Judge, Goldschmidt highlight MLBPA Players Choice Award winners
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge edged out St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani to win the 2022 Player of the Year award, the MLBPA announced Friday.
Judge also took home the American League's Outstanding Player Award over Ohtani.
Judge enjoyed a tremendous offensive season in 2022. The slugger set a new American League record with 62 home runs and led the Junior Circuit in RBIs (131) and OPS (1.111).
"There's no higher honor than this type of award, your peers voting for you," Judge said.
In the National League, Goldschmidt beat out Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley to win the Senior Circuit's Outstanding Player Award.
Goldschmidt put together one of the best seasons of his 12-year career. The 35-year-old slashed .317/.404/.578 with 35 homers and 115 RBIs across 151 games for the Cardinals in 2022.
"There's so many guys out there who deserve this vote," Goldschmidt said. "It's definitely a great honor to represent the players in the National League."
Here are all of the winners in their respective categories.
Player of the Year
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | Shohei Ohtani and Paul Goldschmidt |
American League Outstanding Player
| Winner | Finalist |
|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | Shohei Ohtani |
National League Outstanding Player
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Paul Goldschmidt | Freddie Freeman and Austin Riley |
American League Outstanding Pitcher
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Justin Verlander | Dylan Cease and Alek Manoah |
National League Outstanding Pitcher
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Sandy Alcantara | Zac Gallen and Julio Urias |
American League Outstanding Rookie
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Julio Rodriguez | Adley Rutschman and Bobby Witt Jr. |
National League Outstanding Rookie
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Spencer Strider | Brendan Donovan and Michael Harris II |
American League Comeback Player
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Justin Verlander | Matt Carpenter and Mike Trout |
National League Comeback Player
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | Brandon Drury and Albert Pujols |
Marvin Miller Man of the Year
(Outstanding on-field performance and off-field contributions to his community.)
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Francisco Lindor | Marcus Semien and Brent Suter |
Curt Flood Award
(Selfless, longtime devotion to the players' association and advancement of players' rights.)
| Winner | Finalists |
|---|---|
| Steve Rogers | Buck Martinez and Brooks Robinson |