Astros Manager Wants Veteran Stealing More

The Houston Astros should have some new wrinkles to their game this season under the management of Joe Espada.

Taking over for legendary manager Dusty Baker, the first-time skipper is looking to put his stamp onto this team that has won the World Series under the two previous men in charge.

It's a dilemma Espada is certainly dealing with.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Yet, Espada has already started to make his impact felt within the team, namely the lineup order with superstar slugger Yordan Alvarez moving into the No. 2 spot to give him more at-bats throughout the season.

When the Astros get on base, they also might be doing things differently than in the past.

Espada wants this team to be more aggressive on the basepaths this year after they finished 16th in baseball with 107 steals.

More specifically, the skipper wants to see Jose Altuve steal more bases.

"Jose has some of the best instincts in the game. He sees an opportunity, he sees a guy taking his time delivering the ball, I want him to take those chances and steal a base. We have a few other guys that are capable of doing that. We're encouraging the guys, we're giving them information, they've got some green lights and you're going to see a more aggressive team on the bases," Espada said according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

From 2012-17, Altuve stole over 30 bases every single season, including two straight when he led the American League in steals.

His most prolific season on the basepaths was in 2014 when he nabbed 56 bases and was only caught nine times.

But, since his last year with over 30 steals, Altuve has yet to reach 20.

Some might question the approach of Espada wanting the aging star to exert more energy over the course of the 162-game season, but the franchise legend seems ready for the challenge.

"I think I'm the fastest 34-year-old and definitely the fastest on the team," Altuve said.

This drew some laughs from Jeremy Pena a few lockers down according to McTaggart, but the second baseman reiterated his confidence.

"Pena is laughing but I'm faster than him. I'm 10 years older than him and I think I can beat him," he said.

Whether this ultimately happens remains to be seen.

Altuve was limited to 90 games in 2023 and still managed to steal 14 bases, a huge jump in output compared to his 18 steals over 141 games in 2022.

Based on Espada's approach, don't be surprised if the veteran finally gets back over 20 stolen bases, and even gets close to the 30 steal mark that he once did so effortlessly.