The Los Angeles Dodgers have two superstar players who were named as finalists to take home the 2024 Hank Aaron Award for this season.
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani & Freddie Freeman in line to win Hank Aaron award
Dodgers two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and former 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman were placed on the shortlist of players who will be in line to add the prestigious honor to their collection of hardware. Both Ohtani and Freeman are having great seasons worthy of recognition, and would fittingly be memorialized by their efforts.
The MLB put out an official statement for the accolade on their website, saying:
“The Hank Aaron Award is awarded annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league. The award was introduced in 1999 to mark the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. A panel of Hall of Famers will combine with a fan vote to determine the winners,” the MLB published.
Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani has led the NL in many statistical categories in 2024
Ohtani may have this year’s honors in the bag. He became the first player in Major League history to join the 50-50 club with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. He added to his historic play with a .310 batting average and led the National League with his 130 RBIs, .390 OBP, .646 SLG, and 1.036 OPS. Seeing that he is also the frontrunner to win the 2024 NL MVP award, he will likely add the Hank Aaron Award right alongside it.
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Freddie Freeman has had a noteworthy season at the plate for the Dodgers
Freeman has a strong case in his own right to receive the recognition. He clocked in 22 home runs and supplemented that with an impressive 81 runs and 89 RBIs while slashing .282/.378/.476 with a strong .854 OPS in 2024. The Dodgers also went 34-9 when he connected on multiple hits in a game.
Both Ohtani and Freeman will battle for the honor against fellow nominees in the NL including Francisco Lindor (New York Mets), Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies), William Contreras (Milwaukee Brewers), Elly De La Cruz (Cincinnati Reds), Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks), Jackson Merrill (San Diego Padres), Marcell Ozuna and Kyle Schwarber (Phillies). Should either of the two win, they’ll be the first Dodgers to take home the accolade since Matt Kemp in 2011.
