What Is Jose Altuve's Net Worth and Salary?
Jose Altuve is a Venezuelan professional baseball player who has a net worth of $60 million and an annual salary of $26 million. Jose Altuve is best known as the All-Star second baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.
Early Life
Jose Carlos Altuve was born on May 6, 1990, in Maracay, Venezuela. He grew up there, and at the age of seven, he met Salvador Perez (future major leaguer and catcher for the Kansas City Royals). They competed against each other at young ages, driving each other to be the best they could be at baseball.
Jose attended a Houston Astros tryout camp at 16 years old, but the team's scouts originally declined his participation because he was too short and suspected he was lying about his age. Altuve returned the next day with his birth certificate and asked for a chance to prove himself, and he impressed team officials enough that they signed him to an undrafted free agent contract with a $15,000 bonus.
In 2007, Jose had a strong season in the Venezuelan Summer League, and he moved to the United States the next year to join the Astros minor league system. He had a lot of success in the minors, being named an All-Star and the Houston Astros Minor League Player of the Year in 2011. He was called up to the big leagues, completely bypassing the Class AAA level.
MLB Career
Altuve made his major league debut mid-summer of 2011 and represented the Astros at the All-Star Futures Game. He had success right away before slumping a bit toward the end of the season. Jose returned to form the next year and made his first All-Star game.
In 2014, Altuve became the first player in over 80 years to reach the milestone of 130 hits and 40 stolen bases before the All-Star break. He also became the first Astro to win a batting title, leading the American League with a .341 average.
On the way to a World Series Championship in 2017, in which the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games, Altuve was named the AP Athlete of the Year, the AL Hank Aaron Award winner, and the AL MVP. He was also named "Sports Illustrated's" co-Sportsperson of the Year along with J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans for their relief efforts following Hurricane Harvey. Also in 2017, Jose was named "The Sporting News" Major League Player of the Year and "Baseball America's" Major League Player of the Year, and he was announced as the recipient of MLB's Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, given annually to a player "who best exemplifies the giving character" of Gehrig.
In 2019, Altuve was named a member of the All-MLB Second Team and the ALCS MVP. He was largely responsible for sending the Astros to the World Series for the second time in three years after hitting a home run off of Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning of a tied-up Game 6.
In 2022, the Houston Astros would win the World Series once again, this time over the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, making Jose a two-time World Series Champion. He's also an eight-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, three-time AL batting champion, and winner of the 2015 Gold Glove Award.
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Astros Cheating Scandal
In 2019, the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal during their 2017 World Series run came to light. Altuve's role in this gained nationwide attention and scrutiny when he was accused of wearing a wire and stealing signs for the team. Major League Baseball denied all allegations of a wire, and Jose has said the team feels bad for any cheating. He has declined to talk about any role his teammates or the organization may have played in the cheating scandal.
Contracts & Earnings
After signing a one-year deal worth $483,000 in 2012 and a one-year deal worth $505,700 in 2013, Altuve and the Houston Astros came to an agreement on a long-term contract extension in July 2013 on a four-year, $12.5 million contract. The contract included options for 2018 worth $6 million and 2019 worth $6.5 million. He ended up earning $9 and $9.5 million in those seasons with bonuses and milestones.
In March 2018, Altuve signed a five-year, $151 million deal, keeping him in Houston through the year 2024 and boosting his annual salary to $26 million.
Jose has made nearly $109 million in salary alone over his MLB career, with those numbers topping $160 million in 2024.
Personal Life
Altuve is the shortest active player in Major League Baseball, standing at just 5 feet and 6 inches tall.
Jose and his wife, Nina, have a daughter and live in Pearland, Texas.
