Named after the great Maine and Waikiki outfielder, the Mitchell Award rewards the player who is the top hitter in the league.

This year's award goes to....

Jim Thome, Newark Sugar Bears

It really was a two player race. Thome or Arkansas' Barry Bonds. And it couldn't have been closer. Thome and Bonds were named first or second on every submitted ballot. Unfortunately for Bonds, Thome's name was on one more than his. Not that Thome didn't deserve it this year. Thome led the league in slugging (.764), RBI(154), Home Runs(65), and Total Bases(373). Thome was second in OPS(1.214), On-base Percentage(.449), runs scored(138), and Runs Created/27 outs(13.4). It was an outstanding season for the Newark slugger. He set new career highs for home runs, RBIs, slugging, and runs scored.

It's the first MVP for Thome and the third time a Sugar Bear has captured the award.

Coming in third was Hillsborough's Alex Rodriguez, followed by Thome's teammate Manny Ramirez, Honolulu's Jason Giambi, and Philadelphia's Albert Pujols.

Points are scored as follows: 10 points for a first place vote, 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth and 1 for sixth.

The all-time winners of the Mitchell Award: