Thursday occasioned the next round of Major League Baseball’s notable award announcements for the 2024 season. Unveiled at a gala event in Las Vegas were the selections for the All-MLB team for 2024, as well as the Hank Aaron Awards, the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year, the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year, the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, and the Comeback Player of the Year Awards.
The All-MLB team selections were determined by fan vote and a panel of experts. The Hank Aaron Award, which honors the best offensive player in each league, was decided by a panel of Hall of Famers plus fan vote, and the Comeback Player of the Year Awards are decided by the 30 team beat writers for MLB.com.
The more famous BBWAA-awarded hardware — the Rookie of the Year Awards, the Manager of the Year Awards, the Cy Young Awards, and the Most Valuable Player Awards — will all be announced next week. For now, though, these winners will serve as a star-studded appetizer.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at the honorees.
All-MLB first team
- Infield: C: William Contreras, Brewers; 1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays; 2B: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks; 3B: José Ramírez, Guardians; SS: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
- Outfield: Mookie Betts, Dodgers; Aaron Judge, Yankees; Juan Soto, Yankees;
- Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
- Starting pitchers: Corbin Burnes, Orioles; Chris Sale, Braves; Paul Skenes, Pirates; Tarik Skubal, Tigers; Zack Wheeler, Phillies
- Relief pitchers: Emmanuel Clase, Guardians; Ryan Helsley, Cardinals
All-MLB second team
- Infield: C: Salvador Perez, Royals; 1B: Bryce Harper, Phillies; 2B: Jose Altuve, Astros; 3B: Manny Machado, Padres; SS: Francisco Lindor, Mets
- Outfield: Jarren Duran, Red Sox; Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers; Jackson Merrill, Padres
- Designated hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Astros
- Starting pitchers: Dylan Cease, Padres; Shota Imanaga, Cubs; Michael King, Padres; Seth Lugo, Royals; Framber Valdez, Astros
- Relief pitchers: Mason Miller, Oakland; Kirby Yates, Rangers
Other MLB award winners
Hank Aaron Award, American League: Aaron Judge, Yankees
Judge cracked 58 home runs to lead the majors, and he also bested all comers by a wide margin with his OPS+ of 223.
Hank Aaron Award, National League: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Ohtani hit 54 homers for the Dodgers and stole 59 bases. That got most of the attention, which means many of us overlooked that he also topped 400 total bases for the season.
Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year: Emmanuel Clase, Guardians
Clase this season worked 74 ⅓ innings and had a minuscule 0.61 ERA over that span. He issued just nine unintentional walks all season. Clase previously won the award in 2022.
Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year: Ryan Helsley, Cardinals
Helsley wins the award for the first time in his career. This season he set a Cardinals franchise record with 49 saves and put up a 2.04 ERA in 65 appearances.
Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Ohtani in his first season with the world-champion Dodgers put up the first 50-50 campaign in MLB history. He’s the favorite to take home NL MVP honors, as well. Ohtani has now won the “Edgar” for four straight years.
American League Comeback Player of the Year: Garrett Crochet, White Sox
Crochet’s first season as a starter went swimmingly, to say the least. In 146 innings, Crochet had a 3.58 ERA and struck out 35.1% of opposing batters — a towering figure for a starter.
National League Comeback Player of the Year: Chris Sale, Braves
Coming off a long run of injury-compromised seasons, Sale as a 35-year-old in 2024 put up perhaps his best campaign yet. He paced the majors in ERA+ and FIP and racked up 225 strikeouts. As such, he’s in line to win the Cy Young for the first time in his career.
