I think if you know anything about physics and the conservation of momentum, you'd be hard pressed to believe Altuve doesn't juice.
Consider:
5'6"/167 lbs
Arm length
Bat length and weight
He is at a disadvantage when it comes to rotational velocity (arm length+bat length). The muscle mass to swing the same weight bat as a guy 6'4" is just not easily amassed on a 5'6" frame.
When people use language like:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/astros/article/Jose-Altuve-s-hitting-is-art-but-it-s-14515230.phpQuote:
It's our expectations, they say, that are befuddled by Altuve's excellence.
"He has signals that go to his brain to his arms quicker than other people, and he can react to them," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "He sees things like no one else sees things. It involves eyes, the way people are wired and their physical abilities.
Quote:
"Strength researchers talk about relative strength. I would imagine that Jos Altuve has a very high strength to body mass ratio, and he's able to make the most of his stature."
Quote:
"Pound for pound, he is the strongest guy in the clubhouse. He is a strong human being," Correa said. "He's fast. His legs are strong. He can squat more than anybody in the weight room. He can do maybe 20 pullups in a row, and nobody else can do that in here.
"His power is insane, and he can transfer it to the ball. Call it what you want, but the man is good."
I don't disagree with any of that. But, the last time they were talking about special phsical pound-for-pound power... they were talking about guys like Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa.
Can a guy like Altuve carry the muscle mass necessary to generate the number of HRs throughout an entire season without his body breaking down?
Look no farther than the 2017 season. It was a season in which at least 3... 4 MLB teams were called out for sign stealing. Boston. NYY. Houston. I don't care about the sign stealing, per se. Altuve won the MVP that season. He beat out players on his team for MVP and were getting the sign information. Judge was MVP-2, I believe. Dude was getting signs and Altuve was #1) Not of the character of a sign-stealer and everyone professes that he was not involved...
AND #2) Not juicing?
Here is a secret... when MLB gave the "Therapeutic Use Exemption" (TUE) exemption, they saw something like 30+% of MLB suddenly diagnosed with ADD. This article indicates it is down to 9% in 2015, which the article says is still twice the normal population:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/12/01/mlb-joint-drug-report-therapeutic-use-exemptions-adderall/76634278/Baseball is a game in which kids with ADD get weeded out pretty early. Agreed? So, to see the population equal would seem odd, let alone twice the level.
So, whether he is legally or illegally using something will be left to the skeptics. MLB found A-Rod tested positive in 2003 when he won the MVP with the Rangers. They hid it. MLB has done everything possible to build distrust with fans, including using juiced balls in some park with some teams, including the Yankees and Judge.
He is almost 34 and likely past what most consider peak (27-33) for a MLB player.
Does Adolis juice? I have said any LATAM player (and specifically the DR) is 50/50, in my view, as to whether they juice or not. Cuba. Venezuela. All possible. And I can't say I blame them.
I've mentioned Dave Valle's ministry Esperanza in the DR. His testimony was when he was sent to play there, kids were there begging for food and he grew fond of helping one day.
There are plenty of articles about how MLB is really hurting the DR. Young boys in the DR finish up their "school" around 12... 13 and try to get into these baseball academies. Then, it is baseball baseball baseball. The dream is to sign a contract for $10K+ which will be more than they could ever imagine. If they don't, they end up like Blanco working at a car wash in his early 20s... IF they are lucky. Most never get an education, nor a trade and remain in poverty.
So, if you look at Adolis. Or Blanco. Or any other player from LATAM, they have likely done whatever they needed to in order to get off the island.
So, yes... Altuve likely uses something legally or illegally than is restricted by MLB. Maybe he just gets ringworm a lot... or he is "ADD."
But, don't give me this **** that he is the only person ever to be able to do what he is doing. Lance Armstrong knew his competition was juicing because he was juicing and they were beating him.
I've played too much ball (of every kind) and taken too much science.
