Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson wins Hank Aaron Award

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson has won the Hank Aaron Award as the American League’s top hitter as voted by fans and members of the media.

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson has won the Hank Aaron Award as the American League’s top offensive player as voted by fans and members of the media.

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper took home the honour in the National League.

“I congratulate Bryce Harper and Josh Donaldson on earning the 2015 Hank Aaron Awards, representing the best offensive seasons in the American and National Leagues,” Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said. “At age 22, Bryce enjoyed great success, posting numbers that put him in the company of some of our game’s all-time greats.

“Josh played a pivotal role in the Blue Jays’ first playoff season in 22 years, contributing to one of the game’s best lineups. Both players honoured the enduring legacy of Hank Aaron with all-around excellence throughout the 2015 season.”

In his first year with the Blue Jays, Donaldson hit .297 with 41 home runs to go along with an American League-high 123 RBI. He also led all of baseball in runs scored with 122 and ranked at or near the top in a number of other offensive categories.

“It is truly a joy and an honor that the award recognizing the top offensive performers in the game has my name on it,” said Hank Aaron. “I want to congratulate Josh and Bryce on their outstanding seasons and extend my thanks to the Hall of Famers and fans who selected the winners.”

Donaldson won the Sporting News MLB player of the year on Thursday, beating Harper in an award determined exclusively by major-league players. The two-time all-star may not be done collecting the hardware as he is one of the leading candidates to win AL MVP honours.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.