The MLB Players Association (MLBPA) announced 2024 Players Choice Award winners, with New York Yankees All-Star Aaron Judge headlining those who received recognition for the regular season.
As the name suggests, these specific MLB awards come with extra significance as winners are decided by voting amongst players.
Shohei Ohtani was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ only recipient this year, winning National League Outstanding Player. He fell short of multiple Players Choice Awards as Aaron Judge was selected for Player of the Year.
It would have been Ohtani’s second peer-driven Player of the Year Award this season after he was named 2024 Sporting News MLB Player of the Year.
Rhys Hoskins was named as Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Philanthropist of the Year, two Players Choice Awards with increased significance.
The Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award is handed out to the player who best demonstrates leadership in the clubhouse, while the Philanthropist of the Year Award recognizes the player that best serves his community.
The Curt Flood Award, named after the man who fought for and paved the way for free agency in the 1970s, is awarded to the player that best embodies Flood’s mission and values.
Full list of 2024 Players Choice Award winners
Player of the Year and AL Outstanding Player: Aaron Judge
Judge’s 34 home runs before the All-Star break set a new Yankees franchise record for most in the first half of a season. In 2022, Judge tied Roger Maris’s first-half record of 33 homers.
Judge had an MLB-leading 144 RBI this season as he finished with a 1.159 on-base plus slugging percentage and 58 home runs.
NL Outstanding Player: Shohei Ohtani
In his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to record a 50-homer, 50-steal season. He surpassed Hideki Matsui for the most home runs ever by a Japanese player in the majors with his 176th career homer in April and surpassed 200 against the Detroit Tigers in June.
Ohtani led the National League in runs (134), homers (54), RBIs (130), slugging (.646), OPS (1.036) and total bases (411).
NL Outstanding Pitcher and NL Comeback Player: Chris Sale
Prior to the 2024, Sale only had 31 combined starts over the previous three seasons with the Boston Red Sox due to injury, but he seemingly found the fountain of youth following a trade to the Atlanta Braves.
Sale notched the eighth 200-strikeout season of his 14-year career, tied for second all-time among left-handed pitchers behind Randy Johnson. Sale notched a career-high 18 wins and also led the league in ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225) to become the first pitcher to capture an NL triple crown since Clayton Kershaw in 2011.
Sale’s 18 consecutive starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed set a Major League record.
AL Outstanding Pitcher: Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal cemented himself as one of the top arms in baseball and best pitcher in the AL with an excellent 2024 season.
He took home the AL triple crown for pitchers with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. Skubal became the first AL pitcher to win the triple crown in a full season since Justin Verlander in 2011.
He was extremely reliable for the Detroit Tigers, completing six innings or more in 25 of 31 starts, and was a driving force behind the team’s first trip to the postseason since 2014.
NL Outstanding Rookie: Jackson Merrill
Jackson Merrill led all MLB rookies in RBI (90), batting average (.292), home runs (24), OPS (.826) and fWAR (5.3). He also displayed a knack for the big moment with six game-tying or go-head home runs in the eighth inning or later.
A shortstop by trade, Merrill made a seamless transition to become the everyday center fielder for the San Diego Padres. He became the first Padres rookie and youngest player in franchise history to ever to be named to the MLB All-Star Game.
AL Outstanding Rookie: Colton Cowser
For a second straight year a Baltimore Orioles player took home this award for best rookie in the AL, following Gunnar Henderson’s win in 2023.
Cowser led all AL rookies in home runs with 24 and also hit 24 doubles. That made Cowser the ninth Orioles rookie to have at least 20 doubles and 20 home runs in one season.
He batted .242/.321/.447 to help get the Orioles back to October for a second straight season.
Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Philanthropist of the Year: Rhys Hoskins
After six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Hoskins signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in free agency and quickly ingratiated himself with his new teammates. Hoskins assumed the role of Brewers’ player representative in the MLBPA.
Across seven seasons with Philadelphia and Milwaukee, Hoskins and his wife, Jayme, have raised over $1 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. They hosted 100 families at a Brewers game and remained active in MDA summer camps and promoting awareness of the disease through public service announcements, social media campaigns and other events.
Curt Flood Award: Dave Winfield
A respected clubhouse leader and well-known player rights advocate over his 22-year Hall of Fame career, Dave Winfield immersed himself in the issues as rookie outfielder with the Padres in 1973 and unfailingly supported the MLBPA through several collective bargaining negotiations and six work stoppages until his retirement in 1995.
Since 2013, Winfield has continued to dedicate his time, energy and passion to support current and future generations of players in his role as a senior advisor to MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
