Later this month, Bryce Harper may win his first MVP award. For now, he’ll have to settle for his first Silver Slugger.
The Washington Nationals outfielder was among 18 players honored as the game’s best hitters Thursday night at the Silver Slugger announcement. Harper, 23, hit .330/.460/.649 with 42 home runs and 99 runs batted in, setting career highs across the board despite a disappointing season overall in Washington.
Named the NL’s Most Outstanding Player by his peers at the Players Choice Awards, Harper said health was the biggest contributing factor in his 2015 success, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post:
I truly think it’s always been there. I just think I was healthy this year. I think that’s the main thing. I was able to stay on the field this year and not have those little nagging injuries of sliding into third base and getting my thumb or running into a wall in Dodger Stadium. Just trying to be as smart as I could out there and just play the game the right way. It just comes with the experience of knowing when to go hard, when not to go hard, and just being able to be smart about everything I do.
Harper is one of nine first-time winners on the list, joining Josh Donaldson, Nelson Cruz, J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Brandon Crawford, Dee Gordon, Nolan Arenado and Kendrys Morales. Donaldson joins Lorenzo Cain and Mike Trout among the American League finalists for MVP.
Donaldson, 29, crushed 41 home runs and drove in 123 runs while posting a .297/.371/.568 slash line. He helped lead the Toronto Blue Jays to their first playoff berth since 1993 and belted three more home runs during their 11-game playoff stint.
Joining Trout in the AL outfield are Cruz and Martinez. Cruz hit 44 home runs and drove in 93 runs in his first season with the Seattle Mariners, giving him 40-plus homers in consecutive seasons. Martinez earned his first Silver Slugger with a .282/.344/.535 slash line with 38 homers and 102 runs batted in.
The Angels’ struggles kept Trout a little in the shadows this year, but he had a better season in 2015 than his MVP 2014 campaign in nearly every category. He set a career high with 41 home runs, lowered his strikeout rate by nearly 3 percent and posted a best in isolated slugging (.290).
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times noted Trout’s propensity for setting records:
While the NL MVP might as well already have Harper’s name etched, the Silver Slugger might have offered a preview of his runner-up. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt took home honors on the NL first baseman ballot, besting Joey Votto, the other NL MVP finalist. Goldschmidt had an advantage in batting average (.321 to .314), home runs (33 to 29) and runs batted in (110 to 80), so it’s not much of a surprise.
Andrew McCutchen matched Trout with his MLB-high fourth straight Silver Slugger. The Pittsburgh Pirates star hit .292/.401/.488 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI. Rounding out the outfield for the NL is Carlos Gonzalez, who returned to elite form after years of injury troubles. The Colorado Rockies star set a career high with 40 homers and had his first 90-RBI season since 2011.
Louisville Slugger congratulated Gonzalez:
In the infield, Gordon, Arenado, Crawford and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey join Goldschmidt. Madison Bumgarner took home his second straight Silver Slugger at pitcher. The Giants led the way among all teams with three winners, a bit of a surprise given San Francisco ranked just 12th in runs scored.
The American League infield is comprised of Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, Donaldson and Bogaerts. Morales’ win at designated hitter capped things off. The Tigers were the only AL team with multiple winners.
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