Jose Altuve had a remarkable year… And, he’s got the hardware to prove it.
The 26-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball, a second baseman for the Houston Astros, picked up three awards at this year’s Players Choice Awards, as announced by the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Altuve took home the MLB Player of the Year award, as well as the American League‘s Most Outstanding Player prize. Mookie Betts and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox were the finalists for Player of the Year, while Betts and Mike Trout were finalists for AL Most Outstanding Player.
For the second straight year, Altuve also won the Majestic “Always Game” Award, “given to the player who — game in and game out — constantly exhibits grit, tenacity, perseverance and hustle; all for the benefit of his teammates and fans.”
In one of the best individual seasons in Astros history, Altuve batted an AL-best .338 and set career highs in home runs (24), on-base percentage (.396), slugging percentage (.531) and games played (161). He was previously named The Sporting News‘ MLB Player of the Year, which is also voted on by the players.
Meanwhile, Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died in a boating accident in September, was voted the National League Comeback Player of the Year by his peers in the annual awards.
Fernandez was the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year, had Tommy John surgery the following year, returned in July 2015 and was 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA this season, earning his second All-Star selection.
He died at age 24 on Sept. 25, and autopsy reports released by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office said he had cocaine and alcohol in his system when his boat crashed into a Miami Beach jetty.
Balloting among big league players took place in mid-September and results were announced Wednesday.