Jose Altuve batting leadoff for the Astros doesn't have me as jazzed as I thought it would.
For starters, his splits last year were better when he batted second (.711 OPS as No. 1 vs. .776 OPS as No. 2). Sure, he stole bases at a more imperssive rate as the leadoff hitter, but Altuve hit double-digit home runs in his last two years in the minors, as he was developing some nice power to complement the steals. It's not like leadoff hitters don't hit for power, but Altuve batting second would have fostered that power a little more than having him hit first.
It's nitpicking because he'll probably score more runs from the leadoff spot and will get the steals, but Altuve may surprise some people with his power potential if put in the right scenario. I'd still expect him to have a brush with 10-12 homers, but it would have been nice to see what he could have done from the No. 2 spot in the lineup.