Aubrey Huff Named 2008 Most Valuable Oriole
INF/DH AUBREY HUFF, who leads the American League with 82 extra-base hits and set career-highs with 48 doubles and 96 runs scored, has been voted winner of the 2008 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award by members of the local media who cover the team on a regular basis.
Huff, who completes his ninth major league season and second with the Orioles today, was the only player named on all 27 ballots. He enters today's season finale with a .306 average, 32 home runs and 108 RBI. It is the second time in his career he has hit more than 30 home runs and the third time he has topped the 100-RBI plateau. In addition to leading the league in extra-base hits, Huff enters today's game second in the AL in total bases (330), tied for third in doubles, fifth with a .555 slugging percentage, sixth in RBI, tied for eighth in home runs and 10th with 182 hits.
The 31-year-old earned American League Player of the Week honors twice this season, for the weeks ending July 6 and August 31. He put together hitting streaks of 14 (August 27 - September 14) and a career-high 19 games (July 22 - August 11) during the year and saw time at first base, third base and designated hitter in 153 games for the Orioles.
Huff is the first Oriole to hit at least 30 home runs since 2004. Of his 32 homers, 14 either tied the game (2) or put Baltimore ahead (12). He homered in consecutive games seven times this year and recorded five four-hit games in 2008.
Huff is the 36th different player to win the Most Valuable Oriole Award, which is named in honor of the late Lou Hatter, a former sportswriter for the Baltimore Sun who covered the Orioles for 27 years. Balloting for the Most Valuable Oriole Award is conducted with voting on a 5-3-1 basis. RF NICK MARKAKIS and 2B BRIAN ROBERTS also received first place votes and finished second and third, respectively, in the voting. 3B MELVIN MORA, LHP GEORGE SHERRILL and RHP JEREMY GUTHRIE also received votes.
Huff will be honored in a ceremony with Orioles President of Baseball Operations ANDY MACPHAIL prior to today's 1:35 p.m. game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Earlier this week, OF ADAM JONES was named Favorite New Oriole for 2008 by members of the Oriole Advocates, the non-profit organization that assists the Orioles in numerous public and community relations functions and is dedicated to promoting the game of baseball at both the amateur and professional levels. Jones, acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in February, has batted .272 (129-474) with 61 runs and 57 RBI in 130 games in his first season with the Orioles.
