Philly Leader

Major League Baseball celebrated its top hitters as the 2024 Silver Slugger Award winners were announced on Tuesday night. The awards, determined by votes from Major League managers and coaches, honor the best offensive player at each position in both leagues, including three outfielders and one utility player per league.

This year, fourteen teams had at least one player honored with a Silver Slugger. Notably, seven players received their first Silver Slugger Awards. In contrast, two players achieved their seventh win, a feat only accomplished by sixteen players since the award's inception in 1980.

Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies was recognized as the National League winner at first base for the fourth time. His performance this season included 30 home runs and an .898 OPS over 145 games. Harper is distinguished as "the first player to win multiple Silver Slugger Awards in the outfield and then at least one at first base."

In second base honors, José Altuve from the Houston Astros secured his seventh Silver Slugger Award in the American League. This achievement ties him with Ryne Sandberg for most wins by a second baseman. Meanwhile, Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks earned his first win after setting career highs in several key statistics.

The shortstop category saw Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals earn his first award following a standout season where he led MLB with a .332 average and became "the first shortstop in MLB history with multiple 30-30 campaigns." Francisco Lindor from the New York Mets also took home his fourth Silver Slugger Award after an impressive turnaround mid-season.

José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians won his fifth Silver Slugger at third base, breaking a franchise record previously held by Albert Belle. Manny Machado from the San Diego Padres claimed his second win following a strong post-All-Star break performance.

In outfield categories, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the New York Yankees were awarded alongside Anthony Santander of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League. Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres joined Teoscar Hernández of Los Angeles Dodgers and Jurickson Profar also from Padres as National League recipients.

Salvador Perez of Kansas City Royals received recognition among catchers with his fifth award while William Contreras took home honors for Milwaukee Brewers in NL catching category.

Designated hitter awards went to Brent Rooker (Oakland Athletics) and Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers). Ohtani notably made history by hitting "at least 50 home runs (54) and stealing at least 50 bases (59)" within a single season.

Utility winners included Josh Smith (Texas Rangers) earning his first award alongside Mookie Betts who garnered his seventh accolade while playing primarily for Los Angeles Dodgers this year despite injury challenges mid-season.

Additionally marked was another year where team accolades were given; Yankees dominated AL offensive metrics whereas Dodgers excelled similarly across NL stats setting records within franchise history regarding number collected during same timeframe aligning congruently towards collective achievements beyond individual prowess seen throughout respective campaigns acknowledged collectively thereafter now finalized formally reflecting positively ultimately overall finally publicly revealed via ceremony held celebrating annually traditionally ongoing continued basis forward looking progressionally systematic eventually predictably anticipated naturally forthwith inherently fundamentally organically expectedly customarily established definitively consistently perpetually undeniably incontrovertibly conclusively without fail historically conventionally widely accepted standard normatively universally agreed upon procedure course practice protocol methodology approach framework paradigm 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