The Hank Aaron Award finalists -- the first since the legend died -- are Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Juan Soto, Bryce Harper and Bryce Harper.
In November, the winners of this award, which was created in 1999 by Major League Baseball in recognition of the best offensive players in each league, are announced.
Ohtani is the favourite for American League MVP. He is also the first pitcher to be nominated. He and Guerrero are among the American League nominees.
Harper, Soto, and Tatis are joined by Cincinnati's Nick Castellanos and San Francisco's Brandon Crawford. Atlanta's Freddie Freeman is also in the National League. St. Louis' Paul Goldschmidt is also in it.
Billye Aaron, who had been married to Hank Aaron for 48-years, stated that her husband was always excited about the award and also about the World Series. He enjoyed the opportunity to meet and shake hands during the time with the winners.
The voting panel includes eight Hall of Fame members, including new voters Chipper Martinez, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz. There is also a fan vote.
Aaron, MLB's longest-tenured home run king, and one of the most loved and respected players in baseball's history, passed away in January.
Billye Aaron stated, "I'm still experiencing a deep sense of grief," "I'm doing okay. There are many days when I am having difficulty. You have to learn how to deal with this, just like everyone else. You can't change it. It is impossible to change God's will. You must accept it and then learn to move on.
"I miss him so much. He was a man I loved so deeply.
She said that Aaron would be excited about the NL Division Series, which begins Friday between two MLB teams, the Braves or the Milwaukee Brewers. Aaron spent his first twelve years with the Milwaukee Braves, before moving to Atlanta where he played nine seasons. His career was completed by a two-year stint at the Brewers.
He loved Milwaukee. He loved the Milwaukee Braves. Billye Aaron stated that he loved the Milwaukee Brewers. He loved the Atlanta Braves. He would have struggled to not support both teams. You would probably be a part of the team that is your bread-and- butter. You could also be on the staff. He would probably have to pull for Atlanta. He clearly loved the Milwaukee team, but I don't know why.
MLB had intended to honor Aaron at the All-Star Game in July. However, the new voting rights laws in Georgia caused a backlash and MLB moved the game to Denver's Coors Field. Judge and Freeman escorted Billye Aaron onto Coors Field for the ceremony.
Despite criticism from the league, Billye Aaron stated that it was the right decision for Major League Baseball.
"In view of the political environment going on at the time and continuing to go on now," she stated, "The decision to move All-Star Game from Atlanta in spite of the effect that it would have Atlanta and on the businesses that were preparing for it -- I still believe Major League Baseball did exactly the right thing in acknowledging that racism can overrule certain things."
