CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 26: (L-R) Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer 2016 Hank Aaron, Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred and David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox pose during the Hank Aaron Award ceremony prior to Game Two of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on October 26, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo: Getty)
Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and newly-retired Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz have been named this year’s Hank Aaaron Award winners as the top offensive players in their respective leagues.
Bryant and Ortiz received their awards in a ceremony before Wednesday’s Game 2 of the World Series by Aaron and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.
“It is an honor that the awards, which distinguish the top offensive performers in baseball, have my name on it,” Aaron said, according to Mark Newman of MLB.com. “I want to congratulate Kris and David on their terrific seasons and extend my thanks to the Hall of Famers and fans who once again helped select the winners.”
Ortiz, 40, won the award for an incredible season that saw him break records for players in his age bracket. The Dominican designated hitter slashed 315/.401/.620 with 38 homers and 79 runs scored while leading the American League in slugging percentage, OPS (1.021), doubles (48), and RBIs (137) over 151 games.
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His RBI total set a new single-season record for players aged 40 or over; additionally, he now holds records for the most homers, RBIs, doubles, and extra-base hits (87) during a final season.
Bryant followed up his award-winning rookie season with an even better campaign for the National League champion Cubs. The 24-year-old led Chicago’s lineup by hitting .292/.385/.554 with an NL-best 121 runs scored, 39 homers, 35 doubles, and eight stolen bases. After striking out a league-best 199 times in 2015, Bryant reduced his strikeout total to 154 this year.
“I grew up watching Big Papi on the Red Sox get to this point and win a World Series, and hopefully I can do that here,” Bryant said, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. “I’ve been through some pretty cool things recently, but this is something I’m going to have to pinch myself.”
This marks the second time Ortiz has won the prestigious award; he also received the honor in 2005. Bryant is the third Cub to win the award, joining Sammy Sosa in 1999 and Aramis Ramirez in 2008.
Game 3 of the World Series is set for Friday night at Wrigley Field.
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