By Brian Murphy | 7:29 p.m. EST
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Major League Baseball recognized the top hitters of the 2023 season Thursday night by unveiling the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award winners on MLB Network.
The Silver Slugger Awards, voted on by MLB managers and coaches, are presented to the best offensive player at each position in each league. This includes three outfielders (regardless of position) in each league and one utility player in each league. And for the first time, a team prize was awarded in every league.
• All-time Silver Slugger Award winner
Sixteen teams had at least one Silver Slugger winner, while the Braves led the way with three. The Orioles and Rangers also had multiple winners. This group of 20 players includes seven first-time winners and one rookie winner.
• Complete coverage of the MLB Awards
FIRST BASE
AL winner: Yandy Díaz, Rays (first win)
After becoming the first Rays player to win a batting title, Díaz won the franchise’s first Silver Slugger since 2010. Díaz hit .300 or better in every month of the season, and his .330 average was a franchise best. He was one of only six players to post a slash line of at least .300/.400/.500. His on-base percentage of .410 was the highest among first basemen.
NL Winner: Matt Olson, Braves (first win)
Olson was usually the cleanup hitter in the Braves’ record-setting offense, and he also cleaned up. The Atlanta native led the majors in home runs and RBIs, while his .604 slugging percentage was the best in the National League. His 54 dingers and 139 RBIs were the most in Braves history. They were also the most by a primary first baseman in more than a decade.
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SECOND BASE
AL winner: Marcus Semien, Rangers (second win)
For the second time in three seasons, Semien won a Silver Slugger and was named a finalist for AL MVP. He led the American League with 122 runs and 185 hits and was second in the AL with 7.4 bWAR to Shohei Ohtani. Semien’s 73 extra-base hits and 320 total bases were the most among second basemen. He also drove in 100 runs for the second time in his career.
NL winner: Luis Arraez, Marlins (second win)
Arraez and Ted Williams were often mentioned in the same sentence this season, as Miami’s spark plug averaged .400 through the end of June. Arraez, who hit .354, won his second consecutive Silver Slugger with his second consecutive batting title, a historic achievement. After an offseason trade from the Twins, Arraez became the first player in the modern era (since 1900) to win a batting title in each league in consecutive seasons.
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SHORT STOP
AL Winner: Corey Seager, Rangers (third win)
Almost every player would have loved to have the numbers that Seager achieved during the regular season. He recorded 33 home runs, 96 RBIs, 88 runs scored and an AL-high 42 doubles. These totals are even more impressive considering Seager was out for about six weeks due to injury. He ranked second in the AL in batting average (.327), slugging percentage (.623) and OPS (1.013).
NL winner: Francisco Lindor, Mets (third win)
It took a while for Lindor to warm up at the plate, but in his last 90 games he posted a .288/.371/.516 slash line with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs. He finished the game with 31 home runs and a career-high 31 steals, becoming one of only six shortstops to go 30-30.
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THIRD BASE
AL winner: Rafael Devers, Red Sox (second win)
Devers reached the 30-homer and 100-RBI plateau for the third time in his career in his age-26 season. It was also his fourth season with at least 65 extra-base hits and an OPS+ of more than 125. He has had great success in baseball throughout the year, posting the highest hard-hit rate of his career at 55.1%, which is also the sixth highest in the MLB.
NL winner: Austin Riley, Braves (second win)
Like Devers, Riley had a monster season at age 26. He paced all qualified third basemen in runs (117), hits (179), home runs (37), extra-base hits (72), total bases (328) and OPS (.861). Riley has hit 30 homers three times in his career; Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Chipper Jones are the only players with more such seasons in a Braves uniform.
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OUTFIELD
AL winner:
Luis Robert Jr., White Sox (first win)
Robert stepped up his game tremendously, hitting 38 home runs in 546 at-bats after hitting a total of 36 in the first 857 at-bats of his career. His 75 extra-base hits were the most among AL outfielders and the most by a White Sox outfielder since Jermaine Dye in 2008.
Julio Rodríguez, Mariners (second win)
How can you win a Silver Slugger as a rookie and become the first player to collect 25 home runs and 25 steals in your debut season? Win the award again by achieving 30-30 in your second year. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rodríguez became the first player to win the award in each of his first two seasons in the major leagues thanks to 32 home runs, 37 steals and an .818 OPS.
