Shaw is voted team’s MVP
Third baseman Travis Shaw, who slugged 31 home runs and knocked in 101 runs, was named the Milwaukee Brewers' most valuable player for the 2017 season in a vote by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
The five-person panel elected Shaw as the team MVP as well as the top newcomer, an annual award given to a player in his first season with the Brewers.
Shaw led the Brewers in RBI and tied for the team led in home runs, while batting .273 with 34 doubles, 56 extra-base hits and 276 total bases in 144 games.
Shaw was one of four players acquired last December from Boston in a trade for reliever Tyler Thornburg, who had surgery and missed the entire season.
Reliever Corey Knebel was voted the team's most valuable pitcher, left-hander Brent Suter claimed the unsung hero award, and first baseman Eric Thames took the good guy award, given annually to a player who exhibits an outgoing, friendly presence in the clubhouse and interacts well with the media on a daily basis, in a cooperative and pleasant manner.
Knebel, the team's lone All-Star Game representative, took over as closer from Neftali Feliz in May and put together a strong season, with a 1.78 earned run average and 39 saves in 76 relief appearances, tied for most in the National League. He struck out 126 hitters in 76 innings, shattering the club record for relievers. He began the season with 45 consecutive appearances with at least one strikeout, a majorleague record.
Suter had six stints with the Brewers, moving from relief to starting and eventually taking regular turns in the rotation as the club fought for a playoff berth before falling one victory short. He was the team's pitcher of the month for July (2-0, 1.50 ERA in five starts) and went 3-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 14 starts. In eight relief outings, he posted a 2.18 ERA.
Thames, signed to a three-year deal after playing three seasons in Korea, set a franchise record with 11 home runs in April.
In 138 games, he batted .247 with 31 homers and 63 RBI.