Despite only having 216 plate appearances in 2017, A's rookie first baseman/outfielder Matt Olson finished tied for seventh among MLB rookies in home runs, with 24. The 23-year-old slugged .651 for Oakland this season, and has been nominated for Best Rookie in the 2017 Esurance MLB Awards.
• VOTE NOW: Esurance MLB Awards
Olson had an average exit velocity of 93.1 mph, the sixth-highest mark in the Majors in 2017, according to Statcast™. Olson also ranked seventh among all MLB hitters with a barrel every 9.7 plate appearances in '17. Only Aaron Judge, J.D. Martinez, Giancarlo Stanton, Joey Gallo, Khris Davis and Randal Grichuk were ahead of him.
The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor MLB's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five groups, each of which account for 20 percent of the overall vote: Media, front-office personnel, retired MLB players, fans at MLB.com and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) members.
The Esurance MLB Awards are an all-inclusive program, encompassing the top players and performances from both the American and National Leagues, from Opening Day through the end of the postseason.
Voting led off with seven categories on Sept. 18 at mlb.com/awards, serving as the grand entrance of a program that unveiled nominees for Best Call, TV/Radio; Best Major Leaguer, Postseason; and Best Postseason Moment following the Fall Classic's final out. The ninth inning of voting began around BBWAA Awards week, which opened when the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award winners were unveiled on Monday. Voting for the final categories begins at 7 p.m. ET on the following dates:
• Best Executive: Thursday, Nov. 9
• Best Rookie: Monday
• Best Manager: Tuesday
• Best Pitcher: Wednesday
• Best Major Leaguer: Thursday
MLB Awards season will culminate Friday, when the Esurance MLB Award winners are announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com, starting at 8 p.m. ET.