Astros’ Bregman named MLB Pipeline Hitter of the Year

The award is given annually to the top hitting and pitching prospect in baseball. Nominees are determined and voted on by the MLBPipeline.com staff. Players must have spent at least half the season in the Minor Leagues to be considered.

When the Houston Astros selected Alex Bregman with the second overall pick in the 2015 Draft, the club knew it was getting a potential generational talent capable of racing through the Minors and helping the big league team in short order.

That’s precisely what Bregman has proved to be in his first full pro season, and it’s the reason he was our choice as this year’s MLBPipeline.com Hitter of the Year.

• Pirates top prospect Tyler Glasnow named Pitcher of the Year

Bregman posted remarkable numbers in the Minors this season, batting .306/.406/.580 with 44 extra-base hits, 20 home runs and 61 RBIs, with more walks (47) than strikeouts (38) in 80 games between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno. He became the first position player from the 2015 Draft to reach the Major Leagues when he debuted for Houston on July 25, while his contributions since then on both sides of the ball have helped to keep the Astros in the playoff race.

“That’s one of the goals that I set out at the beginning of the year is to get up here and try and help win games and get up here quick,” Bregman said. “It was definitely really cool to be the first.”

Hitter & Pitcher of the Year Awards Year Hitter Pitcher 2016 Alex Bregman Tyler Glasnow 2015 Kyle Schwarber Blake Snell 2014 Kris Bryant Tyler Glasnow

Signed for $5.9 million, Bregman made an immediate impact during his pro debut with strong performances at the Class A and Class A Advanced levels, prompting the Astros to assign him to Double-A Corpus Christi to begin 2016. The 22-year-old shortstop, ranked No. 22 on MLBPipeline.com’s Top 100 Prospects list at the time, responded to the challenge by hitting .297 with 14 home runs in 62 games, and he was leading the Texas League in on-base percentage (.415) and slugging (.559) when he was promoted to Triple-A in late June.

Bregman continued to rake at the Minors’ highest level, where he hit five home runs in his first eight games and ultimately batted .333/.373/.641 across 18 contests. He also starred as the starting third baseman for U.S. squad in the SiriusXM …

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