Shohei Ohtani Wins First Silver Slugger Award
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim slugger (and pitcher), Shohei Ohtani, has added yet another accolade to a stellar 2021 season, with the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award for the designated hitter position.
Ohtani, the league's only current two-way player, was on season-long tear - finishing the year with a slash line (batting average/slugging percentage/slugging percentage) of .257/.372/.592 adding 46 homers and 100 runs batted in. He also had 26 stolen bases and was tied for the league-high with eight triples.
He finished the year with a 9.1 WAR (wins above replacement), highest in the entire league. His .965 OPS ranked fifth overall as well.
All year long, fans were reminded that Ohtani was doing things the league had never seen, and if they had seen them before, it hasn't been seen since the days of Babe Ruth. His incredible performance, both at the plate and on the mound, prompted MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to award Ohtani with the rare Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award. He was also voted as both the American League Outstanding Player of the Year and MLB Player of the Year by the MLBPA (MLB Player's Association).
RELATED: Four Dodgers, One Angel Nominated As 2021 Silver Slugger Award Finalists
Ohtani was also given two awards by the Angels Organization prior to season's end - the Nick Adenhart Award for Angels Best Pitcher and the trophy for Angels Most Valuable Player.
This season, Ohtani was ranked in the Top 10 in virtually every major statistic, some of the more notable ones are listed as follows: first in WAR (9.1), first in triples (8), second in intentional base on balls (20), second in extra-base hits (80), third in home runs, fourth in slugging percentage, fourth in runs created (122), fifth in on-base percentage, fifth in total bases (318) and fifth in base on balls (96). Those numbers are across the entire league, not just limited to the American League.
Despite four Dodgers being nominated as finalists for the Silver Slugger Award, none of them were selected.
As defined by MLB, "Given out since 1980, the Silver Slugger recognizes the best offensive players at each position in each league. The winners are voted upon by Major League managers and coaches, who are unable to vote for players on their own teams."
The full list of the 2021 MLB Louisville Silver Slugger Award winners:
American League
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals (Fourth Award - Won in 2016, 2018, 2020)
First Base: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Toronto Blue Jays (First Award)
Second Base: Marcus Semien, Toronto Blue Jays (First Award)
Third Base: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox (First Award)
Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox (Fourth Award - Won in 2015, 2016, 2019)
Outfield: Teoscar Hernandez, Toronto Blue Jays (Second Award - Won in 2020)
Outfield: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (Second Award - Won in 2017)
Outfield: Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Orioles (First Award)
Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (First Award)
National League
Catcher: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants (Fifth Award - Won in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017)
First Base: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves (Third Award - Won in 2019, 2020)
Second Base: Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves (Second Award - Won in 2019)
Third Base: Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves (First Award)
Shortstop: Fernando Tatis, Jr., San Diego Padres (Second Award - Won in 2020)
Outfield: Juan Soto, Washington Nationals (Second Award - Won in 2020)
Outfield: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies (Second Award - Won in 2015)
Outfield: Nicholas Castellanos, Cincinnati Reds (First Award)
Pitcher: Max Fried, Atlanta Braves (First Award)
