Another big honour for the Astros’ pint-sized star
Jose Altuve led the Houston Astros to their first World Series title with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in November and picked up the franchise’s first MVP trophy in more than two decades a couple of weeks later.
And as his huge 2017 is coming to a close, the diminutive second baseman already is looking for more.
“Winning the World Series, winning the MVP, you feel like you have everything,” Altuve said. “But my perspective is to try and get better every year and if we win one World Series, why not win another one? Just keep playing for the team and keep playing for my city.”
Altuve was chosen as The Associated Press male athlete of the year.
The five-foot-six dynamo got 715 points, beating out New England quarterback Tom Brady, who had 646, and third-place finisher and Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, with 626.
Altuve is a five-time all-star who led the majors with a career-high .346 batting average and his 204 hits topped the American League. He is the first player in MLB history to lead his league in hits in four straight seasons. He tied a career-best with 24 homers and had 81 RBIs. He tied for second in the AL by scoring 112 runs, his on-base percentage of .410 ranked third, he was third with 32 steals and his .547 slugging percentage ranked sixth.
His work made him the second Astro to win an MVP award, joining hall of famer Jeff Bagwell, who picked up the honour in 1994 when the Astros were in the National League.
Altuve’s grit and determination is evident every time he takes the field. His teammates marvel at the fact no matter how good he is, he’s always looking to do better.
“He has four hits and he’s like, ‘Carlos I never had a five-hit game before, let me try to get the fifth hit,’” Carlos Correa said. “He’s always striving for more. And that’s what I’ve learned from him that makes me better every single day.”