Judge, Ohtani, Goldschmidt headline MLBPA Players Choice Award finalists
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, and Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani are the 2022 Player of the Year finalists of the Players Choice Award, the MLBPA announced Thursday.
Judge put together a historic campaign in 2022, breaking the American League record for home runs in a single season with 62 while also adding 131 RBIs and nearly winning the Triple Crown.
Meanwhile, Goldschmidt had one of the finest seasons of his 12-year career, hitting .317/.404/.578 with 35 homers, 41 doubles, and 115 RBIs for St. Louis.
Ohtani was sensational as both a hitter and pitcher. The 28-year-old slashed .273/.356/.519 with 34 homers and 95 RBIs while posting a 15-9 record with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings.
Here are the rest of the finalists in their respective categories.
Marvin Miller Man of the Year: Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, Brent Suter
American League Outstanding Player: Judge, Ohtani
National League Outstanding Player: Freddie Freeman, Goldschmidt, Austin Riley
American League Outstanding Pitcher: Dylan Cease, Alek Manoah, Justin Verlander
National League Outstanding Pitcher: Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, Julio Urias
American League Outstanding Rookie: Julio Rodriguez, Adley Rutschman, Bobby Witt Jr.
National League Outstanding Rookie: Brendan Donovan, Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider
American League Comeback Player: Matt Carpenter, Mike Trout, Justin Verlander
National League Comeback Player: Ronald Acuna Jr., Brandon Drury, Albert Pujols
Curt Flood Award: Buck Martinez, Brooks Robinson, Steve Rogers
The winners will be announced Thursday, Nov. 3 on ESPN's 6 p.m. ET broadcast.