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Toronto Blue Jays MVP Candidate Named Finalist For Another Prestigious Award

The Toronto Blue Jays missed the playoffs but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had an incredible offensive season.

Brady Farkas

Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) flips his bat after being walked against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Rogers Centre.
Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) flips his bat after being walked against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Rogers Centre. / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
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Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was named a finalist for the prestigious Hank Aaron Award on Monday afternoon.

The award has been around since 1999 and is described as:

The Hank Aaron Award is awarded annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league. The award was introduced in 1999 to mark the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. A panel of Hall of Famers will combine with a fan vote to determine the winners.

While not the same as the MVP Award, Guerrero Jr. is listed alongside several MVP candidates on this ballot. He's joined by Jarren Duran (Red Sox), Gunnar Henderson (Orioles), Jose Ramirez (Guardians), Brent Rooker (A's), Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Aaron Judge and Juan Soto (Yankees). All of those players figure to finish inside the Top Ten of AL MVP voting. Guerrero Jr. would figure to finish somewhere in the top seven.

The 25-year-old star finished the season with a .323 average, 30 homers and 103 RBI. He had 199 hits, a .396 on-base percentage and a .940 OPS. He's heading into the final year of his rookie contract and could be in line for a massive extension this offseason. Should he get one, the 10-year, $313 million extension given to Rafael Devers a few years ago would be a good place to start.

The Blue Jays finished last in the American League East this season.

To vote for Guerrero Jr., fans can visit the following link. You can vote until Oct. 13.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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