The 2020 MLB Players Choice Award winners are announced

SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 23: Kyle Lewis of the Seattle Mariners waits for a pitch during an at-bat in a game against the Texas Rangers on August 23, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 23: Kyle Lewis of the Seattle Mariners waits for a pitch during an at-bat in a game against the Texas Rangers on August 23, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
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Trevor Bauer from the Reds throws a pitch in a regular season game.
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

It is MLB Awards season and the 2020 Players Choice Awards kick it off

The Players Choice Awards were announced on Thursday, October 22nd. The Players Choice Awards are one of the early MLB awards given out this season, as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Awards will be announced during the second week of November. These include the Cy Young, Manager of the Year, Rookies of the Year, and MVP Awards.

The Gold Glove Award finalists and Reliever of the Year were also recently announced. Three to four finalists were announced at each position in each league for the Gold Glove Award. The Relievers of the Year went to Liam Hendriks of the Athletics and Devin Williams of the Brewers.

To begin, let’s meet the MLB Players Choice, Marvin Miller Award.

Twins slugger, Nelson Cruz wins the Marvin Miller Award (Man of the Year Award)

The Marvin Miller Award is given to the player who is most “respected based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Nelson Cruz from the Twins was the recipient of the award. The 40-year-old has established himself as one of the best designated-hitters in the past decade and Cruz has also done his part in the community.

Players around the league respect the work Cruz has done in the Dominican Republic after establishing the Boomstick23 Foundation in 2016. The non-profit organization is “committed to generating social impact by empowering children and young people in situations of social vulnerability; developing skills and abilities through education and sports to improve the environment and their quality of life.”

“In recent years, Cruz has donated a fire engine and ambulance and helped build a police station in his hometown of Las Matas De Santa Cruz, while also giving time and money to expand access to healthcare” via MLB.

Cruz also won the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the 2020 ESPY Awards. Veterans, Jason Heyward, and Adam Wainwright were also finalists for the Marvin Miller Award. Curtis Granderson was the 2019 Marvin Miller Award winner.

Next up, the Curt Flood Award.