In baseball, it doesn't matter if you're tall, skinny, fat, whatever. If you really have talent and you really love to play, I feel like you can make it.
Jose Altuve
I don't think I'm the face of the city or the Houston Astros. I'm just another guy who is playing hard to make dreams come true.
I'm really happy to be a part of the Houston Astros organization. I just want to keep playing hard and help this team win games.
I don't think what size I am really matters.
The city of Houston has treated me really good.
Winning the World Series, winning the MVP, you feel like you have everything.
My dream was to win the World Series, and I know the fans' dream was to win the World Series as well. So we are on the same page, and I really enjoy my time in Houston.
I think most of the people like the kind of player like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. They're pretty tall, and they can do everything.
You need some time off from baseball. Like, when you have a bad game, or you end up playing really good, you go home, and you need to chill out.
You win a championship, and you feel 7 feet tall.
I wanted to be part of the Houston Astros when they become a good team. That was my motivation... I never had in my mind the idea of playing with any other teams.
I love playing baseball, and I always promised myself, if I had the chance, that I would work as hard as I could to be the best player I could possibly be.
You know that in the playoffs, everyone starts from zero. No matter what team you have to face, if you want to make it to the World Series, you have to get through two rounds against very good teams that are going to be hot.
To even be considered for an MVP award is fairly awesome for me.
I'm pretty close to Miguel Cabrera. We are such different hitters, but at the same time, we're pretty close because we both like to hit the ball middle-away.
You're always going to believe in yourself, and I have to thank God for that, but it's pretty hard to believe that you can make it to the big leagues and that you can possibly get 200 hits three years in a row. I feel very proud.
I couldn't believe I was in the big leagues. I also knew that I have to work hard every single day to stay in the big leagues. One thing is getting to the big leagues; another thing is to stay.
I think all major league players dream of being named MVP.
We need to not just ask God but thank Him for everything like our health, our family. And ask Him to bless our homes and to always be present in our daily lives. And to keep us safe is most important.
To achieve success wasn't to get into the major leagues or have the best season in the world. The best success is to live your life the way God wants you to.
Signing bonus? Just give me a contract. I'll sign for free.
I kept listening in the minor leagues, and even earlier than that, people would say, 'If you don't hit the fastball, you're not going to get to the big leagues.' Every game, you're going to get a fastball.
I never let my size matter, just like Dustin Pedroia.
As a 16-year-old, I was 5-foot-5 and maybe 145 pounds. It was hard to believe a guy like that was going to make it to the big leagues.
I'm not a guy that shows a lot of emotion while I'm playing.
I grew up in a family that always believed in God. And I feel like, every morning when you wake up, you have to thank Him just for another day. I do it every day.
I really like the way he plays, but I also really like the way he treats people, Aaron Judge. I'm a big fan.
Maybe in another life, I wanna be Aaron Judge.
In spring training, I just try to spread everything out so I can be 100 percent before the season starts. I don't want to start feeling like I don't get it once the season starts. I want to be 100 percent on Opening Day.
I don't think too much about mechanics. I just like to go up there and swing. It's more than my swing, though. It's my mindset. I always go to home plate with a plan.
I played good ball in the minor leagues, and that's why they called me up to the major leagues.
A lot of people tell me now I'm their inspiration. They say, 'I don't play baseball,' and then they mention whatever - engineer, doctor, college student, high school student - but they're hurt because, for some reason, people feel shame about themselves or embarrassed because they are short or skinny or fat or whatever.
I literally love Justin Verlander.
I don't like talking about myself.
I don't want to get on base and just run for the sake of running. What good is it if you steal 100 bases and get caught 60 times?
I've been putting 100% of work into defense like I do hitting because that way I can help my team more.
It's not like I go out on the field thinking that I'm 5-6 and I'm the smallest guy out there. I'm just trying to help my team win games.
I've been 5-6 since I've been at least 17 or 18. I think somebody made a mistake on the measurements.
That's what I love about baseball, that it gives the opportunity for every single guy to develop and play the game. There's not a rule that you have to be 6 foot or you have to be real strong to play baseball or to become a good player.
I feel proud to be able to play every day. That's what makes me really happy.
Sometimes you go to home plate, and you have an idea, like a clear idea, of what they're going to throw to you. I think that's all: getting better pitches to hit, realizing when you hit the ball better, what pitch you hit, if you're chasing too much. If you figure out all that, you can get a little better as a player.
I don't like champagne. I mean, I like it bubbling and throwing it on someone's body. But I don't like champagne on my body.
When I see players like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Robinson Cano, and Miguel Cabrera, I see they have a good season, but they also jump up the next year and do it over and over again. I want to be one of those players that do it every year.
I just try to make contact with the ball. It's obvious that I like to swing the bat. I'm not thinking of taking a lot of pitches.
This is the big leagues; pitchers throw a lot of strikes. I feel like they attack me. That's why I go up there and swing.
The way I feel is I have to keep going out there and proving people. I don't want to be just a guy who has a couple of good years and then that's it.
