Burnes, Adames among BBWAA winners

MILWAUKEE -- Corbin Burnes was the unanimous choice for Most Valuable Pitcher and Willy Adames earned both the Most Valuable Player and Top Newcomer awards when the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced its annual Brewers award winners on Tuesday.

The chapter’s eight members cast ballots that included a top three in each of five categories. Winners were determined using a 5-3-1 tabulation system, similar to the BBWAA’s national awards for Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year.

The only player to sweep the first-place votes was Burnes, who is also considered a contender for the National League Cy Young Award after a historic season in which he went 11-5 with a Major League-best 2.43 ERA -- the first player in Brewers history to win the ERA title in his league. Burnes also led MLB qualifiers in strikeout rate (35.6 percent), strikeouts per nine innings (12.61), strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.88), home runs per nine innings (0.38), fielding independent pitching (1.63) and percentage of barrels (3.1 percent).

Along the way, Burnes combined with Josh Hader for a no-hitter on Sept. 11 at Cleveland and matched an MLB record by striking out 10 consecutive batters on Aug. 11 at the Cubs. He began the season by breaking the MLB record with 58 strikeouts before he issued his first walk.

“He’s had a historical season. He’s done things that no pitcher has ever done, and it’s been a joy to watch,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said at the end of the regular season. “I just give Corbin so much credit on how he has built himself. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of [pitching coach] Chris Hook for his assistance in it. He had a really good year last year, he had struggles before that, but how he’s kept getting better is something that every player should take note of.”

Adames was similarly impactful on the offensive side for the Brewers, giving the team a needed jolt following a May 21 trade from Tampa Bay. He batted .285 with 20 home runs and 58 RBIs in 99 games in a Milwaukee uniform. The Brewers, who were two games under .500 when he walked through the visiting clubhouse doors in Cincinnati, went 74-44 after his arrival. Between the Rays and Brewers, Adames set career highs this season in runs (77), home runs (25), RBIs (73), doubles (32), walks (57), total bases (239) and extra-base hits (58).

He received six of the eight first-place votes for both Brewers Most Valuable Player and Top Newcomer awards, with Burnes getting the two other first-place votes for MVP. Second baseman Kolten Wong received the other two first-place votes in the newcomer category.

Asked to explain Adames’ impact, fellow infielder Luis Urías put it like this: “Have fun. When I see him play, see him being around, being a good teammate, I think that's what I can say right now. He kind of showed me how to enjoy the game again. And that's a really good thing.”

Urías was voted the Brewers’ Unsung Hero after hitting 23 home runs with 75 RBIs in 150 games, an impressive rebound after losing starting shortstop duties with Adames’ arrival in May. Urías led the team in games played, at-bats (490), runs (77), hits (122) and extra-base hits (49) and ranked second in home runs, RBIs, total bases (218) and walks (63). He became the seventh player (10 total seasons) in franchise history to have a 20-plus homer season before the age of 25.

Pitcher Brandon Woodruff received the Good Guy Award, which is presented annually by Milwaukee’s BBWAA chapter to the player who has the most outgoing, friendly presence in the clubhouse and interacts well with the media on a daily basis in a cooperative and pleasant manner. Woodruff was one of six players to receive first-place votes in the category and one of 10 Brewers players to appear on ballots.