Vote: Bryant up for Esurance Best Hitter

Babe Ruth once said of hitting, “All I can tell them is pick a good one and sock it.”

Following that advice most impressively in 2016 are Jose Altuve of the Astros, Kris Bryant of the Cubs, Daniel Murphy of the Nationals, David Ortiz of the Red Sox and Mike Trout of the Angels. They have socked it so often, so hard, so productively and so memorably, that they are your five choices for Best Hitter in the Esurance MLB Awards.

Voting is underway through Nov. 11 to decide who socked it best. Do you go with one of the two nominees who wears No. 27 in the American League East? Do you choose someone who has slugged his team to a division lead? Will a farewell tour become an X-factor?

• Vote: Esurance MLB Awards balloting begins

The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor Major League Baseball’s greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five groups, each of which accounts for 20 percent of the overall vote: media, front-office personnel, retired big leaguers, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) voters and fans like you at MLB.com.

The MLB Awards are an all-inclusive program, encompassing the top players and performances from both the American and National Leagues, broken into 20 categories from Opening Day through the end of the postseason.

In addition to Best Hitter, individual awards will go to Best Major Leaguer, Pitcher, Rookie, Defensive Player, Manager, Executive, Social Media Personality and Postseason Performer.

Winners will also be recognized for the year’s Best Offensive Play, Defensive Play, Moment, Single-Game Performance, Social Media Post, Fan Catch, Interview, Broadcast Call, Player-Fan Interaction and Trending Topic.

Best Hitter is changed from last year’s Best Everyday Player category, as it does not count stolen bases or defense. Altuve, Bryant and Trout are also among the …

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