Christian Yelich wins 2018 Hank Aaron Award

Christian Yelich has started to claim his offseason hardware. MLB announced today that Yelich is the 2018 National League Hank Aaron Award winner.

The Hank Aaron Award goes to the best offensive player in each league. Yelich led the league in average at .326 and was just two homers and an RBI short of the triple crown. He was also the leader in advanced metrics like wRC+ (166), wOBA (.422) and was top five in BsR (5.8) in the National League.

No other player sat atop both traditional and advanced statistics like Yelich, truly demonstrating his value. The Hank Aaron Award and Silver Slugger Award for his position seemed like givens leaving the season. The MVP will be awarded later this year, and Yelich should claim that for his third award. Finally, Yelich was one of three finalists for the NL Gold Glove in left field.

Prince Fielder was the only other Brewer to win the Hank Aaron Award. Fielder received it in 2007 after smacking 50 homers in his second MLB season.

JD Martinez won the award in the American League. Both of the outfielders were new acquisitions for their teams.