Houston BBWAA announces Astros award winners
HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America has announced the 2021 Astros season award winners:
Astros Most Valuable Player - Carlos Correa: Correa, a 2021 All-Star who is a first-time winner of this award, was one of the top all-around players in the Majors in 2021. His club-best 7.0 WAR ranking was 4th in the AL. Overall, he hit .278 in 148 games with 34 doubles, 26 HR and 92 RBI. Additionally, Correa ranked 7th in the AL in runs scored (104) and 9th in on-base-pct. (.366). Correa also shined defensively as his 21 Defensive Runs Saved were tops among all shortstops and T-1st among all players in 2021.
Astros Pitcher of the Year - Lance McCullers, Jr.: A first-time winner of this award, McCullers, Jr. had an outstanding 2021 season, posting a 13-5 record in 28 starts with a 3.16 ERA. As one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball this season, he was tops in the AL in opponents batting average (.205), opponents OPS (.628) and hits per 9 IP (6.76) while ranking second in ERA (3.16), tied for second in winning pct. (.722) and T-5th in wins (13).
Astros Rookie of the Year - Luis Garcia: The 24-year-old Garcia burst onto the scene as one of the top rookie performers in the Majors in 2021. He posted an 11-8 record in 30 appearances (28 starts) with a 3.30 ERA. In his career-best 155.1 innings of work, Garcia allowed just 132 hits while tallying 167 strikeouts. Among AL rookie pitchers, he ranked first in WAR (3.1), wins (11) and innings (155.1).
Darryl Kile Good Guy of the Year - Alex Bregman: This award is presented annually to the player who exhibits good character and decency towards teammates, fans and media.
Fred Hartman Long and Meritorious Service to Baseball Award - Mike Acosta: Acosta joined the Astros organization in 1999 as a broadcast intern, but is best known for his passionate work as Astros Team Historian over the past several years. He was a driving force behind the establishment of the Astros Hall of Fame in 2019, playing a major role in the design, concept and look of the Hall as well as the creation of the Astros Hall of Fame Board. Acosta is also an expert on the history of the Astrodome as well as virtually all aspects of the Astros/Colt .45s history.
The Houston BBWAA also announced that longtime beat reporter Brian McTaggart will return as the Chapter Chairman for 2022.