Altuve named AP Male Athlete of the Year
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Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has been named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for 2017. The 28-year-old adds the honor to a bevy of other awards this year, including the American League Most Valuable Player Award and the Sports Illustrated Person of the Year Award, which was also won by the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt of the NFL.
Altuve anchored the Astros in their journey to the franchise's first World Series title, as Houston defeated the Dodgers in seven games. He led the AL in hits (204) for the fourth consecutive year in 2017, slashing .346/.410/.547 with 24 home runs and 32 steals. In the postseason, he hit seven homers, including three in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Red Sox.
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Altuve helped lift the spirits of a city ravaged by natural disaster, leading the Astros to a championship as Houston recovered from Hurricane Harvey.
"Houston is a big, big sports city," Altuve said after winning the SI Sportsperson of the Year Award. "We knew that if we won the World Series, we would give them that smile and that hope in the middle of the disaster that was going on."