Altuve wins three Players Choice Awards
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HOUSTON -- Astros second baseman Jose Altuve garnered three more awards Wednesday night, edging out Boston's Mookie Betts and David Ortiz for the Players Choice Award as the 2016 Player of the Year, as well as winning the Outstanding Player in the American League.
Altuve, who also earned the 2016 Majestic "Always Game" award, which is given to the player who constantly exhibits grit, tenacity, perseverance and hustle, is also a finalist for the AL Most Valuable Player award that will be announced Nov. 17.
Earlier this offseason, Altuve was named the Sporting News' MLB Player of the Year. He joins Betts and Mike Trout of the Angels as finalists for the AL MVP, which is voted upon by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Betts and Trout were also the finalist for the AL Outstanding Player.
"It's great," Altuve said on MLB Network. "It's an honor for me to be voted by the players. They think I was the best player this year. I want to thank and them and I appreciate it. I want to keep going out there and keep proving to people we can play and keep working hard."
• Vote for Best Major Leaguer in the Esurance MLB Awards
The 2016 season was the best of Altuve's career.
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He won his second AL batting title in three years, hitting .338 with career highs in homers (24) and RBIs (96) to go along with 30 steals, 42 doubles, a .928 OPS and 7.6 WAR. He led the AL in hits for the third year in a row and was named to his fourth All-Star team.
Altuve is the first second baseman to reach 100 runs, 200 hits, 40 doubles, 20 homers, 95 RBIs and 30 steals in a single season. He's just the sixth player in Major League history to reach all of those marks, regardless of position. By winning the batting title for the second time in the last three seasons, Altuve became the first second baseman to win multiple batting titles since Rod Carew won five between the 1969-75 seasons.
• 2016 Players Choice Awards winners
The Players Choice Awards benefit the Major League Baseball Players Trust, the charitable foundation created and run by the players themselves. This year's Players Choice Award winners in all categories will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Players Trust. The eight league winners receive $20,000 grants each and the two overall winners receive $50,000 grants each.