HOUSTON -- The Astros Player Development Department announced their 2011 Minor League Players of the Year on Thursday evening, naming infielder Jose Altuve as Player of the Year and right-hander Jake Buchanan as Pitcher of the Year.
Charley Taylor, the pitching coach of the Astros Gulf Coast League affiliate, earned Player Development Man of the Year honors.
Luis Martinez, the manager and coordinator of the Astros Dominican Summer League, was named International Man of the Year.
The Astros will honor all four during a pre-game ceremony at Minute Maid Park prior to hosting the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 24.
Altuve and Buchanan are scheduled for a free autograph session from 4:45-5:15 p.m. that night on the main concourse at Minute Maid Park.
Martinez is unable to make the ceremony due to a previous commitment.
The 21-year-old Altuve, who earned a promotion to the big leagues on July 19, hit a combined .389 with 10 homers, 59 RBI, 22 doubles and 10 triples while compiling a stellar 1.017 OPS in 87 games at High A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi.
He led all qualifying minor leaguers with an impressive .389 mark and turned heads as the starting second baseman for the World Team in the 2011 XM All-Star Futures Game at Chase Field.
Altuve will enter Friday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field hitting .278 with two home runs, 12 RBI and nine doubles in 48 games (43 starts) for the Astros this season.
"He's been a real bright spot for us this year," Astros general manager Ed Wade said. "His promotion from High A to the Double-A level to the big leagues in one season is a huge accomplishment."
The 21-year-old Buchanan, an eighth-round pick by Houston out of North Carolina State in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, went 5-10 with a 3.80 ERA over 165 2/3 innings in 26 combined starts between Lancaster and Corpus Christi this season.
He spent the majority of the 2011 campaign at Lancaster, ranking second in the California League in WHIP (1.21) and fifth in ERA (3.91).
Buchanan, the first Lancaster pitcher to start at least 20 games and finish with an ERA in the 3.00s since Brandon Webb, tossed one of just three complete-game shutouts in the league.
The young right-hander earned a promotion to Corpus Christi late in the season and made one start against Frisco on Sept. 1.
He allowed an earned run on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts over seven innings in what turned out to be a no-decision effort.
"Like Jose, Jake has handled some accelerated challenges extremely well," Wade said. "We're paying close attention to his progress."
Taylor just completed his 30th season as a coach within the Astros' player development system after taking the 2009-10 seasons off while battling abdominal bladder and prostate cancer.
He also oversees the Astros' pitching rehab program at the team's Spring Training complex in Kissimmee, Fla., and has been responsible in the development of over 65 pitchers who have made it to the big leagues, including Wandy Rodriguez and Bud Norris.
"Charley Taylor is a hero to all of us," Wade said. "He has endured some tremendous challenges. He never gave up on his passion."
Martinez completed his third full season as the manager and coordinator of the Dominican Summer League Astros and was a key member of the field staff during the club's recent move from the facility in San Pedro de Macoris to their new home in Santo Domingo.
He plays a significant role in the day-to-day activities at the complex, such as coordinating workouts, scheduling games and helping the scouting department with their evaluations, in addition to serving as a positive mentor and advisor for the players
"Luis and his staff have done a solid job in preparing our young Latin players for the challenges they will face in the United States and on their way to the big leagues," Wade said.
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