Peña, Brown, Hader take home awards from Houston's BBWAA chapter

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Each year, the Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America casts ballots to vote on the best of the Astros, both on the field and off. The people -- in this case, the writers who cover the team -- have spoken and chosen these award winners for 2025:

Astros MVP: Jeremy Peña
Peña, a former World Series Most Valuable Player and 2022 Gold Glove winner, can add his first team Most Valuable Player award to his résumé following his first All-Star season. He played in 125 games entering Saturday and was hitting .304/.363/.477 with an .840 OPS to go along with 17 home runs, 62 RBIs and a team-high 20 stolen bases. He was second in outs above average (eight) and fourth in defensive runs saved (five) among AL shortstops with at least 500 innings. Peña missed 27 games in July with a rib fracture and missed his fifth game in a row Friday with an oblique strain.

Astros Pitcher of the Year: Hunter Brown
Brown, who like Pena was a first-time All-Star, emerged as the ace of the Astros’ pitching staff in 2025. The right-hander set career highs in several pitching categories, going 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA and 206 strikeouts in 185 1/3 innings pitched including a 12-strikeout game June 14 against the Twins. He was second in the AL in ERA entering Friday, trailing Tarik Skubal (2.21) of the Tigers, and was third in strikeouts behind Garrett Crochet (255) and Skubal (241). The Astros went 18-13 games started by Brown, who had the third-lowest run support average in the AL.

Astros Rookie of the Year: Cam Smith
Smith, one of three players the Astros acquired from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade in December, parlayed a strong performance in Spring Training and made the Opening Day roster as the team’s starting right fielder. Smith entered Saturday hitting .236 with nine homers and 51 RBIs and had at-bats in every spot in the batting order. He hit .305/.370/.451 in May and June this year, helping the Astros to a 29-18 record in that span. Among AL rookies, he entered Saturday ranked first in games played (133), was tied for first in triples (three), fourth in RBIs, fourth in doubles (20) and sixth in hits (103).

Darryl Kile Good Guy Award: Josh Hader
Hader wins the award given to the player who demonstrates traits as a good teammate, works well with the media and is charitable off the field. Hader, who injured his shoulder Aug. 11 and missed the remainder of the regular season, is the Astros’ 2025 nominee for The Roberto Clemente Award, considered baseball's most prestigious individual honor for Major Leaguers, which annually recognizes the MLB player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions both on and off the field. Hader helps at-risk youth through two different organizations in Houston.

Fred Hartman Long and Meritorious Service to Baseball Award: Alex Treviño
This season marked Treviño’s 30th as the team’s color analyst on the Astros Spanish radio network. He and partner Francisco Romero have been together since 2008, making them one of the longest-tenured broadcast teams in baseball. Treviño joined the Astros broadcast booth in 1996 and has called more than 3,000 games, 14 postseason appearances and five World Series. A native of Monterrey, Mexico, Treviño spent 13 seasons playing in the Majors, primarily as a catcher, including the 1988-90 seasons with the Astros. He also spent time with the Mets, Reds, Braves, Giants and Dodgers.