Yordan Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong added another major piece of hardware to their breakout seasons on Wednesday, winning the 2026 Hank Aaron Award during the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards.
The honor goes to the top offensive player in each league, and this year it went to two first-time winners who also entered the night as the favorites for their respective MVP Awards, which are set to be announced Thursday. Alvarez and Crow-Armstrong knocked off repeat winners Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani to claim the trophy.
The award, first presented in 1999, is voted on by baseball fans along with a panel of Hall of Famers and previous winners. Alvarez and Crow-Armstrong each topped nine other nominees in their league.
For Alvarez, the case was built on a season that never really dipped. The Astros designated hitter finished at .316/.432/.601 with 42 home runs, 106 RBIs and a 181 wRC+. He also led all hitters with 109 walks and won the MLB batting title, while becoming the only qualified hitter with an OPS above 1.000.
What made his year even more striking was how high the floor stayed. August was his worst month, and even then he posted an .872 OPS with two homers and 12 RBIs, good for a 133 wRC+.
His only other month below that mark was May, when he still hit eight home runs in 28 games and carried a 141 wRC+. He never had a month with an OPS under 1.000 aside from those two.
Alvarez was also on the field more than ever before. He played 158 games, the most of his career, and reached his first 40-homer season while helping push an ailing Astros lineup to its 10th postseason berth in the past 12 years.
Crow-Armstrong’s path was more dramatic. After a first-half start that left him with a below-average .669 OPS through the end of April, the Cubs star flipped the script in a hurry. From May 1 through the end of the season, he led MLB in home runs with 42, runs scored with 100, OPS at 1.004 and wRC+ at 171.
He also tied for the major league lead with 35 stolen bases and finished second with 94 RBIs, behind only Pete Alonso’s 100. His 11.4% walk rate marked a 6.9% jump from 2025, the biggest increase by any hitter who qualified in both seasons.
By the end of the year, Crow-Armstrong was tied with Kyle Schwarber for the MLB home run lead at 45 and owned an NL-best .942 OPS. He also swiped 41 bases, giving him just the seventh 40-homer, 40-stolen-base season in MLB history. On top of that, he became only the 10th MLB player and the first Cub ever to post back-to-back 30-30 seasons.
And the offensive numbers were only part of the story. Crow-Armstrong was also a force in center field, where he posted a league-leading 26 Fielding Run Value and won the NL Platinum Glove. He led all players with 10.6 fWAR, a big reason his name has been in the MVP conversation all season.
In Other News...
Yordan Is Back In The Astros Spotlight For An Even Bigger Prize
Yordan Alvarezs return to the spotlight added another layer to an already notable MLB Awards night, with the Astros slugger earning Comeback Player of the Year honors in the American League. The award, voted on by MLB.com club beat reporters, recognizes players who re-emerged over the course of the season, and Alvarez was joined by Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler as the National League winner.
For Houston, it was another reminder of how quickly Alvarez reestablished himself after a season interrupted by injury and how central he remains to the clubs plans moving forward. The award itself is a nice marker of the turnaround, but it also serves as a setup for the bigger question around Alvarez now, one that goes beyond simply getting back to form. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Just Sent A Strong Message About Yordan Alvarez
The Astros are making it clear they have no interest in entertaining the idea of moving Yordan Alvarez, even with rival clubs surely circling a player of his caliber. General manager Randy Flores pointed to Alvarezs standing as one of the games premier hitters and noted that he still has two years left on his contract, a combination that gives Houston both control and confidence as the slugger continues to anchor the middle of the lineup.
Flores also didnt leave much room for interpretation when asked about trade inquiries, treating the subject more like a joke than a serious possibility. That kind of response says plenty about how Houston views Alvarez, especially with the star outfielder also sitting among the leading candidates for American League MVP honors and reinforcing why the Astros would rather build around him than even entertain offers. [Read more 🡒]
Yordan Alvarez Just Moved One Step Closer To A Bigger Astros Prize
Yordan Alvarez added another line to an already strong season in Las Vegas, where he was named to the All-MLB First Team at designated hitter during the MLB Awards. The honor fits the kind of year he put together for Houston, one that included an American League batting title with a .316 average and a run through the leagues offensive leaderboards.
The bigger prize is still hanging out there, though, and Alvarez is very much in the mix for it. He is one of three finalists for the American League Most Valuable Player Award, and the winner will be announced Thursday, leaving the Astros with one more major decision to watch after a season built around his production. [Read more 🡒]