Ex-MLB Silver Slugger shares key advice to Jose Altuve for outfield transition

The Houston Astros have decided to move Jose Altuve to the outfield for the 2025 season. He will work as the team's left fielder, a position he has not played during his 14-year career in the big leagues.

It will be a major adjustment, but he is not the only infielder who has made the switch to outfield. Multiple have made the jump in the past and have been quite successful. However, those players were younger than Altuve.

The 2017 AL MVP has struggled at times during spring training out in the outfield. He has had trouble tracking balls down. Former MLB Silver Slugger Alex Avila talked about Altuve's transition and the struggles infielders have when they move to the outfield.

"I think the biggest hurdles for infielders going to the outfield sometimes is usually to catch a pop up. In the infield, you're taking a couple steps right around where you're at. In the outfield, where you are sprinting, sometimes you lose sight of the ball," said Avila.

Avila mentions it takes some time to get adjusted to catching fly balls in the outfield where you have a ton of space to cover. That is a much harder play than when Altuve was camped under fly balls at second base.

"I think for him, he is athletic enough. The more reps, the more comfortable he is going to be out there. Will he be better in the outfield than he was at second base? Time will tell, but he definitely has the athleticism to do this," he said.

While it will be an adjustment, Avila believes Atluve has what it takes to play the corner outfield position. It may look rocky at times, but the former Detroit Tigers slugger has all the faith in the nine-time All-Star.

Outfield has been a struggle for Jose Altuve thus far

Houston Astros - Jose Altuve (Photo via IMAGN)

Over the years, Jose Altuve has taken a step back, especially with his defense. He finished last season with a -9 outs above average at second base, trailing only Jorge Polanco.

He has quickly found out that the outfield is no joke, either. He has had multiple errors this spring and his transition to left field is a work in progress.

However, this is the time to make those errors and learn from them. If he can learn from these mistakes early, he could put himself in a good position to be a dependable corner outfielder.