Despite a rather middling showing in the postseason, New York Yankees‘ second baseman DJ LeMahieu is one of the nominees to win the Hank Aaron Award. That is by virtue of his continued offensive excellence, one that brought him the American League batting title in the 2020 condensed season.
The Hank Aaron Award is awarded on a yearly basis by Major League Baseball to the best hitter in each league. Fans and broadcasters vote to choose the winners, with fans’ votes counting for 30% and broadcasters’ votes counting for 70% of the total tally.
The nominees in the American League are: Jose Abreu (Chicago White Sox) Nelson Cruz (Minnesota Twins) Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Indians) Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels) Teoscar Hernandez (Toronto Blue Jays) Brandon Lowe (Tampa Bay Rays) and LeMahieu (New York Yankees.)
The Yankees’ offensive machine
LeMahieu was the Yankees’ leader in fWAR (2.5) and wRC+ (177.) He also led the American League in batting average with a .364 mark, slashing .364/.421/.590 with a .429 wOBA and ten home runs in 50 games.
LeMahieu is slated to be a free agent, and the Yankees will presumably do their best to retain his services for 2021 and beyond. In the offices, high officials are saying that they acknowledge his excellent contributions in both offense and defense. They know he will command the attention of several teams around the league.
If you feel like LeMahieu was not only the New York Yankees’ most valuable offensive contributor, but also tops in the league, you can place your vote by going to this link: MLB.com/hankaaronaward. Fans can vote on one AL and one NL winner from this moment through Sunday.
The competition will be fierce, as Abreu was incredible in the heart of a surging White Sox’s lineup and led the league in RBI. Trout had his usual amazing season, and Jose Ramirez is the prime candidate for MVP.