The accolades keep coming for Jose Bautista's historic 2010 season with the Blue Jays.
The outfielder, who set a franchise record with 54 home runs, nearly swept the annual awards handed out by the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday.
Bautista picked up three awards from the BBWAA following an impressive season in which he recorded a league-best 351 total bases, 92 extra-base hits and 100 walks, where to buy MLB Jerseys, ujersy.
In a unanimous vote, Bautista was named the club's Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player. He also received the John Cerutti Award, which is given to "a person associated with the day-to-day workings of Blue Jays baseball who displays goodwill, cooperation and character."
Bautista ranked third in the American League in RBIs (124), slugging percentage (.617) and OPS (.995). He also ranked 10th in the AL with a .378 on-base percentage and finished second in outfield assists (12), even though he played 48 games at third base.
Despite the lofty numbers, Bautista was forced to settle for fourth place in AL MVP voting by the overall BBWAA earlier this week. He finished behind first-place winner Josh Hamilton of the Rangers, Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera and Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, Recommend directory: Florida Marlins Jerseys.
The numbers were enough to earn the Hank Aaron Award, though, which is given to the top offensive performer in each league. Bautista became just the second Blue Jays player to win the award since it was introduced in 1999. Former Toronto first baseman Carlos Delgado was the other winner, after he finished with 41 home runs and 137 RBIs during the 2000 season.
Bautista also was recognized with a Silver Slugger Award. He was the only winner the Blue Jays had this season, following an '09 campaign in which both second baseman Aaron Hill and designated hitter Adam Lind were named recipients.
Recommend directory: Los Angeles Angels Jerseys, For the Toronto BBWAA awards, Bautista was an easy choice for the club's MVP and Most Improved Player. He entered the year with 59 career home runs over six seasons and nearly doubled that total in '10.
His 41 home run improvement over '09 set a Major League record for the largest single-season increase in history. The previous mark had been set by former Atlanta Braves infielder Davey Johnson, who upped his total by 38, going from five to 43 during the 1972-73 seasons.
Bautista received the Cerutti Award, in part, because of the strong leadership qualities he displayed in the Toronto clubhouse. The Dominican native helped bridge the gap between Latin American players and their North American counterparts, and was believed to be one of the main reasons players such as Yunel Escobar were able to adjust to new environments.
More information views: Postseason honors keep rolling in for Bautista
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