In October, the Houston Astros seemed to be a regular old ballclub playing for their second World Series title in three years. Now just a few months later, they’re arguably the most hated team in all of sports. MLB held an investigation this offseason and found the Astros guilty of sign-stealing in both 2017 and 2018.
During that former campaign — one in which Houston hoisted the World Series trophy — second baseman José Altuve put together an MVP season. In the race for the award, he ultimately beat out New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who smacked 52 home runs as a rookie that year.