MVP preview: Judge, Ohtani chosen for Fran Aaron Award

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The Hank Aaron Award, presented annually to the top offensive performers in each league, continues its trend of aligning with Most Valuable Player honors. Since the award’s creation in 1999, 26 of the 50 recipients have also captured MVP titles in the same season.

The 2024 awards, unveiled Thursday during the All-MLB Team Show presented by MGM Rewards, recognized Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani for their standout offensive seasons. Both players are widely regarded as leading MVP candidates. The selection process combined fan voting with input from Hall of Famers and past winners.

For both Judge and Ohtani, this marks their second time earning the prestigious award. Judge previously won in 2022, while Ohtani claimed the honor in 2023 during his tenure with the Angels. Their performances in 2024 exceeded even those award-winning campaigns, cementing their status as clear choices for recognition.

The remarkable achievements that secured Judge and Ohtani their Hank Aaron Awards highlight the historic nature of their offensive contributions, setting new standards for excellence during the 2024 season.

Yankees’ Aaron Judge wins Frank Aaron, strong MVP contender

Aaron Judge’s 2024 season with the Yankees evolved from a slow start into a historic offensive campaign, cementing his status as one of the game’s most dominant players. After posting a modest .207 average and .740 OPS in April, Judge ignited in May and never looked back, delivering an OPS above 1.000 each month while batting .352 over the stretch. His power was on full display, belting 52 home runs over his final 127 regular-season games, culminating in what many are calling one of the greatest offensive seasons ever by a right-handed hitter in MLB history.

Judge led the league in several key categories, including 58 home runs, a .458 on-base percentage, a .701 slugging percentage, and 10.5 bWAR. His 144 RBIs were the highest single-season total since 2008, and his 1.159 OPS was the best by a qualified hitter in a full season since 2004. Perhaps most impressively, his 223 OPS+ set a new all-time record for right-handed hitters in AL/NL history.

Although Judge’s 2022 American League record of 62 home runs remained untouched, his 2024 performance eclipsed his previous personal bests in nearly every other offensive metric. The season is widely regarded as one of the most complete displays of hitting in the modern era.

Judge’s achievements earned him the Hank Aaron Award and set new benchmarks for offensive excellence, further solidifying his place among baseball’s all-time greats.

Dodgers Ohtani likely to win NL MVP award

Shohei Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers shattered expectations, as the star adapted to a one-way role following right elbow surgery that sidelined his pitching. Far from diminishing his impact, Ohtani found new ways to excel, delivering a historic season defined by unprecedented power and speed.

Ohtani set career and franchise records with 54 home runs, a testament to his prodigious power at the plate. Statcast data highlighted the quality of these blasts, with nine traveling over 450 feet—more than any team in the league except the Colorado Rockies, who had 10 such home runs.

Equally remarkable was Ohtani’s transformation of the basepaths. After never stealing more than 26 bases in a season, he swiped 59 bags in 2024, setting a career high. His power-speed combination reached its pinnacle on September 19 against the Marlins, when he became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. In that game, Ohtani delivered a historic performance, going 6-for-6 with three home runs, two stolen bases, and 10 RBIs. No player had ever stolen more than 24 bases in a 50-homer season before Ohtani.

Ohtani’s offensive dominance wasn’t limited to those milestones. He led the National League in key categories, including 134 runs, 130 RBIs, a .390 on-base percentage, a .646 slugging percentage, and a 190 OPS+. His 99 extra-base hits were the most in nearly two decades, and he became the first player since 2001 to surpass 400 total bases.

In a season without his trademark two-way brilliance, Ohtani still redefined what a singular offensive talent could achieve.

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