White Sox: Vote for Jose Abreu to win the Hank Aaron Award
White Sox first baseman, Jose Abreu, is in the running for the prestigious Hank Aaron MLB Award.
This award has been handed out annually since 1999 to the best offensive players in the NL and AL, but no White Sox player has won the trophy since its inception.
Since fans can vote for the award, you can do your part to put both Jose Abreu and the White Sox in the history books.
Each year, a player from each of the 30 teams is nominated for the Hank Aaron Award. Of those 30 players, one is selected from each league as the award recipient. Those winners are meant to commemorate Hank Aaron overtaking Babe Ruth‘s all-time home run record. When the award was first given in 1999, it was done to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking the record.
The list of names in the running for the 2018 award is a who’s who of the best hitters in baseball. Abreu’s competition includes Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Altuve, Adam Jones, J.D. Martinez, Paul Goldschmidt, Javier Baez, and Christian Yelich. In 2017, Altuve and Stanton won the award, which was presented by Aaron himself.
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If you want to get involved in the action, you can vote for Abreu and a player from the NL here. According to the website, Aaron and a group of Hall of Fame players also factor into the decision. Abreu was nominated in 2016, 2015, and 2014. Alexei Ramirez was nominated in 2013. Alex Rios was nominated in 2012. Paul Konerko was nominated in 2011.
Abreu hit well in 2018, but it was not his best season, despite him going to the All-Star Game in July. He finished the season with a batting slash of .265/.325/.473. This slash ranks him 32nd in the AL. The players at the top include Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Jose Altuve. Even Abreu’s home run numbers place him in the 30s when compared to other AL players. In fact, Abreu’s rookie teammate, Daniel Palka, ranks 15th when looking at AL home runs. Looking at AL RBI numbers, Abreu’s 78 on the season places him in 26th.
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Unless an impressive number of voters choose Abreu, it like that his nomination was symbolic. However, it is still an honor to receive so many nominations for the work that he does at the plate. Remember, hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult tasks that any athlete can do.