"The whole team feels bad about what happened" - When Jose Altuve expressed regret over Astros' cheating scandal

For Jose Altuve, the road to the MLB was tougher than it was for most. Now regarded as one of baseball's best, the Venezuelan has made communication with fans a priority.

In early 2020, the MLB released the results of their investigation into the use of sign-stealing techniques from Altuve's Houston Astros. According to reports, the team was using illegal sign-stealing techniques like banging on a trashcan in the outfield to let hitters know what pitch was coming next from the opposing pitcher.

The optics of the dishonest tactics were exacerbated on account of the fact that the Astros won the 2017 World Series, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jose Altuve, who won the 2017 regular season MVP Award, had a pair of home runs and six RBIs in that year's Fall Classic.

Although the results of the investigation by MLB did not implicate any players, it found that Astros bench coach Alex Cora was the mastermind of the scheme. It was announced that Cora would be suspended for the duration of the 2020 season alongside general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager AJ Hinch.

In early 2020, the Astros held a press conference from their spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, to address the events. Joined by teammate Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve issued a heartfelt apology to Astros fans:

"We feel bad. We feel remorse, like I said, the impact on the fans, the impact on the game. We feel bad."

The pair were joined by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane, who issued apologetic remarks of his own. Although he was duly criticized, no evidence was found against Altuve that pointed to his direct involvement in the scandal.

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Jose Altuve maintains one of the biggest hearts in MLB

Growing up in Venezuela, the five-foot-six Altuve was often overlooked on account of his physique. As such, he learned that hard work was the only way he was going to make it to the big leagues.

Although the Astros did indeed cheat in 2017, Altuve maintains his innocence. Even after some stipulated that he was wearing a wire during a walk-off home run against the New York Yankees in the 2017 ALCS, no evidence was ever proved.

Once again, Altuve showed that he takes fans into consideration, even when he has not trespassed himself.