How tall is Jose Altuve? Looking at the shortest player in MLB

Few players in the history of baseball have proven their critics more wrong than Jose Altuve. At only 5'6", Altuve has been able to use his small stature to his advantage, becoming one of the best players of his generation. While his height is one thing, his small stature makes it more difficult for pitchers to hit certain "sweet spots".

While many fans may think of him as the shortest player in MLB history, this is not true. In fact, several players throughout baseball history have measured shorter than Jose Altuve.

Though he was only brought into the game for one at-bat as a publicity stunt, Eddie Gaedel holds the record for being the shortest player in MLB history. Standing at a whopping 3-foot-7-inches, there will likely never be another player in history to be shorter than Eddie.

"Eddie Gaedel, Sportsman's Park, Aug. 19, 1951 (69 years ago today). The 3' 7" Gaedel's lone plate appearance was a publicity stunt from Browns owner Bill Veeck. He wore jersey number "1/8" & reached first base on a 4-pitch walk." - Fenway Photoshop

Since making his MLB debut on July 20, 2011, Jose Altuve has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Throughout his 12-year career, all with the Houston Astros, Altuve has hit 192 home runs and 696 RBIs, while recording 279 stolen bases. He also holds an impressive .307 career batting average.

His accolades certainly match his stats. He has been selected to the All-Star team on eight occasions and won six Silver Slugger Awards, as well as winning the batting title three separate times. He has also helped the Astros win both of their World Series Championships.

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Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal

As previously mentioned, Altuve helped the Astros win the World Series twice, however, it is impossible to ignore their 2017 title. It was during the 2017 season that the Houston Astros implemented a sign-stealing system that allowed their batters to know what pitch was coming. Once the scandal was leaked in 2019 by former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, the MLB universe was rattled.

The Houston Astros went from a beloved franchise that seemed to be ahead of the rest of the league to the most hated franchise in the MLB. The same happened to Altuve, who originally won the hearts of fans because of his success at 5'6". To this day, Altuve and the Astros have not been forgiven for cheating, with the players not receiving any punishment.

"A reminder that no Astros players were suspended for their part in the 2017 sign-stealing scandal that robbed the Dodgers of the World Series." - Arash Markazi

The scandal has been brought back to light as Carlos Beltran seeks induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While he had a successful MLB career, Beltran played an important role in the sign-stealing scandal, causing hesitation among voters. The same will occur for Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, George Springer, and Carlos Correa if they find themselves on the Hall of Fame ballot.