Kyle Tucker, Astros (first win)
While the Astros were missing Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez for much of the season due to injuries, Tucker was right there to fill the void. He had a slash line of .284/.369/.517 and finished one home run shy of Houston’s first 30-30 season since 2004. Tucker, who batted .354 with runners in scoring position, recorded an AL-leading 112 RBIs .
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NL winner:
Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves (third win)
The 25-year-old Acuña won his third Silver Slugger after his unprecedented season with 41 homers and 73 steals. His special blend of power and speed grabbed headlines, but his maturity as a batsman should not be overlooked. Acuña reduced his strikeout rate by more than half in a year, from 23.6% to 11.4%. This played a major role in his .416 on-base percentage, which led the majors.
Mookie Betts, Dodgers (sixth win)
Betts put some pressure on Acuña in the NL MVP race by batting .364 with a 1.075 OPS over the final two months of the season. He slashed .307/.408/.579 — his best marks in each category since his 2018 AL MVP campaign — and hit a career-high 39 home runs. He recorded 80 extra-base hits for the second time in his career and led all position players except Shohei Ohtani with 8.3 bWAR.
Juan Soto, Padres (fourth win)
Soto’s season didn’t garner as much attention at the position as the two names mentioned above, but it did bring many big wins. That included 35 dingers, a career-high, a .410 on-base percentage and an OPS+ of 158. With 132 walks, Soto became the first player since Barry Bonds from 2002 to 2004 to lead the MLB in bases on balls three consecutive years.
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CATCHER
AL winner: Adleyrutschman, Orioles (first win)
rutschman followed up his strong rookie season this year by hitting .277 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs. The 25-year-old demonstrated fantastic plate discipline with 92 walks, making him the leader at his position. His 256 total bases were also the most among catchers and the second-most among starting catchers in Orioles history.
NL winner: William Contreras, Brewers (first win)
The Brewers traded for Contreras last winter to add pop to their lineup, and he delivered 17 home runs. He led all qualified catchers in doubles (38), extra-base hits (56) and slugging percentage (.457). After a bit of a swoon in May and June, Contreras batted .314 with an OPS of .873 after the All-Star break.
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DESIGNED HITTER
AL winner: Shohei Ohtani, Angels (second win)
Ohtani could soon earn a second AL MVP award to go along with his second Silver Slugger. He was great with the bat in his free agent year, finishing with 44 home runs and leading the majors with an OPS+ of 184. He led the American League with an on-base percentage of .412 and 325 total bases. And of course, he did all of this while still being a top-notch starting player.
NL winner: Bryce Harper, Phillies (third win)
Despite only debuting on May 2 after offseason elbow surgery and a lifelong blackout, Harper still hit 21 home runs and had 51 extra-base hits that year. He went 37 games without home runs midway through the season, but when he broke that streak on July 15, he looked like the player we all know. From that day forward, Harper recorded 18 home runs and an OPS of 1.000 in his final 68 games.
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UTILITY
AL winner: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (first win)
The favorite for AL Rookie of the Year was also the 15th rookie to win a Silver Slugger. Henderson hit 28 home runs, including the longest hit in a game in Camden Yards’ 31-year history on Eutaw Street. He scored 100 runs, collected 66 extra-base hits and had an OPS+ of 125 while splitting his time between shortstop and third base.
NL winner: Cody Bellinger, Cubs (second win)
Whether he was in center field or at first base, Bellinger made the most of his one-year contract with Chicago. After accumulating 1.0 bWAR over the past three seasons, he posted 4.4 bWAR as a Cub. Bellinger batted .307 with 26 home runs and an OPS of .881. He also lowered his strikeout rate to just 15.6% from over 25% in 2021 and 2022.
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OFFENSIVE TEAMS OF THE YEAR
This year also marked the first time that the Silver Slugger Awards were presented to the best offensive team in each league. The winners – the Rangers in the American League and the Braves in the National League – were determined by a combination of team offensive statistics and voting by MLB fans who cast their votes for finalists during the final week of the regular season via MLB.com have season.
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