As a teenager chasing a dream, Jose bounced from one tryout to the next—Angels, Cubs, Rays, Giants, Braves, A’s, Yankees. All the clubs told him the same things…he was too small, didn’t have enough power, and was not a big league prospect.

At a shade under 5-foot-6 and barely 140 pounds, Altuve was used to being ignored. When he showed up for the Astros’ camp, it felt like more of the same. Nothing about it seemed different.

But after that session ended, something shifted inside him. A quiet, stubborn thought rose: Why stop now? What if I refuse to go away?

The next morning, Jose showed up again—uninvited, unnoticed, and hoping no one told him to leave. This time, a new set of eyes was on the field.

Al Pedrique, a former major leaguer and now a senior advisor in the Astros’ front office, spotted the kid. He approached with a simple question for the mighty mite: “Can you play?”

Jose didn’t flinch. “I’ll show you,” he said.

That day, he flew through drills. He ran faster than anyone, hit with precision and power. He never slowed down. Pedrique saw more than just athleticism. He saw confidence, hunger, and a fire most players didn’t have.

There was something different in the way Jose moved, the way he played, the way he believed.

But convincing the rest of the staff wasn’t easy. The scouts kept circling back to his size. He didn’t match the physical blueprint Houston – or any other team – was building around.

Pedrique didn’t care. He stood firm and advocated for the pint-size Altuve. Eventually, the front office agreed and offered Jose a paltry $15,000. Altuve jumped at the chance.

They didn’t know it yet, but the Astros had just taken the first step toward rewriting their franchise’s future. For fifteen-grand, the secured the services of a man who’s become one of the greatest players in franchise history.

Shown here is a ticket to Altuve’s big league debut signed by the Astros great.