Breaking News: Atlanta Braves has signed a top player who is better than Ronald Acuna in…
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Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. wins MLB’s Hank Aaron Award as outstanding offensive performerAtlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. runs to third base on a double by Ozzie Albies during the fifth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Sept. 22, 2023, in Washington. Shohei Ohtani and Acuña won the 2023 Hank Aaron Awards on Saturday, Dec. 16, presented by Major League Baseball to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league. The MLB award is picked by fan balloting combined with votes from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
The Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. and new L.A. Dodger Shohei Ohtani won the 2023 Hank Aaron Awards on Saturday, presented by Major League Baseball to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league.
The MLB award is picked by fan balloting combined with votes from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners, a group that this year included former Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones and John Smoltz plus Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Pedro Martínez, Eddie Murray, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz and Robin Yount.
Acuña and Ohtani also won Most Valuable Awards last month in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Ohtani was the first two-time unanimous MVP.
Acuña was a unanimous winner of his first NL MVP after becoming the first big leaguer with 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a season. He was second in the NL with a .336 batting average for the Braves and led the major leagues with 149 runs, 217 hits, 386 total bases and 73 stolen bases while hitting 41 home runs with 106 RBIs.
Ohtani became a free agent after the season and left the Los Angeles Angels for a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He led the AL with 44 homers and hit .304 with 96 RBIs, eight triples and 20 stolen bases in a season at the plate that ended Sept. 3 because of an oblique injury.
The right-hander was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts on the mound, striking out 167 and walking 55 in 132 innings before tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23. He had elbow surgery and won’t pitch next season.
Every team nominated candidates for the Aaron Awards and a group of MLB.com writers picked nine finalists in each league. The awards were introduced in 1999 to honor the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s career home run record.
Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr. Win 2023 MLB Hank Aaron Awards for AL and NL
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Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. continue to rack up awards for their efforts during the 2023 MLB season.
The two superstars won the Hank Aaron Awards as the most outstanding offensive performers in Major League Baseball.
MLB announced the winners on Saturday night, along with the reveal of the All-MLB team. Ohtani was named to the first-team squad as both a designated hitter and starting pitcher.
2023 All-MLB Team (First and Second Team)
- C: Adley Rutschmann, Baltimore Orioles; Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers
- 1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers; Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
- 2B: Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers; Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves
- SS: Corey Seager, Texas Rangers; Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
- 3B: Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves; José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians
- OF: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves; Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
- OF: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers; Adolis García, Texas Rangers
- OF: Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks; Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros
- DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels; Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros
- SP: Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees; Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays
- SP: Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks; Sonny Gray, Minnesota Twins
- SP: Blake Snell, San Diego Padres; Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers
- SP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels; Jordan Montgomery, Texas Rangers
- SP: Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves; Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles
- RP: Félix Bautista, Baltimore Orioles; Devin Williams, Milwaukee Brewers
- RP: Josh Hader, San Diego Padres; Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians
The Hank Aaron Award was established in 1999 to reward the best offensive players from the season. The formula for determining a winner has changed over time, with fan voting being combined with votes from a panel of former winners and Hall of Famers currently being used.
Past winners include Derek Jeter, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, Buster Posey and Miguel Cabrera.
Ohtani and Acuña are the two most decorated players from the 2023 MLB campaign. They were both named MVP of their respective league in a unanimous vote.
Despite missing the final 25 games of the season due to an elbow injury, Ohtani led the AL with 44 homers, a .412 on-base percentage and .654 slugging percentage.
It turned out to be Ohtani’s final year with the Los Angeles Angels. The 29-year-old signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency last week. He’s joining a roster that has two other first-team All-MLB players in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Ohtani’s move to the Dodgers also makes for a fascinating NL MVP race next season. Acuña won the award this year after leading MLB with a .416 on-base percentage and becoming the first player in history with at least 40 homers and 70 steals in the same season.
The Braves had a total of five All-MLB team selections, second-most among all teams behind the World Series champion Texas Rangers with six.
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