Pete Crow-Armstrong Named Finalist For Hank Aaron Award

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will add a lot of hardware over the next few weeks. 

Crow-Armstrong is the favorite to win the National League MVP over Shohei Ohtani. He will definitely win his second straight Gold Glove and could even take home his first platinum glove after a phenomenal defensive season. 

Well, there’s another award that Crow-Armstrong could win. 

The Cubs outfielder is listed as a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award. This award has been given out annually since 1999 and is given to the most outstanding offensive player in both the National League and the American League. 

Crow-Armstrong is one of 10 finalists for this award in the National League. He is joined by CJ Abrams (Washington Nationals), Jake Bauers (Milwaukee Brewers), Elly De La Cruz (Cincinnati Reds), Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers), Matt Olson (Atlanta Braves), Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies), Sal Stewart (Cincinnati Reds), Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres), and Jordan Walker (St. Louis Cardinals). 

A panel of Hall of Famers, combined with a fan vote, determines the winner of this award. Fans can vote for Crow-Armstrong right now. Voting will be open for one week and will close on Monday, October 12, at 11:59 AM ET. 

Crow-Armstrong should be the favorite to win this prestigious award. He was the best offensive player in baseball by WAR this season. His 8.3 offensive WAR on ESPN was the highest in baseball, ahead of hitters like Yordan Alvarez (7.2) and De La Cruz (6.4). 

There’s a reason why Crow-Armstrong led the league in offensive WAR in the regular season. The 24-year-old slashed .280/.372/.570 with 45 home runs, 31 doubles, eight triples, 107 RBI, and 41 stolen bases across 162 games. 

Crow-Armstrong’s 45 home runs were tied for the league lead, and his .570 slugging percentage and .942 OPS were the best marks in the National League. He also led the league in runs scored (119) and ranked fourth in the majors in RBI (107). 

It would be quite surprising if Crow-Armstrong doesn’t win the Hank Aaron Award in the National League. He ranked in the top half of the league in several offensive categories and showed up in big moments all through the season. 

Crow-Armstrong is looking to become the fourth Cubs player to win this award. Sammy Sosa won the first award in 1999, Aramis Ramirez then won it in 2008, and Kris Bryant won it during his MVP season in 2016. The Cubs young outfielder could be next.