SAN DIEGO — Awards season could be rather busy for Fernando Tatis Jr.
The Padres' 22-year-old shortstop on Friday was named a finalist for the 2021 Hank Aaron Award, given each year to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league.
Despite three trips to the injured list, Tatis led the NL with 42 homers, the second-most ever hit by a Padre in a single season. He also finished second with a .611 slugging percentage, third with a .975 OPS and 25 steals and top-10 in RBIs (97) and runs (99).
The other NL finalists: the Braves' Freddie Freeman, the Reds' Nick Castellanos, the Phillies' Bryce Harper, the Giants' Brandon Crawford, the Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt and the Nationals' Juan Soto.
The Orioles' Cedric Mullins, Cleveland's Jose Ramirez, the Royals' Salvador Perez, the Angels' Shohei Ohtani, the Yankees' Aaron Judge, the Athletics' Matt Olson and the Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are up for the award in the American League.
Fans can vote for the award at MLB.com/aaron through Oct. 15. Their vote will be considered alongside a panel that includes Hall of Famers Chipper Jones, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Eddie Murray and Robin Yount.
