Jose Altuve wins the coveted Triple Crown of a different, but special kind.
In 2017 Jose Altuve not only won the AL MVP Award, he also won the AL batting title and World Series. AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge finished a distant second. Sometimes size doesn't matter. This special accomplishments makes Altuve only the 8th player in MLB history to accomplish this rare triple crown of a different kind.
It wasn't a real surprise considering Altuve's Astros won the World Series and factoring in what happened in Houston; the devastating floods. Aside from his overachieving numbers for man that stands 5 '6", playing for a city that was practically underwater many sections, may have helped him be a sentimental favorite.
Jose Altuve for sure helped Houston win the World Series in seven games over the Dodgers with his bat, glove and all-around good play.
In 2017 regular season Altuve batted .346 with 24 HRs and 81 RBIs. Meanwhile, 6' 7" Yankee rookie Outfielder put up massive number during the season hitting 52 HRs driving in 114 runs and batting .284. He broke records in the process. He broke Mark McGwire's rookie HR record of 49 set in 1987 as well as the Yankee HR rookie record set by the late great Joe Di Maggio.
Judge also set another record he'd like to forget; against the Mets in the Subway Series, he struckout in 33 consecutive games previously set by slugger Adam Dunn. For the season the humble, but talented Yankee outfielder fanned 208 times this season. Mark Reynolds has that want-to-forget MLB record when he fanned 223 times in a season in 2009.
As we all know, strikeouts go hand-in-hand with power hitters. Judge must be also given credit for his excellent defense. Twice in the postseason he robbed his opponents of HRs. He also has an excellent arm.
I'm curious to see what Judge as a follow-up. Can he hit 50+ HRs and bat in 100+ RBIs in two consecutive seasons? Can Altuve can lead his team to another postseason run in 2018? Both players will rightfully garnish a lot of attention and following next season.
