy who has probably played baseball year around for his entire life," Mills said. "If he's used to that, he will continue to learn and get better. Whatever he feels is best for him, I support. If the guy has played year around and has been successful during the season by doing that, I don't have a problem with that, as long as he can keep his strength and health."
Mills refuses to place unfair expectations or put additional pressure on Altuve in order to prevent him from looking too far down the road.
"We just hope that he improves and continues to get better," Mills said. "We're not going to put any extra pressure on him. We're going to let him play, enjoy his time and not look too far down the road. I want him to look forward to the game tonight, then go to tomorrow's game, and continue to keep making improvements.
"If we start saying this guy is going to be our second baseman for the next five years, that's not fair to the team or the player. We want him to improve without putting that kind of pressure on him. We don't want him to get all nervous in making a few mistakes."
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