HOUSTON -- The Baseball Writers' Association of America is handing out its annual awards this week, beginning with the American League and National League Rookie of the Year on Monday and culminating with each league's Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday. The Astros have only one finalist for any of the four major awards: ace pitcher Hunter Brown is a finalist in the AL for Cy Young alongside 2024 winner Tarik Skubal of the Tigers and Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox. This year's winner will be announced Wednesday. Astros outfielder Cam Smith finished tied for 10th in the AL Rookie of the Year voting as unveiled Monday, and manager Joe Espada was sixth in AL Manager of the Year voting as revealed Tuesday. But what about the Astros' chances to win some hardware a year from now? The 2025 season is barely over, but let's look ahead at which Houston players have the best chance to win some BBWAA awards next season. Rookie of the Year
From 2014-2023, the Astros had a top-five finisher in AL Rookie of the Year voting in every season except for 2018. That included winners in Carlos Correa (2015) and Yordan Alvarez (2019) and a second-place finisher in Luis Garcia (2021). Jeremy Peña was fifth in '22 and Yainer Diaz was fifth in '23, but Houston didn't have any rookies get votes in '24. |
The Astros could have a pair of players primed for Rookie of the Year contention in '26 with pitcher AJ Blubaugh (No. 16 prospect) and outfielder Zach Cole (No. 19), both of whom made their debuts last season and will maintain their rookie status next year. Cole, who homered on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues on Sept. 12, slashed .255/.327/.553 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 15 games. Cole's playing time in '26 may hinge on the Astros dealing Jake Meyers. Blubaugh should be in the mix for Houston's rotation in '26 after posting a 1.69 ERA in 32 innings across 11 games (three starts) last season. Blubaugh touched 99 mph last year and has a great swing-and-miss sweeper. His stuff plays up better in the bullpen but the Astros' lack of starting pitching could put him in the rotation. Keep an eye on infielder Brice Matthews (No. 1/MLB No. 93), though it may be hard for him to get enough playing time in Houston's crowded infield. Cy Young Award Brown is a Cy Young finalist for the first time, but unseating Skubal will be tough. That being said, Brown's best seasons might still be ahead, and he will continue to contend for Cy Young Awards in the AL as long as he's healthy. Brown had the best season of his career in '25, going 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA and a career-low WHIP of 1.03 in 31 starts. He struck out a career-high 206 batters in 185 1/3 innings and allowed only 133 hits. |
If Josh Hader remains healthy next year and pitches at the like he did in '25, he could be a candidate for a Cy Young, though no reliever has won the award since Eric Gagne in 2003. Hader, who finished seventh in the Cy Young race in 2018 with Milwaukee, had 28 saves, a 2.05 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with 76 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings last season before a shoulder injury ended his season in August. Something to keep in mind: the BBWAA has voted to create a fifth major award -- the Relief Pitcher of the Year Award in each league -- beginning next season. A healthy Hader would be a prime candidate to be the inaugural winner. Most Valuable Player Will 2026 finally be the year for Alvarez gets over the hump and wins his first MVP? Well, a lot of that will depend on health. Alvarez played in only 48 games last season, missing 100 games with a fractured bone in his right hand and the final 11 games with a left ankle sprain. He was ninth in MVP voting in 2024, 13th in '23 and third in '22. Winning the MVP in the AL will be challenging while Aaron Judge is still with the Yankees and in the league, but Alvarez has proven that he's one of the elite hitters in the game when he's healthy. He hit .449 with eight runs, three homers and 10 walks during a 14-game on-base streak that ended shortly before he slipped on home plate against the Rangers on Sept. 15 and missed the final two weeks of the season, which helped sink Houston's playoff chances. |
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The Astros haven't had a Manager of the Year winner since Larry Dierker in the NL in 1998. Who was the only other manager in Houston history to win Manager of the Year? A. Bill Virdon, 1980 B. Hal Lanier, 1986 C. Art Howe, 1991 D. Terry Collins, 1996 |
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BROWN'S PICKS SHINE BRIGHT |
Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, who won the National League Rookie of the Year on Monday, was selected in the 2022 MLB Draft by Astros general manager Dana Brown while Brown was the vice president of scouting in Atlanta. Brown also drafted Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin, who finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting this year. Durbin was drafted in the 14th round by the Braves in 2021 and traded to the Yankees in December 2022 for Lucas Luetge. He was then dealt to the Brewers with Nestor Cortes for Devin Williams a year ago. Brown also selected 2022 NL Rookie of the Year, outfielder Michael Harris II, in the 2019 MLB Draft while he was with the Braves and took Harris' Rookie of the Year runner-up, pitcher Spencer Strider, in the 2020 MLB Draft. |
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C. Hal Lanier, 1986 Lanier won NL Manager of the Year in '86 after leading the Astros to a 96-66 record and the NL West championship in his first season on the job. |
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