Bellinger wins National League Utility Award
After winning a Gold Glove for his defense, 28-year-old Ha-Sung Kim (San Diego Padres) was denied a Silver Slugger.
Major League Baseball (MLB) announced the winners of the Silver Slugger, which is awarded to the best hitter at each position in both major leagues, on Tuesday.
Kim did not win the award. Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs) was named the winner in the National League utility category, where he was a finalist.
Bellinger, who split time between the outfield and first base this season, batted .307 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs in 130 games with an OPS of .881.
In his third year in the big leagues, Kim had a career-high season in 152 games, batting .260 with 17 homers, 140 runs, 60 RBI, 38 doubles, and a .749 OPS. He set career highs in home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases.
However, he lost out to Bellinger in the objective metrics.
On June 6, Kim embraced the Gold Glove, which is awarded to the best defender at each position. He was named the National League's utility player of the year. He is the first Korean to win a Gold Glove.
He was also one of four finalists for the Silver Slugger Utility Award, raising hopes for a simultaneous win. If he had won, he would have become only the second Asian player in history to win both awards, joining Ichiro Suzuki (Japan), but he was denied.
Established in 1980 by baseball bat maker Louisville, the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger is voted on by managers and coaches from 30 clubs.
The utility category, for which Kim was a finalist, was created in 2022 to recognize the growing number of players who play multiple positions.
Although he didn't win, Kim was recognized as one of the league's top performing second basemen on offense with his Gold Glove win and Silver Slugger nomination.
Two-hitting superstar Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) was named the American League Designated Hitter of the Year.
In 135 games this year, Ohtani batted .304 with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs for a 1.066 OPS. He led all of MLB in OPS and the American League in home runs.
Ohtani's Silver Slugger honor is his second of 2021.
Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves) earned a spot among National League outfielders after batting .337 with 41 home runs, 106 RBI, 73 doubles and a 1.012 OPS in 159 games this season.
He is the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases in a single season. No player had ever done it before.
This is the third time Aquino has earned the honor after winning it in 2019 and 2020.
Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers), who was a finalist in both the National League Utility and Outfield categories, won the Outfield award. This is the sixth time Betts has won the award, after winning in 2016, 2018-2019, 2020, and 2022.
Betts hit .307 with 39 home runs, 107 RBIs, and an OPS of .987 in 152 games this season.
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien embraced Silverslager side by side. It's the first time in 16 years that a team's keystone duo has won the Silver Slugger side-by-side since Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins in 2007.
Gunner Henderson (Baltimore Orioles) was the only rookie to be honored. After batting .255 with 28 home runs, 82 RBIs, and an OPS of .814 in 150 games, Henderson was named the American League Utility Player of the Year. It's the 13th time a rookie has won Silver Slugger honors.
This year's most outstanding offensive teams were Texas in the American League and Atlanta in the National League.
Major League Baseball Silver Slugger winners in 2023
American League = Yandy Dias (Tampa Bay - first baseman), Marcus Semien (Texas - second baseman), Rafael Devers (Boston - third baseman), Corey Seager (Texas - shortstop), Adley Rutherford (Baltimore - catcher), Luis Robert Jr. (White Sox), Julio Rodriguez (Seattle), Kyle Tucker (Houston - outfield), Shohei Ohtani (Angels - designated hitter), Gunner Henderson (Baltimore - utility)
National League = Matt Olson (Atlanta - first base), Luis Araujo (Miami - second base), Austin Riley (Atlanta - third base), Francisco Lindor (Mets - shortstop), William Contreras (Milwaukee - catcher), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta), Mookie Betts (Dodgers), Juan Soto (San Diego - outfielder), Bryce Harper (Philadelphia - designated hitter), Cody Bellinger (Cubs - utility). 슬롯
