The Minnesota Twins announced today the recipients of the Diamond Awards, their annual awards for the 2017 season based on voting conducted by the Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. In addition, the Twins and the BBWAA announced plans for the 13th annual Diamond Awards, which will be held Thursday, January 18, 2018 at The Depot Minneapolis and will benefit research, education and care in brain, nerve and muscle disorders at the University of Minnesota.
 
For the second straight season, second baseman Brian Dozier is the winner of both the Calvin R. Griffith Award (the Twins' first owner) given to the Most Valuable Twin and the Bob Allison Award (former Twins player) given to the Twins player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field. Dozier batted .269 with 30 doubles in 152 games, leading the club with 34 homers and 93 RBI.
 
Also repeating is right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana, who is the winner of the Joseph W. Haynes Award (former Twins Executive Vice President) given to the Twins Pitcher of the Year. The American League All-Star started a team-high 33 games, posting a 3.28 ERA while leading the team with 167 strikeouts and 211.1 innings pitched. Santana ranked fifth in the American League in ERA and tied for the league lead with five complete games.
 
Right-handed pitcher Trevor Hildenberger is the winner of the Bill Boni Award (former St. Paul Dispatch-Pioneer Press Executive Sports Editor) given to the Twins Most Outstanding Rookie. Hildenberger joined the Twins in mid-June and appeared in 37 games, going 3-3 with a 3.21 ERA, six walks, 44 strikeouts and 12 holds, which tied him for fourth among all rookies in baseball.
 
Outfielder Byron Buxton is the winner of the Jim Kaat Award (former Twins pitcher) for Twins Defensive Player of the Year. After taking home the same honor in 2016, he becomes the first repeat winner in the award's six-year history. Buxton played in 137 games, all as the Twins' center fielder, and committed just five errors in 400 total chances. He is also the winner of the Charles O. Johnson Award (former Minneapolis Star Tribune Sports Editor) for Most Improved Twin. From July 1 through the end of the season, Buxton hit .309 with eight doubles, five triples, 12 home runs, 37 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
 
First baseman Joe Mauer is the winner of the Dick Siebert Award (former University of Minnesota Baseball Coach) given to the Upper Midwest Player of the Year. The St. Paul native wins the award for the sixth time in his career (2006, '08, '09, '10, '12) and becomes the first Twin to receive the award since 2012. Mauer played in 141 games, hitting .305 with 36 doubles, seven home runs, 71 RBI, 66 walks and a .384 on-base percentage.
 
Catcher Chris Gimenez is the winner of the of the Mike Augustin "Media Good Guy" Award (former Pioneer Press Sports Writer). Gimenez was signed as minor league free agent in the winter and set single-season career highs in games (77), runs (28), hits (41), home runs (7), RBI (16) and walks (33).
 
Right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson is the winner of the Carl R. Pohlad Community Service Award. Gibson went 12-10 with a 5.07 ERA in 29 starts this season for the Twins, finishing the year on a career-best six-game winning streak. For the past two years, Kyle has hosted a charity fantasy football league called "Big League Impact Minnesota" that pits sponsors and celebrities against each other to raise money for charity. He has generated more than $40,000 for the Twins Community Fund and other charities. Gibson also established a community ticket program that provides Twins tickets to Christian and inner-city youth groups.
 
Former Twins catcher and current Fox Sports North analyst Tim Laudner will be given the Kirby Puckett Award for Twins Alumni Community Service. Laudner has supported and served as a spokesman for the Stroke Association of Minnesota, working with the Twins to raise awareness and money for people who have suffered strokes. The son of a stroke victim, Tim has served as the host of the Twins' "Strike out Stroke" days at the ballpark. He also partners with South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard to participate in pheasant hunting weekends for wounded armed service members and veterans.
 
In addition, longtime bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek will be given the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award. With 32 years on the Twins coaching staff from 1981 to 2012, he is the longest tenured coach in team history and the third-longest with a single team in baseball history. Rick joins Herb Carneal (2006), Tom Mee (2007), Carl Pohlad (2008), Jerry Bell (2009), Bert Blyleven (2010), John Gordon (2011), Jim Rantz (2012), Tony Oliva (2013), Tom Kelly (2015) and Rod Carew (2016) as the only recipients of the award.
 
The 13th annual Diamond Awards dinner, which will be held on Thursday, January 18, 2018 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at The Depot Minneapolis, will honor the 2017 BBWAA award recipients as well as the winners of the Sherry Robertson Award (Mitch Garver) for the Twins Minor League Player of the Year and the Jim Rantz Award (Aaron Slegers) for the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
 
All proceeds from the event will benefit the University of Minnesota's innovative research and patient care focused on ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Along with the award winners, current and former Twins players and coaches are scheduled to appear at the event. Corporate sponsorship opportunities, tables and individual tickets are now available. For more information on the event visit www.minnesotadiamondawards.org or call (612) 626-4951.