Judge and Paul win award as offensive hitters

New American League home run king Aaron Judge and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt on Wednesday won the Hank Aaron Awards, which recognize the most outstanding offensive performances in each league in the majors.

Judge and Goldschmidt are also finalists in the voting for the Most Valuable Player award, which will be announced next week by the Baseball Writers’ Association of North America (BBWAA).

Recently declared a free agent, Judge hit 62 home runs last season with the New York Yankees, surpassing the American League record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961.

Judge also led the majors in slugging (.686), runs batted in (.425), OPS (1.111) and runs (133). His 131 RBIs tied with those of the Mets’ Pete Alonso in the majors.

He batted .311, second in the American League, and was in contention for the triple crown until the final days of the season.

Goldschmidt led the Nationals in slugging (.578) and slugging (.404) while hitting .317 with 35 home runs and 115 runs produced. The Cardinals first baseman also won the Hank Aaron Award in 2013 with Arizona.

Each team nominates its candidates for the Hank Aaron Awards. A group of MLB.com writers choose the eight finalists from each league, and fan votes are added to the selection by a panel of Hall of Fame players.

The awards are endorsed by the Majors front office and are named after the legendary Braves outfielder and Hall of Famer.