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Yankees' Aaron Hicks Awarded 'In-Game MVP' of 'MLB The Show Players League'

Yankees' Aaron Hicks was awarded Most Valuable Player of the MLB The Show Players League, controlled by his teammate Tommy Kahnle
Max Goodman|
Yankees' Aaron Hicks Awarded 'In-Game MVP' of 'MLB The Show Players League'
Yankees' Aaron Hicks Awarded 'In-Game MVP' of 'MLB The Show Players League'

The inaugural 'MLB The Show Players League' came to a close this weekend as Tampa Bay Rays' ace Blake Snell was crowned the first-ever champion of the tournament on Sunday. 

Even if New York's player representative Tommy Kahnle didn't make the postseason, his performance in control of the Yankees (and one specific Bronx Bomber) earned him some recognition in the Players League Awards. 

Yankees' outfielder Aaron Hicks was named the league's in-game Most Valuable Player.

Kahnle was practically unstoppable while using Hicks from the very start. Across 29 games, Hicks had 14 home runs, 28 RBIs and a 2.369 OPS.

To put that into perspective, his OPS is more than double what American League MVP Mike Trout had in 2019 (1.083, best in the AL). Sure, it's a small sample size of less than 30 games, but Kahnle rarely missed when Hicks stepped up to the plate.

Despite Hicks' dominance, Kahnle was on the outside looking in when the postseason began. Had he won his final contest of the regular season, the Yankees would have snuck in as the final of eight playoff teams, but the Bombers' right-hander fell to Houston's Lance McCullers Jr. Kahnle's record at the end of the season was 19-11, the best among players who didn't make the postseason.

Nonetheless, the reliever didn't disappoint when it comes to memorable moments and making the fans laugh.

READ: Best Moments From Tommy Kahnle's run in MLB The Show Players League

Behind Hicks in the MVP voting was Texas Rangers' Willie Calhoun – controlled by slugger Joey Gallo – as well as Tampa Bay's Austin Meadows.

To view the rest of the awards handed out following an entertaining first season of the Players League, head on over to MLB.com by clicking right here.

To keep up with all of Inside The Pinstripe’s coverage, click the "follow" button at the top right-hand corner of this page.

For more from Max Goodman, follow him on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. Follow ITP on Twitter @SI_Yankees and Facebook @SIYankees

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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