Silver Slugger 2020: Trout Wins Eighth; Braves Win Four, White Sox Win Three
Major League Baseball announced the 2020 winners of their annual Silver Slugger Awards Thursday night, honoring the top hitters at each position in each league. Eight of the twenty honorees were first-time winners. Three teams – the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago White Sox, and the San Diego Padres – saw multiple players win awards.
Catcher
The award for American League catcher went to Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals. He batted .333/.353/.633 (50-for-150) with 12 doubles, 11 home runs, 32 RBI, a .410 wOBA, 11.9 wRAA, and 22 runs scored. This is his third award, having won in 2016 and 2018.
In the National League, Travis d’Arnaud hauled in his first. The Braves backstop hit .321/.386/.533 (53-for-165) with eight doubles, nine home runs, 34 RBI, a .392 wOBA, 11.2 wRAA, and 19 runs scored.
First Base
Jose Abreu of the White Sox won his third Silver Slugger award in the 2020 season. He had a monster year, batting .317/.370/.617 (76-for-240) with 15 doubles, 19 home runs, 60 RBI, a .411 wOBA, 20.2 wRAA, and 43 runs scored. He previously won the award in his 2014 Rookie of the Year season and also in 2018.
National League honors went to Freddie Freeman of the Braves for the second straight season. His numbers were mind-boggling in some areas, as he batted .341/.462/.640 (73-for-214) with 23 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs, 53 RBI, 45 walks (seven intentional), a .456 wOBA, 30.1 wRAA (highest in the majors), and 51 runs scored.
Second Base
DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees won his second consecutive Silver Slugger award. LeMahieu, who also won the 2020 Batting Title, batted .364/.421/.590 (71-for-195) with 10 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, a .429 wOBA, 19.8 wRAA, and 41 runs scored.
A first-time winner garnered National League honors – Donovan Solano of the San Francisco Giants. At the position with the lowest offensive output, he batted .326/.365/.463 (62-for-190) with 15 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 29 RBI, a .357 wOBA, 6.4 wRAA, and 22 runs scored.
Shortstop
Both shortstops were first-time winners. Tim Anderson of the White Sox gained the honors for the American League. He hit .322/.357/.529 (67-for-208) with 11 doubles, a triple, 10 homers, 21 RBI, a .376 wOBA, 10.5 wRAA, and 45 runs scored.
Fernando Tatis Jr.of the San Diego Padres was the National League winner. He batted .277/.366/.571 (62-for-224) with 11 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs, 45 RBI, a .392 wOBA, a 15.7 wRAA, and 50 runs scored.
Third Base
Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Indians won the 2020 Silver Slugger award for American League third basemen. The switch-hitter batted .292/.386/.607 (64-for-219) with 16 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs, 46 RBI, a .415 wOBA, 20.3 wRAA, and 45 runs scored. This was his third award, having won back-to-back honors in 2017 and 2018.
Manny Machado of the Padres won in the National League. He batted .304/.370/.580 (68-for-224) with 12 doubles, a triple, 16 homers, 47 RBI, a .391 wOBA, 15.4 wRAA, and 44 runs scored. This was his first Silver Slugger in either league.
Outfield
Mike Trout, Teoscar Hernandez, and Eloy Jimenez were the American League outfielders to win a Silver Slugger in 2020. Trout, of the Los Angeles Angels, batted .281/.390/.603 (56-for-199) with nine doubles, two triples, 17 home runs, 46 RBI, a .407 wOBA, 17.7 wRAA, and 41 runs scored. Hernandez, of the Toronto Blue Jays, hit .289/.340/.579 (55-for-190) with seven doubles, 16 home runs, 34 RBI, a .384 wOBA, 11.2 wRAA, and 33 runs scored. Jimenez, of the White Sox, hit .296/.332/.559 (63-for-213) with 14 doubles, 14 home runs, 41 RBI, a .373 wOBA, 10.2 wRAA, and 26 runs scored. Hernandez and Jimenez were both first-time winners. Trout won his eighth, having also won consecutively from 2012 to 2016 and again from 2018 to the present.
Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals, Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Ronald Acuña Jr.of the Braves won the National League honors. Soto, a first-time winner, also won the National League batting crown. He hit .351/.490/.695 (54-for-154) with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 37 RBI, 41 walks (12 intentional), a .478 wOBA, 26.1 wRAA, and 39 runs scored. Betts hit .292/.366/.562 (64-for-219) with nine doubles, a triple, 16 home runs, 39 RBI, a .390 wOBA, 14.5 wRAA, and 47 runs scored. Acuña batted .250/.406/.581 (40-for-160) with 11 doubles, 14 home runs, 29 RBI, 38 walks, a .413 wOBA, 15.9 wRAA, and 46 runs scored. Acuña won his second in a row. Betts won his fourth, but it is his first in the National League. As a member of the American League’s Boston Red Sox, he won one in 2016 and then back-to-back awards in 2018 and 2019.
Designated Hitter
Designated hitter Nelson Cruz of the Minnesota Twins won his fourth Silver Slugger Award in 2020 after winning in 2015 and 2017 as a member of the Seattle Mariners and 2019 with the Twins. Cruz mashed the baseball again in 2020, batting .303/.397/.595 (56-for-185) with six doubles, 16 home runs, 33 RBI, 25 walks (five intentional), a .411 wOBA, 16.6 wRAA, and 33 runs scored.
Normally, the National League gives its ninth Silver Slugger Award to the best-hitting pitcher. However, since they used the designated hitter in 2020, their ninth award went to Marcell Ozuna of the Braves. He hit .338/.431/.636 (77-for-228) with 14 doubles, 18 home runs, 56 RBI, 38 walks, a .444 wOBA, 27.9 wRAA, and 38 runs scored. His home run and RBI totals led the NL. This was his second award, having won previously in 2017 with the Miami Marlins.
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