Astros' Altuve, Hinch finalists for AL MVP, manager races
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Trophies on trophies on trophies.
The Houston Astros could be looking at more hardware to celebrate a World Series-winning season.
The Baseball Writers' Association of America announced the finalists for the major year-end awards, which have both second baseman Jose Altuve and manager A.J. Hinch as nominees.
Altuve joins New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Cleveland Indians infielder Jose Ramirez as finalists for the American League MVP award. Observers see the MVP vote as a two-person race between the Astros star and Judge, who is also a finalist for AL Rookie of the Year.
The Venezuela born Altuve capped off a 2017 season as the AL's batting champion with a .346 average and 204 hits. He also garnered votes as a starter in the MLB All-Star Game and the Hank Aaron Award as the AL's top offensive player.
Altuve was also one of the three finalists for the same award in 2016, which was won by Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout.
Hinch joins Cleveland's Terry Francona and the Minnesota Twins' Paul Molitor for the AL Manager of the Year race.
Since his first season with the Astros in 2015, Hinch has led Houston to regular seasons of 86, 84, and 101 wins. Those seasons include two berths of the postseason, the team's first-ever AL pennant, and the franchise's first World Series title.
Winners of the categories will be announced on MLB Network on Nov. 13-16, each evening at 5 p.m. CT.
In addition, the Esurance MLB Awards will be handed out to include individual postseason success. A bunch of Astros are nominated, and fans can vote on the categories at MLB's website.
The Esurance MLB Awards will be handed out on Nov. 17.
Altuve and his teammates haven't slowed down since winning the World Series. Different members of the team made appearances across the country to celebrate the historic win.
