2011 Silver Slugger Awards

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Last night was the 31st annual Silver Slugger Awards, which began in 1980. The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters consider several offensive categories in selecting the winners, including batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage, in addition to “coaches’ and managers’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value. (Managers can not vote for their own players.)

Below is a list of the NL and AL 2011 Silver Slugger Award winners. Please take the time to read through the list–even if you watched the awards show last night–as I’ve included my opinions as well as some facts that I found interesting:

OUTFIELD

Most Silver Slugger Awards: Barry Bonds holds the record for the most Silver Slugger Awards as an outfielder, with twelve.

NL Winners: -Matt Kemp. (Second Silver Slugger Award.)

-Justin Upton (First Silver Slugger Award.)

-Ryan Braun (Fourth Silver Slugger Award.)

None of these players were a shock at all to me. All three had a great season. This was Ryan Braun’s fourth straight Silver Slugger Award. Truly remarkable.

AL Winners: -Jose Bautista. (Second Silver Slugger Award.)

-Jacoby Ellsbury. (First Silver Slugger Award.)

-Curtis Granderson. (First Silver Slugger Award.)

All three of the AL Outfield Silver Slugger award winners were well deserving. This is Jose Bautista’s second consecutive Silver Slugger award. He’s had monster seasons the past two years.

FIRST BASE

Most Silver Slugger Awards: Todd Helton is tied with Albert Pujols for the most Silver Slugger Awards as a firstbaseman, with four.

NL Winner- Prince Fielder. (Second Silver Slugger Award.)

AL Winner- Adrian Gonzalez. (First Silver Slugger Award.)

You knew the National League winner was going to be either Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols. But when it came down to it, Fielder just beat out Pujols. While both had a fantastic season, Fielder had a slightly better one, as far as offense goes. This was Adrian Gonzalez’s first Silver Slugger Awards.

SECOND BASE

Most Silver Slugger Awards: Ryne Sandberg holds the record for the most Silver Slugger Awards as a secondbaseman, with seven.

NL Winner- Brandon Phillips. (First Silver Slugger Award.)

AL Winner- Robinson Cano. (Second Silver Slugger Award.)

After missing out on a Silver Slugger award during his fantastic 2007 season, Brandon Phillips finally won one this year. It was well deserved. This was Robinson Cano’s second straight Silver Slugger Award.

THIRD BASE

Most Silver Slugger Awards: Wade Boggs holds the record for the most Silver Slugger Awards as a thirdbaseman, with eight.

NL Winner- Aramis Ramirez. (First Silver Slugger Award.)

AL Winner- Adrian Beltre. (Third Silver Slugger Award.)

Adrian Beltre had the best season of any third baseman. Hitting home run after home run in the post season, Beltre was a force to be reckoned with this season. He deserved the Silver Slugger Award more than any other third baseman in the AL, if not all of MLB.

SHORT STOP

Most Silver Slugger Awards: Barry Larkin holds the record for the most Silver Slugger Awards as a short stop, with nine.

NL Winner- Troy Tulowitzki. (Second Silver Slugger Award.)

AL Winner- Asdrubal Cabrera. (First Silver Slugger Award.)

Asdrubal Cabrera–who, in my opinion, should of won a Gold Glove this season as well–was one of the hottest bats in the Indian’s line up this season. He truly deserved the award. This was his first Silver Slugger award.

CATCHER

Most Silver Slugger Awards: Mike Piazza holds the record for the most Silver Slugger Awards as a catcher, with ten.

NL Winner- Brian McCann. (Fifth Silver Slugger Award.)

AL Winner- Alex Avila. (First Silver Slugger Award.)

Brian McCann has been good in his past seasons with the Braves, but this year he was great. He deserved the award more than any other catcher in the National League. This is his fifth Silver Slugger Award.

PITCHER

Most Silver Slugger Awards: Mike Hampton holds the record for the most Silver Slugger Awards as a pitcher, with five.

Winner- Daniel Hudson. (First Silver Slugger Award.)

Pitchers aren’t really known for their offense because, let’s face it, they aren’t the best hitters. But there are a few that stand out. One of those being Daniel Hudson. This is Hudson’s first Silver Slugger Award.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Most Silver Slugger Awards: David Ortiz holds the record for the most Silver Slugger Awards as a Designated Hitter, with five.

Winner- David Ortiz. (Fifth Silver Slugger Award.)

David Ortiz–or Big Papi–is a fan favorite in Boston. Not only is he a nice guy, but he’s also a fantastic player. With his win of a Silver Slugger Award this year, Ortiz now holds the record for most Awards as a DH, with five.

2011 SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS FAST FACTS

  • There were nine first time Silver Slugger Award winners.
  • There were six Silver Slugger Award winners that also won last year.
  • The Red Sox had the most Silver Slugger Award winners, with three.
  • There were six Silver Slugger winners that also won Gold Glove Awards this year.

2 thoughts on “2011 Silver Slugger Awards”

  1. How did Adrian Gonzalez beat Miguel Cabrera? Cabrera had a better batting average, much better OBP and slugging and even though Gonzalez had more RBI, Cabrera beat Gonzalez in average with players in scoring position by about 50 points. This was a screw-up. The voters must have measured in factors that were not offense related.

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