Programming note: Catch Shooty Babitt's full interview with Abraham Toro on NBC Sports California during "A's Pregame Live" at 6 p.m. PT Friday.
Baseball is a mental game.
That is why Athletics infielder Abraham Toro is glad to have received crucial advice from Houston Astros star José Altuve when the two were teammates.
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In the latest episode of “All A’s,” Toro told NBC Sports California’s Shooty Babbit what he learned from the eight-time MLB All-Star.
“When I debuted, José was someone I looked up to in the minors and even before,” Toro said to Babbit.” The mental part of the game, he said, ‘Hey, it’s one at a time.’ He [explained how] to have a plan against a pitcher.
“Throughout the minor leagues, I was kind of like, ‘See ball, hit ball.’ Now [in MLB], they know a lot about you. So, you kind of have a plan. It’s something I started when he told me that.”
Toro debuted with the Astros in 2019. He was Altuve’s Astros teammate until being traded to their AL West rival, the Seattle Mariners, in 2021.
Oakland Athletics
The 5-foot-6 Altuve, who has a career .306 batting average with 2,120 hits, 768 RBI and 218 home runs in 6,919 at-bats, helped Toro adapt to the big leagues with his advice -- sort of.
Toro has struggled to find a rhythm for much of his six-year MLB career, carrying a cumulative slash line of .224/.289/.365 for. However, the 27-year-old is shining in his first year with Oakland.
He currently holds a career-high -- and team-high -- .272 average and has earned 63 hits, 21 RBI and 5 home runs. Whatever “plan” he dialed up for the 2024 MLB season is working well.
It seems A’s fans can attribute some of Toro’s success to Altuve’s wisdom, granted one can look past the trashcans and cheating the 2017 AL MVP used to help Houston win the 2017 World Series.
Toro was not a part of that Astros squad.
Nevertheless, Toro idolizes and appreciates Altuve, and the A’s productive bat has looked good all season.