The MLB playoffs get underway Tuesday and are going to feature two of the game’s premier “Short Kings.”
Neither Jose Altuve nor Ozzie Albies is tall. But both are absolute stars who have already shown in their careers with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves that they are built for the postseason moments.
They won’t play against one another, at least at first. Their ballclubs would have to make it to the World Series for them to meet — as they did in 2021, pictured atop the article.
It sure would be cool to see them both put on a show, though.
One of the coolest parts of baseball is that body type seems to matter less in this sport than any other. Aaron Judge, at 6-foot-7 and jacked, can be a star — and so can Altuve and Albies.
The playoff stage will show that off beginning on Tuesday, and the Astros and Braves are sure hoping their short stars can lead them on long runs.
How Tall is Jose Altuve?
Jose Altuve is officially listed with a height of 5-foot-6.
He famously was overlooked at tryouts when he was a teenager, which his height surely contributed to, but he simply kept coming back until his persistence paid off.
How Tall is Ozzie Albies?
Ozzie Albies is officially listed with a height of 5-foot-7.
He actually was known as 5-foot-8 for most of his MLB career, but before this season, the ABS challenge system required precise heights for setting up the strike zone, and the Braves begin listing Albies as one inch shorter.
MLB’s Shortest Players
Among active MLB players, Altuve’s 5-foot-6 is the shortest.
Recent major leaguers Gustavo Campero and Tony Kemp were also both listed at 5-foot-6, although neither of them ended the regular season at the MLB level.
The 5-foot-7 of Albies has company from the likes of Caleb Durbin, Ryan Bliss and Javier Sanoja. The pitcher Marcus Stroman is also 5-foot-7, although he didn’t pitch this season.
The 5-foot-8 height is where it starts to get more common. Alejandro Kirk, Daulton Varsho, Jose Ramirez, Cedric Mullins, Luisangel Acuna, Isaac Collins, Steven Kwan, Nasim Nunez and Xavier Edwards are among the guys at that height.
These guys are far from the shortest to ever play in MLB, though.
Famously, Eddie Gaedel took one plate appearance for the St. Louis Browns in 1951. He was 3-foot-7 and walked on four pitches.
Above Gaedel, the likes of Stubby Magner, Pompeyo Davalillo, Bob Emmerich and Mike McCormack were 5-foot-3.
And at 5-foot-4, the long-tenured Willie Keeler stood tall for 19 seasons in MLB.
It’s certainly not common for MLB players to be this short, but it has happened, and it will likely keep happening, because there’s so much more to being good at baseball than height.
MLB’s Shortest Players: How Jose Altuve, Ozzie Albies Rank for Height