The Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros know a thing or two about undersized second baseman.
The Astros’ Jose Altuve, at 5-foot-5, is the shortest active major leaguer, and he’s long been an admirer of the 5-foot-8 Dustin Pedroia.
“When I was a kid, you know?” Altuve said, via the Houston Chronicle. “He’s a little guy like me, and he plays hard. He’s one of the best players in the big leagues, so I think every single little guy wants to be like Dustin Pedroia. … He just taught me you know keep playing hard and I appreciate it.”
Despite his stature, the 24-year-old Altuve has made a name for himself as one of the best young players in baseball. He’s a two-time All-Star and entered Sunday as the major league leader in hits (169) and batting average (.335).
“Oh yeah, he’s having a great year,” said Pedroia, who sat out Sunday’s game against the Astros with flu-like symptoms. “Plays the game right, he’s fun to watch … just playing against him last year and then even the year before. He’s obviously a smaller guy. He plays the game hard, you know he squares everything up, good base runner, good defense. I mean, he’s a good player.”
Photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images
