Bautista and Kemp named Hank Aaron Award winners
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Oct 24, 2011 
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Here’s the announcement from Major League Baseball…
Major League Baseball announced today that Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays and Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers have been selected as the winners of the 2011 Hank Aaron Award. This is the second consecutive year Bautista has won the award. Established in 1999 to honor the 25th Anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, the Hank Aaron Award is officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball and recognizes the most outstanding offensive performers in each League.
Fans voted for the award on MLB.com, and for the second straight year, a special panel of Hall of Fame players led by Hank Aaron joined fans in voting for the award. The Hall of Fame panel included two new members – personally selected by Hank Aaron – Roberto Alomar and Joe Morgan. They joined panelists from last year, which included Tony Gwynn, Paul Molitor, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Robin Yount, forming a group comprised of some of the greatest offensive players of all-time who combined for 23,536 hits, 11,445 RBI and exactly 2,800 home runs.
Bautista batted a career-best .302 and led the Majors with 43 home runs. The 31-year-old outfielder added 103 RBI and also led the Majors with a .608 slugging percentage and 132 walks to go along with a .447 on-base percentage (second in Majors), 24 doubles, two triples, 105 runs scored (sixth in the A.L.) and 312 total bases (sixth in the A.L.). The Dominican native became just the fifth player in Major League history to record at least 40 home runs, 130 walks and nine stolen bases in the same season, becoming the first American Leaguer to do so since Babe Ruth in 1930. In addition, the two-time A.L. All-Star was the only player in the Majors to record at least 40 homers, 100 runs scored, 100 RBI and 100 walks with a .600 slugging percentage in 2011, marking the second consecutive season that he has accomplished the feat and making him the first to do so in consecutive seasons since David Ortiz in 2005-2006. The 20th round selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft reached base safely in 136 of his 149 games played in 2011. Dating back to September 1, 2009, Bautista leads the Majors with 107 home runs, 22 more than Albert Pujols of the Cardinals, who ranks second during that span.
Kemp, 27, batted .324 (third in the N.L.) with 39 home runs and 126 RBI in 2011, leading the National League in homers, RBI, runs scored (115) and total bases (353). The 2011 N.L. All-Star also finished among league leaders in multi-hit games (57, tied for first), hits (195, second), slugging percentage (.586, second), extra-base hits (76, second), stolen bases (40, tied for second), on-base percentage (.399, fourth) and walks (74, tied for eighth). Kemp became the seventh player in Major League history to finish the season ranked in the top three in homers, batting average, RBI and stolen bases in their respective league, joining Hall of Famers Ty Cobb (1907, 1909-11), Honus Wagner (1908), George Sisler (1920), Chuck Klein (1932), Willie Mays (1955) and Hank Aaron (1963). In addition, the sixth round selection in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft was the first Dodger to lead the N.L. in home runs and RBI since Dolph Camilli in 1941 and the first Dodger in history to lead the N.L. in homers, RBI and runs scored. Kemp, who hit .335 on the year with runners in scoring position, is one of five players all-time to eclipse 30 homers, 35 stolen bases, 100 RBI and a .310 average, joining Ken Williams (1922), Barry Bonds (1992), Alex Rodriguez (1998) and Vladimir Guerrero (2002).
Past winners of include: Jose Bautista and Joey Votto (2010); Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols (2009); Aramis Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis (2008); Alex Rodriguez and Prince Fielder (2007); Jeter and Ryan Howard (2006); David Ortiz and Andruw Jones (2005); Manny Ramirez and Barry Bonds (2004); Rodriguez and Pujols (2003); Rodriguez and Bonds (2001-02); Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton (2000) and Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa (1999).
Villa Nova-Ya October 24th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
GB7 -
Sanchez is a year away. Romine is about the same, sort of, needing time in AAA? Cervelli might be a good filler for them for a year.
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That’s why the only real chance of a deal sending Cervelli to Pittsburgh would be with another soon to be out of option pitcher like Heyer or Phelps for somebody like jones, a good left handed bat but with trouble hitting left handed pitchers. Maholm is the only other player that might help as an emergency starter or lefty in the pen.
GB7 -
Is Heyer the lefty who pitched at Trenton?
Villa, could you be thinking of Shaeffer Hall? Heyer’s a RHP.
VNYay be thinking of shaeffer hall or Josh Romanski. Heyer is a 24 year old right hander. Think Jeff karstens.
Sherman said a young catcher though…..if Sanchez was still the guy then wouldn’t they be looking for a veteran stop gap type guy?
Cool.
I love it when a future Yankee wins a big award like that.
Vote Kemp in 2013!
Sanchez didn’t have a good year, but not sure if they have given up on him yet. He definitely will have to repeat AA, and I think Romine is more advanced than Sanchez. Sanchez had a lot of trouble hitting breaking pitches and didn’t hit well with pretty poor righty splits. Not sure how he looked behind the plate.
Hall mostly came out of the pen in second half, except for spot starting, and Romanski only pitched from the pen.
Heyer started in the Jeter rehab game. Only time I’ve seen him pitch and was his ground ball self as per what I’d read in the scouting reports.
Bronx Jeers, love the ‘tude.
Romanski was a starter in the pen in Tampa, lefty reliever in Trenton. Hall made 24 starts in Trenton. This is also the year they need to decide on what their plans are for Venditte. He’d be perfect for a team like Pittsburgh as adrawing card novelty. Just not sure that 82 MPH fastball from the left side is going to work, though he does have a good change-up and a decent curve from the left.
Okay, JAP and YF, I think I’m actually thinking of Halsey???? Could that be?
Just turn the television on in time to see the end of the CJ Wilson interview and hear them talk about how he’s had trouble in the postseason and someone suggested it could be the adrenaline that comes pitching in the postseason.
Hey CJ man, ain’t you never heard of Jack Daniels? Take a shot before you go out to the mound. Guaranteed to calm those nerves and even out the adrenaline. Hope I’m not too late to get this information to you (actually I hope I am since I am rooting for the Cards.)
Worked for the 2004* Sux. Definitely should work for you!
No charge for the info. I’m a big baseball fan. Love the game.
Kiss kiss.
I did see Heyer and Hall, too. But Halsey is the one I didn’t like.
Too many aitches.
Halsey was just a tire patch. If he liked Trenton, that’s where his future is. At 30-31 years old, he won’t be in NY again any time soon.
Yes, Halsey came up to Trenton from Tampa around mid season and pitched out of the pen.
GO CARDS!
If I were Chris Carpenter
and you were the Rangers
would you fall down like bowling pins
would you sense the danger?
Halsey gave up a bunch of inherited runs at games I was at. Poor Killer B’s, but not sure why Halsey wasn’t called in only in garbage situations. Maybe we were hoping he would progress and evolve into a LOOGY.
Worked for the 2004* Sux
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So that’s what the Yanks lacked this year.
GB, Vendite won’t get added to 40 man. We do have some decisions to make with rule 5 coming up in December.
YF -
I saw Halsey probably 3 times adn he did the same thing every time.
Don’t know how I could forget his name even for a second….
I kept thinking “you’re a lefty – all you have to be is decent!”
Villa, GB’s right though; Halsey isn’t a spec anymore. Probably also was adjusting in class from Tampa to AA. But yeah, he was pretty bad. I actually felt sorry for him, but sorrier for the Killer B’s when Halsey came in…