Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández, Mookie Betts are Silver Sluggers
Yesterday at 07:00 PM
Silver Slugger Awards have been around since 1981. Three Dodgers winning the honor are the most for them in one year. Betts won his 7th Silver Slugger, and his 4 with LA are second-most in team history.
For the first time in the 44-year history of the award, the Dodgers have more than two Silver Slugger winners in one year. Shohei Ohtani won the award at National League designated hitter, Teoscar Hernández in the outfield and Mookie Betts was rewarded as a utility player.
Managers and up to three coaches on each MLB team comprise the voting pool for Silver Slugger Awards, which go to the top offensive player at each position in each league, and have been awarded since 1981.
This is the third Silver Slugger Award for Ohtani, who also won as American League DH with the Angels in 2021 and 2023. With the Dodgers this season, Ohtani led the National League in home runs (54), RBI (130), runs scored (134), total bases (411), extra-base hits (99), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.646), OPS (1.036), OPS+ (190), and wRC+ (181).
Ohtani this offseason has already won The Sporting News MLB player of the year, players voted him NL outstanding player, and he's expected to win NL MVP next week, his third MVP award. This Thursday, he will also likely win the NL Hank Aaron Award as the top offensive player in the league and the Edgar Martinez Award for the top DH in MLB, which would be his second and fourth, respectively.
This is the third Silver Slugger Award for Hernández, who captured American League honors with the Blue Jays in 2020-21. This year, Hernández hit .272/.339/.501 with a 134 wRC+, 33 home runs, 32 doubles, and 99 RBI.
He led all NL outfielders in home runs, RBI, and extra-base hits (67), made his second All-Star team and was the first Dodger to win the Home Run Derby.
By winning the Silver Slugger, Hernández earned a $1 million bonus from the Dodgers per his one-year contract, which will be paid by December 15. Hernández is a free agent, and the Dodgers extended him a qualifying offer last week that will be rejected next Tuesday if a new deal isn't yet reached. Both Hernández and the Dodgers are interested in bringing him back to Los Angeles.
Betts captured his seventh Silver Slugger Award, with his first six such honors coming in the outfield. This year he's classified as a utility player, which was added as a Silver Slugger designation in 2022. Betts in 2024 started 61 games at shortstop, 42 games in right field, and 12 games at second base. The Dodgers plan to move him back to the infield for the 2025 season, general manager Brandon Gomes said last week in San Antonio.
He hit .289/.372/.491 with 19 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and 24 doubles in 116 games, having missed eight weeks with a broken left hand. He ranked fifth among all NL hitters with a 141 wRC+.
Betts has won a Silver Slugger in four of his five seasons with the Dodgers, including the last three years in a row. His four Silver Sluggers are one shy of Mike Piazza (1993-97) for the most in franchise history.
First baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith were also among the top vote-getters at their positions, but those Silver Slugger Awards went to Bryce Harper of the Phillies and William Contreras of the Brewers, respectively.
