As a free agent, Aaron Judge expects to sign a record-breaking deal. He has a historic 2022 season and this has created a market buzz around him enticing the riches MLB clubs to pursue him. While there is much speculation over his possible contract size, it is set to grow ever after the power hitter is getting one after another award this off-season.
The free agent added another silverware on Wednesday to his collection of trophies before he gets his paycheck. Aaron Judge won the 2022 Hank Aaron Award for being the best offensive player in the American League.
Aaron Judge is going to become the MLB Silver Slugger for the third time on Thursday, which is also the first day that free agents can sign with other teams. He will almost certainly win American League MVP next week.
Aaron Judge is the first Yankee to win the Hank Aaron Award since 2009 when Derek Jeter won it for the second time. In 2006, Jeter had his first. Alex Rodriguez was the only other Yankees winner in 2007.
There were eight finalists, including Aaron Judge, Yordan Alvarez of the Astros, Jose Altuve of the Astros, Rafael Devers of the Red Sox, Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, Jose Ramrez of the Guardians, and Mike Trout of the Angels.
Paul Goldschmidt, who plays first base for the St. Louis Cardinals, was the National League winner of the award.
Aaron Judge had a historic season in 2022, setting a new AL record with 62 home runs and leading the league in RBI (131), runs (133), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686), and OPS (1.111).
In the year 1999, the Hank Aaron Award was established. It was named after Hank Aaron, a slugger who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame and held the record for most home runs hit until it was broken by Barry Bonds in 2007. Aaron died in 2021 at age 86. He played with the Braves for 21 seasons and two seasons with the Brewers.
Winners were determined by a combination of fan votes and the votes of a panel consisting of eight members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, namely Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Eddie Murray, John Smoltz, and Robin Yount.
“It’s an honor getting voted for this award,” Judge told to the MLB Network, “All of the Hall of Famers and fans that voted, this is definitely incredible honor. Getting a chance to honor Hank and be apart of the wonderful list of guys that won this award, it’s something special.”
Hank Aaron Award winners year-by-year
| Year | AL | Team | NL | Team |
| 2000 | Carlos Delgado | Blue Jays | Todd Helton | Rockies |
| 2001 | Alex Rodriguez | Rangers | Barry Bonds | Giants |
| 2002 | Alex Rodriguez | Rangers | Barry Bonds | Giants |
| 2003 | Alex Rodriguez | Rangers | Albert Pujols | Cardinals |
| 2004 | Manny Ramirez | Red Sox | Barry Bonds | Giants |
| 2005 | David Ortiz | Red Sox | Andruw Jones | Braves |
| 2006 | Derek Jeter | Yankees | Ryan Howard | Phillies |
| 2007 | Alex Rodriguez | Yankees | Prince Fielder | Brewers |
| 2008 | Kevin Youkilis | Red Sox | Aramis Ramirez | Cubs |
| 2009 | Derek Jeter | Yankees | Albert Pujols | Cardinals |
| 2010 | Jose Bautista | Blue Jays | Joey Votto | Reds |
| 2011 | Jose Bautista | Blue Jays | Matt Kemp | Dodgers |
| 2012 | Miguel Cabrera | Tigers | Buster Posey | Giants |
| 2013 | Miguel Cabrera | Tigers | Paul Goldschmidt | Diamondbacks |
| 2014 | Mike Trout | Angels | Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins |
| 2015 | Josh Donaldson | Blue Jays | Bryce Harper | Nationals |
| 2016 | David Ortiz | Red Sox | Kris Bryant | Cubs |
| 2017 | Jose Altuve | Astros | Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins |
| 2018 | J.D. Martinez | Red Sox | Christian Yelich | Brewers |
| 2019 | Mike Trout | Angels | Christian Yelich | Brewers |
| 2020 | Jose Altuve | White Sox | Freddie Freeman | Braves |
| 2021 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Blue Jays | Bryce Harper | Phillies |
| 2022 | Aaron Judge | Yankees | Paul Goldschmidt | Cardinals |
What more awards do you expect Aaron Judge to win?
