J.D. Martinez, Javier Báez lead 2018 Silver Slugger Award winners
By Tab Bamford
On Thursday evening the 2018 Silver Slugger Award winners were announced. A couple Latino sluggers won for the first time, two Cleveland Indians infielders earned recognition again and four players born in Venezuela heard their names called. And for the first time ever one player won two Silver Slugger Awards.
J.D. Martinez added a second and third career Silver Slugger Award to his trophy case. The Red Sox slugger came close to winning a triple crown in 2018, leading the league with 130 runs batted in while batting .330 with 43 home runs. Though he isn’t an American League MVP finalist, Martinez becomes the first player to ever win two Silver Slugger Awards in the one year. He learned a lot about hitting from a former teammate who did win a triple crown: Miguel Cabrera.
Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Báez won his first career Silver Slugger Award today. He led the league with 111 runs batted in and established career highs with 34 homers and 104 runs scored. His 83 extra base hits were tied for third in the majors in 2018. Báez was also one of the three finalists named at shortstop in the National League.
Houston Astros second baseman José Altuve bagged his fifth career Silver Slugger Award, tying him with Robinson Canó for the second-most ever won by a second baseman; Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg won seven for the Chicago Cubs. This is the fifth consecutive year Altuve has won the award in the American League.
Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor won his second career Silver Slugger Award with a league-leading 129 runs and established career highs with 38 home runs, 92 RBI and 25 stolen bases. Of Lindor’s 38 homers, perhaps the most significant was the one he hit at home in Puerto Rico.
Lindor’s teammate José Ramírez won the Silver Slugger for third base in the American League. He joined the exclusive 30-30 club this year with 39 home runs and 34 stolen bases, becoming only the third player in Indians’ history to reach 30 in both statistics. He and Lindor were a dynamic duo in 2018.
Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado notched his fourth career Silver Slugger Award. Arenado hit at least 30 home runs and drove in at least 100 runs for the fourth consecutive season, and has won the Silver Slugger Award for each. He also won another Rawlings Gold Glove Award earlier this week.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta won his first career Silver Slugger Award. The Venezuelan established new career highs with 164 hits, 30 home runs and 87 runs batted in. Earlier this year Peralta shared the nicknames he has for a number of his teammates with La Vida Baseball.
Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu won his second career Silver Slugger Award. He is one of only five players in major league history with at least 20 home runs and 30 doubles in each of his first five seasons. The other two: Albert Pujols and Ted Williams. The 31-year-old Cuban hit 22 home runs and drove in 78 in spite of injuries limiting him in the second half.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Pérez won his second career Silver Slugger Award. Like Arenado, Pérez won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award earlier this week.
The fourth player born in Venezuela to win a Silver Slugger Award is Colorado Rockies starter German Márquez, who batted .300 in 2018.
The Silver Slugger Awards are given to the players deemed the top offensive producers at their positions for their respective leagues based on the votes of major league coaches and managers.
You can see all of the Silver Slugger Award winners here.
Featured Image: Jonathan Daniel / Staff / Getty Images