Who are MLB's Hank Aaron Award nominees of 2023? Exploring star-studded list ft. Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani

The MLB has announced the 18 finalists for the 25th annual Hank Aaron Award. The prestigious award is handed out to the top offensive performer in both the National and American Leagues. The MLB selects nine players from each league as the finalists.

"We are proud to present the nominees for the 25th annual Hank Aaron Award. This prestigious honor is presented to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league. You can vote now through October 13" - @MLB

The Hank Aaron Award started in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the slugger surpassing Babe Ruth for the all-time career home run record. Since then, the league has awarded players who excel in the offensive side of the game.

Last season, the award was presented to the eventual MVPs of both leagues, Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. Both players dominated their respective leagues, with Judge setting a new American League home run record in the process, slugging 62 total long balls.

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A closer look at the Hank Aaron Award nominees in the American League

Last season, Aaron Judge was the clear favorite to win the award for his incredible season-long performance, but this will not be the case in 2023. Although Shohei Ohtani led the American League with 44 home runs, he does sit behind other nominees in several other important categories.

In terms of RBIs, Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros led the AL this season with 112. Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays led the American League in batting average, whereas Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers led the league in hits. It's unclear who will walk away with the award, which adds to the excitement.

“I got it” -Yandy DÍaz. By “it” he means the 1st AL Batting Title in Rays history." - @RaysBaseball

AL nominees: Yordan Alvarez (HOU), Kyle Tucker (HOU), Shohei Ohtani (LAA), Aaron Judge (NYY), Julio Rodriguez (SEA), Yandy Diaz (TB), Adolis Garcia (TEX), Corey Seager (TEX), Marcus Semien (TEX)

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A closer look at the Hank Aaron Award nominees in the National League

Unlike in the American League, the National League has a clear frontrunner for the Hank Aaron Award.

Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves seems like the betting favorite for the award after his record-breaking season. The superstar outfielder became the first player in major league history to record 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases.

NL nominees: Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), Matt Olson (ATL), Corbin Carroll (ARI), Cody Bellinger (CHC), Mookie Betts (LAD), Freddie Freeman (LAD), Luis Arraez (MIA), Bryce Harper (PHI), Juan Soto (SD)