PHOENIX -- All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is the Diamondbacks' candidate for the Hank Aaron Award this season, presented annually to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league.
Goldschmidt won the award last season.
Hank Aaron and a panel of Hall of Fame players that includes Johnny Bench, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount will join fans in voting for the award, which is handled online.
Home run champ Giancarlo Stanton, batting average champ Justin Morneau and 2013 MVP Andrew McCutchen are among the other National League candidates.
Goldschmidt hit .300 with 39 doubles, 19 home runs and 69 RBI in 109 games this season before suffering a season-ending fractured hand when he was hit by a pitch on Aug. 1. He finished tied for fourth in the league in doubles despite missing eight weeks.
A.J. on board
The Houston Astros on Monday hired former D-backs manager A.J. Hinch as their manager, two months after Hinch left the San Diego Padres front office when general manager Josh Byrnes was fired.
Hinch was named the D-backs manager in May 2009, when Bob Melvin left and held the post for 14 months, until both he and then-D-backs general manager Josh Byrnes were let go in July 2010. The D-backs were 31-48 under Hinch in 2010. He was the Padres' vice president of professional scouting from 2010 until August.
"I think A.J. is going to be the manager that's going to be here when we win the World Series," Houston owner Jeff Luhnow said. "He understands my perspective."
D-backs Class A outfielder Breland Almadova was named the Rawlings Gold Glove winner for minor league center fielders.
Almadova played in 131 games at Low-A South Bend and High-A Visalia and committed just two errors while recording 345 putouts. Almadova, 6-feet and 190 pounds, was 37th-round selection in the 2012 draft out of the University of Hawaii.
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