Sep 22, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The nominees for the 2014 Hank Aaron award were announced today. The award was established on April 8th, 1999 to select the best offensive player from each of the National and American Leagues. Each league has 15 finalists that can be voted on, and A’s fans will recognize a familiar face: their beloved third baseman, Josh Donaldson. You may vote for one player per league, up to 10 times per day. Voting has commenced and will end on Sunday, October 5th, at 11:59 PM EST. The award will be presented during the World Series.
Cast your vote here
In addition to the votes cast by the public, a panel of baseball experts will also cast their own votes to assist in the selection of the eventual winner. The panel is comprised of Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Paul Molitor, Eddie Murray, Frank Thomas, and Robin Yount. Aaron hand-selected the members of the panel.
The American League nominee list contains all the familiar faces you’d expect to see: Mike Trout of the Angels, Nelson Cruz for the Orioles,and Victor Martinez from the Tigers. Other postseason bound nominees include (as mentioned) Josh Donaldson for the Athletics and Alex Gordon of the Royals.
Here is the complete list of American League Nominees:
Mike Trout: Angels
Nelson Cruz: Orioles
Victor Martinez: Tigers
Josh Donaldson: Athletics
Alex Gordon: Royals
Robinson Cano: Mariners
Jose Bautista: Blue Jays
Adrian Beltre: Rangers
Evan Longoria: Rays
Jose Altuve: Astros
Jose Abreu: White Sox
David Ortiz: Red Sox
Michael Brantley: Indians
Brett Gardner: Yankees
Trevor Plouffe: Twins
The Hank Aaron Award has been handed out for 15 years, but there have only been 8 recipients, as most are multiple year winners. The recipients thus far have been: Miguel Cabrera, Jose Bautista, Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis, Alex Rodriquez, David Ortiz, Carlos Delgado,and Manny Ramirez. Miguel Cabrera, and Jose Bautista have won the award in back-to-back years, and Alex Rodriguez won 3 years straight. Alex Rodriguez has won the award the most, earning the title an impressive 4 times. Derek Jeter is not a finalist this year, but won in 2009 and 2006. Manny Ramirez was the first recipient, and is also a multiple year winner (2004 and 1999).
If Donaldson does win, he would be the first Athletic to do so since the creation of the award in 1999.
Sonny Gray and Josh Reddick were also selected as Co-AL Players of the Week.