According to the man himself, the Hank Aaron award is given to “distinguish the top offensive performers in baseball”. In addition to skills at the plate, the award also considers courage and resolve, qualities Aaron displayed, particularly as a black player chasing down Babe Ruth’s home run record.
With that criteria in mind, it should really come as no surprise that the Cardinals Tommy Pham is a finalist for this award. In 128 games, Pham produced a .306/.411/.520 slash line with twenty-three homers, seventy-three RBI, twenty-five stolen bases and 5.9 Wins Above Replacement on Fangraphs.
The winner is chosen in part from fan voting (so get to voting if you want to see Pham win), and part by a panel of judges led by Aaron and including Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr.