CLEVELAND — While the Cleveland Indians fell short in the postseason, Jose Ramirez may still manage to walk away from the 2020 campaign with some hardware.
On Wednesday, Major League Baseball announced its finalists for the 2020 Hank Aaron Award, which is presented to "the most outstanding regular season offensive performer in each League." In doing so, it was revealed that Ramirez is one of seven finalists in the American League, with the full list of this year's finalists as follows:
American League
- Chicago White Sox 1B Jose Abreu
- Cleveland Indians 3B Jose Ramirez
- Los Angeles Angels OF Mike Trout
- Minnesota Twins DH Nelson Cruz
- New York Yankees INF DJ LeMahieu
- Tampa Bay Rays 2B Brandon Lowe
- Toronto Blue Jays OF Teoscar Hernández
National League
- Atlanta Braves 1B Freddie Freeman
- Los Angeles Dodgers SS Corey Seager
- New York Mets 1B Dominic Smith
- Philadelphia Phillies OF Bryce Harper
- San Diego Padres 3B Manny Machado
- St. Louis Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt
- Washington Nationals OF Juan Soto
Introduced in 1999, the winner of the Hank Aaron Award is determined by a fan vote, as well as a panel of Hall of Fame players, led by the honor's namesake. This year's Hall of Fame players panel includes Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Eddie Murray and Robin Yount.
Fans looking to vote for the award can do so at MLB.com/hankaaronaward.
A 2-time All-Star selection, Ramirez turned in one of the best seasons of his career during MLB's shortened 60-game campaign. Appearing in 58 games, the 28-year-old hit for a .292 average (.993 OPS), 46 RBIs and 17 home runs, including a walk-off to clinch Cleveland's place in the expanded MLB postseason.
For his efforts -- especially late in the season -- Ramirez garnered American MVP buzz. As far as the Hank Aaron Award is concerned, it's worth noting that Ramirez tied with LeMahieu to lead the American League in Offensive WAR (wins above replacement) with 2.8 in 2020.