Mookie Betts was named among the 2023 Silver Slugger Award winners, while fellow Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez, Will Smith and Max Muncy lost at their respective positions. The Dodgers also lost the team Silver Slugger Award, which was given out for the first time in history.
Betts won the Silver Slugger at the outfield spot for the sixth time in his career and third with the Dodgers, joining Braves’ star Roland Acuña Jr. and San Diego Padres’ slugger Juan Soto as winners.
The other outfielders as finalists were the Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber.
Betts played in 152 games this season, batting .307/.408/.579/ with 40 doubles, 39 home runs, 107 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 126 runs scored and a 167 wRC+. He finished top three in the NL in wRC+, OPS+ (163), doubles, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging (.987) and extra-base hits (80).
His 39 home runs set a new career high, which previously was the 35 he hit during the 2022 season. Among his other accomplishments this year, Betts also set a new MLB record for most RBI out of the leadoff spot.
The Braves had multiple winners with Matt Olson beating out Freeman and Austin Riley defeating Muncy at the hot corner, along with Acuña in the outfield. Unsurprisingly, they also took the Team Silver Slugger Award, finishing ahead of the Dodgers, Phillies and Padres.
Bellinger had a bounce-back year with the Cubs and defeated Betts for the Utility Silver Slugger Award while the Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras won the honor at catcher ahead of Smith. Bryce Harper returned from Tommy John surgery to win the designated hitter honors ahead of Martinez.
Winners were determined by MLB managers and coaches who vote for players at each position in their respective leagues; each team receives four votes, one for manager and three coaches of their choice.
Silver Slugger voting is based on a combination of offensive statistics, such as batting average, on-base plus slugging percentage, runs scored, home runs, RBI, total bases, RBI, OPS+, along with the managers’ and coaches’ general impressions of a player’s overall value at the plate.
2023 Silver Slugger Award winners
American League
C: Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
1B: Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays
2B: Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers
3B: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
SS: Corey Seager, Rangers
OF: Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros
OF: Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
OF: Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
UT: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
Team: Texas Rangers
National League
C: William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
1B: Matt Olson, Braves
2B: Luis Arraez, Miami Marlins
3B: Austin Riley, Braves
SS: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
OF: Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
OF: Mookie Betts, Dodgers
OF: Juan Soto, San Diego Padres
DH: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
UT: Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs
Team: Atlanta Braves
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
