Jose Altuve Releases Statement Denying Buzzer Allegations
By Michael Luciano
The Houston Astros and every player in a place of prominence within the organization are currently in the line of fire as the fallout of the sign stealing scandal continues to expand.
A video re-surfaced from the 2019 playoffs showing Jose Altuve trying to avoid having his jersey, which some think concealed an electronic buzzer, ripped off.
Well, amid the allegations against him, Altuve tried desperately to clear his name, claiming, through his agent Scott Boras, that he never wore any sort of electronic device.
Reach out to Scott Boras about his client Jose Altuve: “When this came up today, Jose Altuve immediately contacted me and this is his statement: ‘I have never worn an electronic device in my performance as a major league player.’” #Astros
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 16, 2020
Altuve has three batting titles, an AL MVP and World Series title to his name, with the latter two coming in the same season the Astros allegedly started their cheating escapades. His home run rate also spiked considerably after the 2017 season.
Boras claimed Altuve was "shy" as his explanation for not wanted his shirt off in the aforementioned video. He's had his shirt ripped off during celebrations in the past, but apparently his modesty conveniently got the best of him during the ALCS.
I asked Boras about Altuve not wanting to have his shirt ripped off as he came to home plate to end the ALCS and Boras said, "that is the shyness of Jose Altuve." Said his client didn't want the shirt ripped off.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 16, 2020
Altuve was already complicit in one of the biggest scandals in the history of professional baseball, so it's fair to deem him an unreliable source until further notice. This may be a tin foil hat conspiracy at the moment, but as has been proven with the trash can fiasco the Astros are embroiled in, things can certainly get weirder.