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Two Astros players came away with AL Silver Slugger Awards, plus one NL award.
The 2019 Silver Slugger Awards were announced on Thursday, and three current Astros came away with some hardware. George Springer, Alex Bregman and Zack Greinke all won the award, which is voted on by managers and coaches and is given to the best offensive player at each position in each league.
Greinke, of course, took home the National League award for pitchers, as there is no American League award at the position. In 24 games with the Diamondbacks prior to being traded to the Astros, Greinke hit .271/.300/.583 with three homers, four doubles, a triple and eight RBIs.
This marks Greinke’s second Silver Slugger award, as he previously won in 2013 with the Dodgers. He’s already got multiple items in his trophy case for 2019, as he won the Gold Glove award as well.
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Springer takes home his second Silver Slugger as well, having won back in 2017. He had his best season to date, hitting 39 homers and driving in 96 runs to go with a .292/.383/.591 line. All of those numbers are career highs for the 30-year-old.
Bregman earns his first Silver Slugger, having lost out to Jose Ramirez last season. He’s hoping this won’t be the only hardware he takes home this season, as he’s been named a finalist for the AL MVP award. Bregman hit .296/.423/.592 with 41 homers, 112 RBIs and a major league-leading 119 walks.
The Ones Who Just Missed
Jose Altuve had won five consecutive Silver Slugger awards at second base, but that streak ended this year. He was beaten out by the Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu, who hit .327/.375/.518 with 26 homers and 102 RBIs. Altuve finished at .298/.353/.500 with 31 homers and 76 RBIs in 124 games.
Yuli Gurriel put up the finest offensive season of his career, tallying a .298/.343/.541 line with 31 homers, 40 doubles and 104 RBIs. The Indians’ Carlos Santana won the award at first base after hitting .281/.397/.515 with 34 homers, 30 doubles and 93 RBIs.
Yordan Alvarez will probably end up with many Silver Slugger awards in the future, and he’s the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year after hitting .313/.412/.655 with 27 homers and 78 RBIs in 87 games. Minnesota’s Nelson Cruz took home the honor at DH with his .311/.392/.639 line and his 41 homers and 108 RBIs.
Michael Brantley took home a Silver Slugger in 2014 and posted another fine season, hitting .311/.372/.503 with 22 homers, 40 doubles and 90 RBIs. The outfield winners were Springer, MVP candidate Mike Trout and Boston’s Mookie Betts. Trout hit .291/.438/.645 with 45 homers and 104 RBIs in 134 games, while Betts hit .295/.391/.524 with 29 homers, 40 doubles and 80 RBIs.