Dodgers' Betts leads Silver Slugger winners

[November 06, 2020]  Mookie Betts, after winning a World Series ring in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, keeps adding to his hardware haul.

The right fielder won a National League Silver Slugger on Thursday, two days after winning a Gold Glove.

The Silver Slugger awards are given annually to the top hitter at each position in both the NL and the American League. Three outfield winners are chosen per league, regardless of specific position.

The Atlanta Braves led all teams with four players chosen: first baseman Freddie Freeman, center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr., catcher Travis d'Arnaud and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

Betts won his fourth Silver Slugger and his third in a row, having previously been honored while playing for the Boston Red Sox. He is the sixth Dodger to capture a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in the same season, following Dusty Baker (1981), Russell Martin (2007), Matt Kemp (2011), Adrian Gonzalez (2014) and Cody Bellinger (2019).
 

Betts, 28, hit .292 with a .366 on-base percentage, a .562 slugging percentage, 16 homers and 39 RBIs during the abbreviated 2020 regular season. He also is one of three finalists for the NL Most Valuable Player award, along with Freeman and San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado.

Also claiming NL outfield Silver Sluggers were Washington Nationals left fielder Juan Soto and Acuna.

Soto led the NL in batting average (.351), on-base percentage (.490) and slugging percentage (.695) while hitting 13 homers and driving in 37 runs in 47 games.

Acuna produced a .250/.406/.581 hitting line with 14 homers and 29 RBIs in 46 games.

Freeman (.341, 13 homers, 53 RBIs in 60 games) won the NL honor among first basemen, and Machado (.304, 16 homers, 47 RBIs in 60 games) was the NL third base winner.

The other NL Silver Sluggers went to San Francisco Giants second baseman Donovan Solano (.326, three homers, 29 RBIs in 54 games), Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (.277, 17 homers, 45 RBIs in 59 games), d'Arnaud (.321, nine homers, 34 RBIs in 44 games) and Ozuna (.338 while leading the NL with both 18 homers and 56 RBIs in 60 games).

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts (50) hits a home run during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during game six of the 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The three AL MVP finalists -- Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez -- all received Silver Slugger awards.

Abreu led the majors 60 RBIs and topped the AL with a .617 slugging percentage while hitting .317 with 19 homers in 60 games.

LeMahieu paced the major leagues with a .364 batting average and led the AL with a .421 on-base percentage. He hit 10 homers and drove in 27 runs in 50 games.

Ramirez was tied for the AL lead with 45 runs, and he batted .292 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs in 58 games.

The AL Silver Slugger outfield winners were Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (.281, 17 homers, 46 RBIs in 53 games), Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (.289, 16 homers, 34 RBIs in 50 games) and Chicago White Sox left fielder Eloy Jimenez (.296, 14 homers, 41 RBIs in 55 games).

Rounding out the list of AL honorees were White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (.322, 10 homers, 21 RBIs, league-high 45 runs in 49 games), Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (.333, 11 homers, 32 RBIs in 37 games) and Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz (.303, 16 homers, 33 RBIs in 53 games).

The only players who won Silver Sluggers in both 2019 and 2020 were Betts, Trout, Cruz, LeMahieu, Freeman and Acuna.

--Field Level Media

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