Hey Royals Fans: This Guy's the All Star

Jose Altuve was -- as expected -- the offensive sparkplug last night in the Astros 4 - 0 win over the Yankees at Minute Maid. Despite being slowed by a hamstring injury, the 2014 American League batting champ, led the way with three hits and three runs scored. And on the mound, Dallas Kuechel closed down the Yankees offense. He threw a complete game shutout, striking out 12 while allowing just six hits.
Let's get back to Altuve, the biggest little guy in baseball. 5-feet-6 (hey, I claim that, too) with 7 feet of determination, he's the signature player on the AL West leaders. Gritty and gutty, and almost always with a dirty uniform, this is the kind of player you keep your eye (and lens) on. Kinda reminds you of Houston's 2nd baseman from 50 years ago... the Hall of Famer Joe Morgan.
Yet, as of Monday, Jose still trails the Royals Omar Infante (hitting .236 with an on-base percentage under .250) in the voting among American League 2nd basemen -- but he's been closing the gap. You can understand voting for your hometown favorite, but the best argument for changing the "one man-35 votes" policy is finding Altuve trailing. The Astros star is exactly the kind of player you want seen by everybody in the annual mid-summer classic.

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