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The St. Louis had two of the best hitters in the National League on their roster in 2022 in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
Major League Baseball announced the finalists for the Hank Aaron Award in the National League and American League on Monday, and two St. Louis Cardinals were nominated in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
The Hank Aaron Award, which is given to the best overall offensive performer in each league, is voted in combination by the fans and a panel of Hall of Famers. It is no surprise to see both Goldschmidt and Arenado on this prestigious list.
Goldschmidt is the favorite in the National League for the Most Valuable Player award after slashing .317/.404/.578 with 35 HR and 115 RBI during the regular season. Goldschmidt would be the runaway favorite for this award had it not been for an ice-cold end of the season, where in his last 30 games he dipped to .229/.328/.352 with 2 HR and 10 RBI. Still, Goldschmidt’s season as a whole should allow him to win this award.
Arenado had himself an MVP caliber season, hitting .293/.358/.891 with 30 HR and 103 RBI hitting behind Goldschmidt throughout the season. This was an awesome rebound season from his first in St. Louis, where his numbers were not quite in line with his peak seasons but now seem to be back to his Colorado days.
The other six finalists in the National League include Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado, Pete Alonso, Austin Riley, and Kyle Schwarber. On the American League side, the finalists include Aaron Judge, Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Rafael Devers, Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez, Julio Rodriguez, and Mike Trout.
Even if neither of the Cardinals corner infielders win this award, it is encouraging to see both players recognized by the league for their great seasons. Having two MVP caliber bats in your lineup goes a long way, and if the Cardinals add some support to their lineup this offseason, that could help boost their performance even more in 2023.