Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge win Hank Aaron Awards

Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge were named as the recipients of the 2022 Hank Aaron Awards Wednesday night. Atlanta’s Austin Riley was one of eight finalists for the National League.

The Hank Aaron Award was introduced in 1999 to honor the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. It is given annually to the most outstanding offensive performer from each league.

Each club nominated players to be considered for the award. A panel of MLB.com writers determined the eight finalists for each league. The awards were then voted on by the fans and a special panel of Hall of Fame players. The Hall of Fame panel included Ken Griffey Jr, Chipper Jones, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Eddie Murray and Robin Yount.

Freddie Freeman (2020) and Andruw Jones (2005) are the only Braves to ever win the Hank Aaron award.

National League Finalists

• Austin Riley
• Mookie Betts
• Freddie Freeman
• Pete Alonso
• Kyle Schwarber
• Nolan Arenado
• Paul Goldschmidt
• Manny Machado

American League Finalists

• Rafael Devers
• Jose Ramirez
• Jose Altuve
• Shohei Ohtani
• Mike Trout
• Aaron Judge
• Julio Rodriguez