Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez won the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award on Wednesday in Las Vegas, becoming the first DH not named Shohei Ohtani to take the honor since 2020, MLB.com reported. He also won the American League Hank Aaron Award, given to each league's top offensive performer, ending a run by Aaron Judge and Ohtani; the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong won the National League award.
Ohtani had won the DH honor five consecutive times, tying David Ortiz (2003-07) for the longest streak since the award began in 1973. It was renamed in 2004 for Edgar Martinez, the Mariners great who won it five times. Ballots are cast by beat writers, broadcasters and club public-relations departments; nominees need at least 100 at-bats as a DH. Alvarez is the first Astro to win it. In 134 games as a designated hitter he slashed .305/.422/.575 with 34 home runs and 83 RBIs. Overall in 2026 he also started 24 games in left field, won the A.L. batting title at .316, and led the league in on-base percentage (.432), slugging (.601), OPS (1.033), offensive WAR (7.2), total bases (341), walks (109) and extra-base hits (77). He finished second in RBIs (106) and tied for second in home runs (42), both career highs. Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, presenting the award, joked that he himself might have been the worst DH in history, with more strikeouts than hits in a handful of career DH plate appearances, and said the job of staying locked in for four or five at-bats a night is uniquely hard.
The Hank Aaron Awards, first given in 1999, are voted on by fans and a panel of Hall of Famers and past winners. Alvarez played 158 games, the most of his career, finished at .316/.432/.601 with 42 homers, 106 RBIs and a 181 wRC+, won the major-league batting title, led all hitters in walks, and was the only qualified hitter with an OPS over 1.000, MLB.com said. He helped the Astros to their 10th postseason berth in 12 years. Crow-Armstrong, 24, finished tied with Kyle Schwarber for the major-league home-run lead at 45, added 41 stolen bases — just the seventh 40-40 season in history — and posted a National League-best .942 OPS. From May 1 on, he led the majors in home runs (42), runs (100), OPS (1.004) and wRC+ (171). He also won the N.L. Platinum Glove after a league-leading 26 Fielding Run Value in center field and led all players with 10.6 fWAR. Alvarez is a finalist for A.L. MVP, scheduled to be announced Thursday; Crow-Armstrong has generated similar N.L. buzz. Those votes were not yet in when the midweek awards were handed out.