Leverage comes from height, Mallee explained, and smaller players are often not strong enough to generate the bat speed to hit consistent line drives. Shorter legs may also make it harder to get a quick first step on the bases and in the field.

“But is there a stereotype that unduly casts them as not big-league suitable? Probably,” Stearns said. “You’re still awed by the guys who look the part and fill out the uniform.”

Altuve, 24, signed with the Astros from Venezuela before the 2007 season, when he was 16. He had been rejected from an earlier tryout camp, and signed for only $15,000. All he has done since then is hit: a .327 average in the minors, an All-Star selection in his first full major league season (2012), and now this.

“I think most of the people like the kind of player like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez,” Altuve said. “They’re pretty tall and they can do everything. But as a scout, you have to give credit to a little guy, too. See what they have. Who knows? See what they can bring to the table.”

Altuve, who could become the first Astro to win a batting crown, brings a set of extremes. Before Tuesday, he had seen only 3.17 pitches per plate appearance, the fewest in the majors. Yet he put the highest percentage of pitches in play (27.3 percent), and only Detroit’s Victor Martinez has been tougher to strike out.