Who was the best offensive player in each league during the regular season?
That is the criteria for choosing the annual winners of the Hank Aaron Award. The award was established in 1999 to mark the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time career home run record, and the winners are determined by votes from a panel of Hall of Famers as well as baseball fans. The voting window is underway and runs through Sunday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
The Hank Aaron Award winners will be announced live from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 13, during a special presentation at the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards.
Here are the 10 nominees in each league for 2025:
Playing in 126 games (the most for Buxton since 2017), the veteran finally got to show off a little, hitting .264/.327/.551, setting career highs in home runs (35), RBIs (83), triples (7) and runs scored (97) and going a perfect 24-for-24 on the basepaths.
Tampa Bay’s former top prospect exceeded even the loftiest expectations placed upon him in his first full season by becoming the fourth-youngest player to record a 40-homer season (22 years, 85 days old on the final day of the regular season) and just the second ever to do so in a Rays uniform. Caminero ended the season hitting .264/.311/.535 with 45 homers and 110 RBIs.
In another stellar offensive season, Greene had not just his own first 30-homer, 100-RBI season, but it was the first by a Tiger since 2016. Despite being the only AL hitter to exceed 200 strikeouts, he hit .258/.313/.493, setting new career highs in hits (155), home runs (36), RBIs (111) and runs scored (84).
In his fifth straight All-Star season, Guerrero had another strong all-around year at the plate for the AL East champions, hitting .292/.381/.467 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs.
The reigning AL winner had yet another mind-blowing season featuring his fourth 50-homer campaign (tied for the most in MLB history) and his first batting title. Judge led all qualifying hitters in the regular season in average (.331), OBP (.457) and SLG (.688) and set a new AL record by drawing 36 intentional walks.
In a debut for the ages, Kurtz, the fourth overall pick of the 2024 Draft, debuted on April 23 and went homerless through his first 16 games — notable in retrospect as he would go on to hit 36 over his next 101 games and have the first four-homer game by a rookie in MLB history. Likely cruising toward AL Rookie of the Year honors, Kurtz hit .290/.383/.619 (1.002 OPS) in 2025.
To call Raleigh’s regular season historic would be underselling it. Already known for his impressive power, the 28-year-old helped lead the Mariners to their first division title since 2001 with a 60-homer campaign, setting both a new franchise record (surpassing Ken Griffey Jr.’s back-to-back 56-homer seasons in 1997-98) and a new high for catchers, with his 49 hit at the position surpassing Javy Lopez’s 42 in 2003.
After falling just one homer shy of a 40-40 season in 2024, Ramírez came back with his second straight 30-homer, 40-stolen base season in 2025, ending the year (and his team’s epic regular-season comeback) with 30 homers, 44 steals, 103 runs scored and a .283/.360/.503 slash line.
Coming off the worst season of his career in 2024, Springer made an unbelievable comeback in ’25 and only got better as the season wore on — rare for anyone, let alone a 12-year Major League veteran. A second half in which he hit .369 with 16 home runs in 50 games brought him up to a career-high .309 average with a .399 OBP, .560 SLG and 32 home runs, his most since 2019.
Although he fell short of his third straight 30-30-season and couldn’t quite match the production of his MVP-caliber 2024, Witt still had one of the best all-around seasons in baseball this year, hitting .295/.351/.501 with an MLB-high 47 doubles plus 23 home runs and 38 steals.
After his heroic home run in Game 3 of the 2024 NL Wild Card Series, Alonso re-signed with the Mets and got right back to work. The slugging first baseman helped anchor New York’s star-studded lineup, surpassing 30 homers for the fifth straight season and driving in 126 runs. Named an All-Star for the fifth time in his career, Alonso has been one of MLB’s most consistent power hitters.
Carroll, the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year, rebounded from a sophomore slump to put up his finest season yet. The speedy Arizona outfielder hit a career-high 31 homers, posted an .884 OPS and hit 17 triples — the most since José Reyes had 19 back in 2008. He also racked up 30-plus steals for the third straight year, making him a dynamic power-speed threat.
Ohtani was outstanding again in 2025, his second season with the Dodgers. He slugged 55 home runs, breaking his own Dodgers single-season record from 2024 (54), and he became the first player since Alex Rodriguez from 2001-02 to hit 50-plus homers in consecutive seasons. Ohtani added 20 steals and an NL-leading 1.014 OPS — all while returning to the mound as a starting pitcher.
One of 2025’s biggest breakout stars, Perdomo made a major leap in his fifth Major League season. The D-backs shortstop put up a .290/.389/.462 slash line with 20 homers and 27 steals, driving in 100 runs as part of a dangerous Arizona lineup also featuring Carroll and second baseman Ketel Marte.
At age 32, Schwarber enjoyed his best season yet to help lead the Phillies to an NL East title. The veteran designated hitter crushed 56 home runs, leading the NL and nearly catching Ryan Howard (58 HR in 2006) for the Phillies’ single-season home run crown. His standout year included an MLB-best 132 RBIs, a four-homer game against the rival Braves and a .928 OPS.
Soto got off to a (relatively) slow start in the first season of his Mets megadeal, but it didn’t last long. The superstar outfielder batted .322 with 11 home runs and a 1.196 OPS during one of the best Junes in franchise history, and Soto was nearly as hot from August on (1.016 OPS). With a career-high 43 home runs, 105 RBIs and a .921 OPS on the season, Soto was as advertised in Year 1 with the Mets, even tying for the league lead with 38 steals.
A major spark for the Padres, Tatis displayed improvement in multiple key areas in 2025. He stepped up his basestealing prowess by swiping a career-high 32 bags, and he also showed better plate discipline, upping his walk rate to a career-high 12.9%. With 25 home runs and an .814 OPS, Tatis has proven to be a dynamic offensive force year in and year out.
Tucker’s numbers took a midseason downturn while the outfielder played through a hairline fracture in his hand, but his final statistics still point to a very solid year. In his debut with the Cubs, Tucker finished an All-Star campaign with 22 homers, 25 steals and an .841 OPS. A power-speed threat throughout his career, Tucker has been a valuable offensive player, worth between 4-6 WAR in each of the past five seasons.
Despite missing most of September with a right hamstring strain, Turner put together an excellent season at the top of the Phillies’ potent lineup. The speedster led the NL with a .304 batting average, slugged 15 homers and stole 36 bases — his most steals since 2018 with Washington. The shortstop set the table perfectly for Schwarber and Bryce Harper behind him, helping the Phillies repeat as division champions.
Yelich stayed healthy in 2025 after his promising ’24 was cut short in July due to a back issue that ultimately required surgery. A key veteran presence for the first-place Brewers, the outfielder tapped back into his power supply with 29 home runs, by far his most since hitting 44 in 2019. Yelich, who stole 16 bases as well, finished the year with a .795 OPS, playing a crucial role for Milwaukee’s impressive offense.
