Prior to Game 4 of the World Series, Mike Trout and Giancarlo Stanton were selected as the American League and National League winners of the 2014 Hank Aaron Award.
Mike Trout and Giancarlo Stanton were awarded the 2014 Hank Aaron Awards on Saturday evening as the best hitters in the American League and National League respectively, MLB announced before Game 4 of the World Series.
The Hank Aaron Award was first established in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, and it recognizes the most outstanding offensive performer in each league. Fans voted for the winners on MLB.com and a special panel of Hall of Fame players, led by Aaron himself, also participated in the voting process.
Speaking at the ceremony to honor Trout and Stanton, MLB commissioner Bud Selig said, "I want to congratulate Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout on being the winners of the 2014 Hank Aaron Award, an honor named for one of the game's legendary players. These first-time Hank Aaron Award winners are two of our game's most exciting and talented young players."
Stanton enjoyed a career-best year at the plate in 2014 before being struck in the face by a pitch in early September, an incident that ended the 24-year-old's season. Despite the injury, Stanton's performance with the bat placed him firmly in the discussion for NL MVP. The outfielder hit .288/.395/.555 with 37 home runs and 32 doubles for the Marlins, setting career-high marks in RBI, runs scored and on-base percentage. He made his second All-Star team and led the NL in home runs, slugging percentage, total bases and intentional walks.
Trout improved his power mightily in his second full major league season, belting 36 home runs for the Angels, which tied for third in the AL. The 23-year-old hit .287/.377/.561 over 705 plate appearances, setting career-best marks in home runs, RBI and extra-base hits. Trout's 84 extra-base hits were the third-most for a player in a single season in Angels history. The outfielder led the AL in runs scored, total bases and RBI.
Both Trout and Stanton were first-time recipients of the award. Miguel Cabrera and Paul Goldschmidt received the Hank Aaron award in 2013.
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