Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesFollowing the Texas Rangers' World Series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Major League Baseball released the American and National League finalists for the 2023 Silver Slugger Awards on Thursday.
A pair of MVP candidates in Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Rangers shortstop Corey Seager are among the finalists in the AL, while Los Angeles Dodgers stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, and Atlanta Braves sluggers Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson headline the NL finalists:
MLB @MLBThe 2023 AL Silver Slugger finalists are here. 👀<br><br>Winners will be revealed on <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLBNetwork</a> at 6 pm ET on November 9! <a href="https://t.co/cB0MrQyAGM">pic.twitter.com/cB0MrQyAGM</a>
MLB @MLBCheck out the 2023 NL Silver Slugger finalists. 💪<br><br>Winners will be revealed on <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLBNetwork</a> at 6 pm ET on November 9! <a href="https://t.co/m6bhuq1JPn">pic.twitter.com/m6bhuq1JPn</a>
The Silver Slugger Award winners in both leagues will be announced on MLB Network on Nov. 9.
The Silver Slugger Awards are given annually to the best offensive players at each position in the AL and NL, and as is usually the case, there figures to be a star-studded list of recipients this year.
Ohtani is the odds-on favorite to win his second AL MVP Award in the past three seasons, as he slashed .304/.412/.654 with a league-leading 44 home runs, plus 95 RBI and 102 runs scored.
Even so, Ohtani is not a lock to win the AL Silver Slugger at designated hitter in the AL since he is going up against Houston Astros superstar Yordan Álvarez, who slashed .293/.407/.583 with 31 home runs, 97 RBI and 77 runs.
Ohtani had slightly better numbers and is likely to take his second career Silver Slugger, and he is an even bigger slam dunk for MVP due to the fact that he was an ace pitcher for the Angels in addition to his hitting prowess.
If anyone is going to push Ohtani for AL MVP it is Seager, who just won his second career World Series MVP Award.
As the offensive centerpiece for the World Series champion Rangers, Seager slashed .327/.390/.623 with 33 homers, 96 RBI, 88 runs scored and a league-leading 42 doubles.
Since playoff accolades don't count toward the awards, Seager will likely finish second in the MVP voting, but there is almost no doubt that he will take home a Silver Slugger.
In the National League, the Braves and Dodgers were widely viewed as the best teams all season long, and it is largely because of the performance of their top offensive players.
Betts will have an opportunity to win the Silver Slugger in either the outfield or as a utility player since he saw extensive playing time as both an outfielder and second baseman in 2023.
The one-time AL MVP with the Boston Red Sox enjoyed his best season as a Dodger, slashing .307/.408/.579 with 39 home runs, 107 RBI and 126 runs scored.
Betts will perhaps be the main competition for Acuña in the MVP voting, although it will be tough to beat out the Braves star given the historic season he enjoyed.
Acuña led the NL in on-base percentage (.417), hits (217), stolen bases (73) and runs scored (149), plus he blasted 41 homers and drove in 106 RBI. The outfielder also became the first player in MLB history with at least 40 home runs and 70 steals in a single season.
While there is room for both Betts and Acuña to win the Silver Slugger, the most intriguing competition in either league will be at first base in the NL between Freeman and Olson.
Freeman, who is a former Brave, is already a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and he is coming off another huge statistical season in which he slashed .331/.410/.567 with 29 home runs, 102 RBI and 131 runs.
Olson, who was the Braves' replacement for Freeman, is in search of his first Silver Slugger Award, and he just may get it.
He led the majors in both home runs (54) and RBI (139) this season, plus he set career-best marks with 127 runs, a .283 batting average, a .389 on-base percentage and a .604 slugging percentage.
The Braves have a remarkable six different players as Silver Slugger finalists in Acuña, Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna and Sean Murphy, which is fitting given that they tied the MLB single-season record with 307 home runs and led MLB with 947 runs scored as well.
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