Mike Trout, Christian Yelich Named 2019 Hank Aaron Award Winners

Mike Trout and Christian Yelich were named the Hank Aaron Award winners for the American League and National League, respectively, on Wednesday. 

The honor is reserved for the top hitter in each league. The honor is the second for both players, with Trout previously winning in 2014 and Yelich going back-to-back after claiming the award in 2018.

"I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Hank Aaron, the Hall of Famers and fans for this honor," Trout said, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "This would not be possible without the support of my teammates, coaches, family and my wife, Jessica. I am humbled and thankful to win this award."

Yelich also commented on his win, per MLB.com's Adam McCalvy: "Hank Aaron is such an important person in the history of baseball and the city of Milwaukee. To receive this award is an enormous honor and I look forward to sharing this excitement with my family and our great fans."

Trout finished 2019 with a .291/.438/.645 slash line along with 45 home runs and 104 RBI. He also posted a .436 weighted on-base average and 180 weighted runs created plus.

Despite only playing in 134 games, the Los Angeles Angels center fielder led all position players in WAR (8.6).

Yelich was nearly as good, hitting 44 homers and driving in 97 runs. He also had a .442 wOBA and 174 wRC+ while leading the majors in slugging percentage (.671).

Like Trout, Yelich missed the end of the regular season after fracturing his kneecap. His contributions were instrumental in the Milwaukee Brewers returning to the postseason nonetheless.

The Hank Aaron Award may not be the only piece of hardware Trout and Yelich collect this fall. Trout is poised to receive his third AL MVP, while Yelich has a great chance of going back-to-back as NL MVP, though he faces stiff competition from Cody Bellinger.

Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs