Yordan Álvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong named 2026 Hank Aaron Award winners

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The 2026 Hank Aaron Award winners have been announced, with Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Álvarez and Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong taking home Major League Baseball’s annual recognition for the best offensive performers in each league’s American and National divisions. The awards were handed out during the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards on Wednesday, and both recipients were also listed as the favorites for their respective Most Valuable Player awards scheduled to be announced the following day.

The Hank Aaron Award, first introduced in 1999, is awarded each year based on votes from baseball fans as well as a panel of Hall of Famers and previous winners. MLB’s announcement stated that Álvarez and Crow-Armstrong each beat out nine other nominees from their respective leagues, taking the award away from 2025 repeat winners Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

For the American League, Álvarez was recognized as the Astros’ top offensive force after what MLB described as career-defining production. MLB’s release highlighted that the only month of his season with a sub-.900 OPS came in August, when he posted an .872 OPS with two home runs and 12 RBIs. Even that stretch, MLB noted, still translated to a 133 wRC+ for the month, representing offense 33% better than league average.

MLB reported that beyond August, Álvarez maintained consistent high-end performance without any other month falling below an OPS of 1.000. The same announcement pointed to a .316/.432/.601 slash line across 2026, finishing with 42 home runs, 106 RBIs and an 181 wRC+.

Álvarez’s 2026 season also produced multiple major offensive milestones according to MLB’s release. MLB stated that he won the batting title, led all hitters in walks (109), and was the only qualified hitter with an OPS over 1.000. MLB further noted that he was in position for a Triple Crown bid for much of the season, with the Orioles’ Pete Alonso ultimately taking over the American League home run and RBI leads late with a red-hot finish.

The Astros’ offensive workload and staying power were also part of MLB’s reasoning, with the league noting Álvarez played his most games in any season of his career (158). MLB said the increased availability helped him reach what it described as his full potential, including the first 40-homer season of his career.

In the National League, MLB named Crow-Armstrong the Hank Aaron Award winner after a season turnaround that began with a slow start at the plate. MLB’s release noted he owned a .669 OPS through the end of April in 2026, raising questions about his offensive profile before changes in approach led to a larger, sustained breakout.

According to MLB, Crow-Armstrong adopted a more selective approach at the plate and began hitting more consistently to the pull side. MLB credited the shift with a major offensive run from May 1 through the end of the season, during which Crow-Armstrong led MLB in home runs (42), runs scored (100), OPS (1.004) and wRC+ (171).

MLB also reported that during that span, Crow-Armstrong tied for the MLB lead with 35 stolen bases and was second with 94 RBIs, trailing only Pete Alonso’s total of 100. The release additionally said his 11.4% walk rate in 2026 represented a +6.9% jump from 2025, the largest increase among qualified hitters in both seasons.

Crow-Armstrong’s full-year totals, as listed by MLB, were equally notable: he finished tied with Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead with 45 home runs, posted an NL-best .942 OPS, and added 41 total stolen bases. MLB also stated that his season produced just the seventh 40-homer, 40-stolen-base campaign in Major League Baseball history.

MLB’s announcement connected the award profile to Crow-Armstrong’s overall two-way impact. It noted he posted a league-leading 26 Fielding Run Value in center field and won the NL Platinum Glove, and it linked that defensive distinction to the broader MVP conversation around him. MLB further reported he led all players with 10.6 fWAR.

With Álvarez and Crow-Armstrong becoming first-time Hank Aaron Award winners, MLB’s announcement also placed the award within its longer historical context. The release said the Hank Aaron Award was first given out in 1999—25 years after Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record—and that the 2026 winners were selected as part of the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards.

The next step in MLB’s postseason hardware run for the two winners is the MVP announcements, which MLB indicated would follow immediately after the Hank Aaron Award presentation. For now, the league has officially identified Álvarez of the Astros and Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs as the top offensive performers in the American and National Leagues for 2026, respectively.

Caption: The Hank Aaron Award goes to top offensive performers in each league, and the 2026 winners are Yordan Álvarez (Astros) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs).