Give it up for Houston Astros’ Yainer Díaz, the 2023 American League LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year!
Before the Angels-Astros series finale at Minute Maid Park on Sunday afternoon, Yainer Díaz officially joined the LatinoMVP Pantheon, receiving his 2023 American League LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year award from Latino Sports founder and president Julio Pabón.
To not get overlooked with the annual BBWAA awards, Latino Sports, along with the assistance from Major League Baseball, prefer to present each LatinoMVP winner with their one-of-a-kind award during Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th-October 15th) at their home team’s ballpark – Image Credit: Houston Astros/MLB
The LatinoMVP is the oldest and most prestigious award given to Latino MLB athletes, starting back in 1990. Over the last thirty-four (34) years, several former and active players have compared the honor to winning a Latin Grammy, while others have even called the LatinoMVP, a “Latin Grammy of Baseball.”
Díaz, 26, of Azua, Dominican Republic was named the winner of the 2023 AL LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year following a thorough voting process made by those in the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association (LSWBA) this past offseason.
Yainer’s rare LatinoMVP ROTY award was crafted by Maz Adams, who is our exclusive LatinoMVP artist for the AL/NL LatinoMVP Pitcher award, AL/NL LatinoMVP Reliever/Closer award and AL/NL LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year award. You can check more of Maz’s immaculate artwork at MazAdamsArt.com and @mazadamsart on Instagram – Image Credit: Houston Astros/MLB
“I feel very good about it because at the beginning of the (2023) season, I didn’t have much opportunity and then I got it,” said Díaz on winning the 2023 AL LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year. “It was something I didn’t think about, it was something that flowed you know, and God sent me. I feel very grateful for that, which I have in my career now.”
On an award exclusively given to Latin MLB athletes, Díaz said: “That’s a good step you know because like that — the Latino fans are more active with us and things like that — you know, they feel good and identified with the work one does and are more alert.”
#Astros manager Joe Espada speaks about Yainer Díaz’s career milestone of winning the 2023 American League #LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year award 🇩🇴🏆 Yainer will be presented with his rare LatinoMVP ROTY award prior to today’s Angels-Astros game in Houston ⚾️#LatinoSports | @MLB pic.twitter.com/1u9paOXqBX
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) September 22, 2024
Throughout his LatinoMVP rookie campaign in 104 games, the right-handed slugging catcher finished third in home runs (23) among AL rookies, fifth in RBI (60), second in batting average (.282) and third in OPS (.846) — which made him much deserving of the honor when you also factor in his contributions made to community while standing as a role model for the local youth in Houston, Texas, and even more, in his homeland of the D.R.
LatinoMVP Royalty in H-Town: Díaz, the recipient of the 2023 AL LatinoMVP ROTY, joins Yordan Álvarez (2022 AL LatinoMVP) and José Altuve (2017 AL LatinoMVP) as the only active members of the Astros to be named a LatinoMVP award winner.
Yainer’s instant reaction to seeing his 2023 AL LatinoMVP ROTY award for the very first time – Image Credit: Houston Astros/MLB
2023 LatinoMVP Award Winners
American League LatinoMVP
Julio Rodríguez – Seattle Mariners
National League LatinoMVP
Ronald Acuña Jr. – Atlanta Braves
American League LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher
Luis Castillo – Seattle Mariners
National League LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher
Jesús Luzardo – Miami Marlins
American League LatinoMVP Reliever/Closer
Félix Bautista – Baltimore Orioles
National League LatinoMVP Reliever/Closer
Alexis Díaz – Cincinnati Reds
American League LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year
Yainer Díaz – Houston Astros
National League LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year
Elly De La Cruz – Cincinnati Reds
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Julio
September 23, 2024 at 2:01 am
Excellent article