On Friday afternoon, at the top of the left field wall at CACTI Stadium in sunny Palm Beach, a few curious fans and even a few reporters clinged to the railings to see Astros legend Jose Altuve's spring training warm-up outfield debut up close.

What they saw, however, was Outowe standing for six innings in the outfield, biting his nails and trying to stay focused, while all the action took place in the infield, where he once called home. In the Astros' 3-2 win over the Cardinals, Outuvi was disappointed for fans and teammates alike when he didn't catch any flying balls while defending left field.

"They were angry that I didn't catch the ball," Outuwe said of the fans behind him.

Ottoway, who has played 1,765 games on second base since the Astros' debut in 2011, will move to the left field this year — a change that has become the biggest topic of spring training. The Astros are looking to improve the second-base guard by moving Outowe out of the infield and vacate the left outfield spot with heavy gunner Yordan Alvarez almost full-time designated strikes this year.

Outovi trained on the left sidefield at Houston's Daikin Field in January and February, in what head coach Joe Espada called the first phase of the transition. The second phase was in the morning training session in Florida with outfield coach Jason Bell and tracking the fly ball during the batting drills, gradually increasing the intensity.

Period 3 began on Friday, but the Astros failed to get much information from Outowey's performance in left field.

"We're all looking forward to it," Espada said, "and as soon as he leaves the field, the ball starts flying in that direction." I think he's in a good position, he can adjust his position according to the number of hitters, and he looks like he's adapted to the outfield. He will have more opportunities. ”

Outowi's next left field opportunity will come against the Nationals on Sunday.

"Hopefully the next game will be more exciting," Outuwe said, "and I feel like every ball is coming along." It is important to know the position, observe the position of the fielder, etc. ”

Espada noted that Outuwe experienced a significant change on Friday: "The distance from the left field to the strike zone is longer, and he needs to prepare faster. This is a detail that we noticed and discussed with him. ”

Espada arranged Golden Glove Award finalist Jake Meyers to guard the outfield in the hope that Outowe would understand Meyers' defensive range better. The head coach was curious about Outuvi's running routes, passing options and receiving positivity.

"I think I'm up to the task," Outuwe said, "and I want to get more opportunities to assess my form in the game." Keep working hard and we will improve. ”

Outuwe had planned to play five innings on Friday, but he continued to play in the sixth inning in order to get a chance to play. However, the Astros' starting pitcher Hunter Brown didn't drop a point in two innings and is known as a roll-on-earth pitcher, and with experienced rescue pitchers like Rafael Montero, Bryan Abreu, Tayler Scott and fireball pitcher Forrest Whitley, just two balls flew to the outfield in six innings.

"I'm looking forward to getting a fly ball or a fly ball, but maybe there's a chance in the next game," Outuwe said.

Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who was not playing on Friday, said Outowe's decision at the age of 34 to leave his position in the field for more than a decade and move to left fielder is a testament to his leadership and desire to win.

"He doesn't lead with words, he leads with deeds," Peña said, "and he went to the left field without complaint." He is as happy as a child with a new toy every day, smiling and running for training. You see him catching the ball, and it's exciting. ”