Altuve wins GIBBY Award for Breakout Everyday Player of the Year

HOUSTON, TX - Astros All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve has won the 2014 GIBBY Award for the Breakout Everyday Player of the Year, Major League Baseball announced tonight. The Greatness in Baseball Yearly (GIBBY) Awards have honored the best players and must-see moments in baseball for each of the past 12 seasons.

The GIBBY Awards represent baseball's most comprehensive award-balloting process based on nearly two months of voting, encompassing the entire awards season. All votes came from local and national reporters and broadcasters, club front-office personnel, former players and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) members, as well as fan balloting at MLB.com and the 30 Club websites across computers, smartphones and tablets.

Altuve beat out a field of nine other finalists, including OF Michael Brantley, OF Corey Dickerson, IF Lucas Duda, IF Dee Gordon, IF Josh Harrison, OF J.D. Martinez, C Devin Mesoraco, IF Anthony Rendon and IF Anthony Rizzo. Past winners of the award include IF Chris Davis (2013), IF Chase Headley (2012), OF Carlos Gonzalez (2010) and OF Jayson Werth (2009).

The 24-year-old, All-Star second baseman had a record-setting season in 2014, becoming the first player in franchise history to win a batting title (.341) while also setting a club record for hits with a Major League-best 225. Altuve also led the AL with 56 stolen bases, becoming just the second Major League player since 1946 to lead his league in batting, hits and stolen bases. Additionally, Altuve's 225 hits marked the most by a second baseman since IF Charlie Gehringer of the Detroit Tigers collected 227 hits back in 1936.

The award adds to a number of accolades that Altuve has received this year, including an American League Silver Slugger Award, the 2014 Luis Aparicio Award (Venezuela's highest baseball honor) and his second career All-Star nomination. Altuve was also named the Astros 2014 recipient of the MLBPAA's annual Heart and Hustle Award, the Astros nominee for the Hank Aaron Award, and a finalist for the AL's Most Outstanding Player in the Players Choice Awards.