Who Should Win the AL Silver Sluggers?
Which hitters put themselves in position to win the Silver Slugger Awards in the American League this season?
The Silver Slugger Award is given to the best offensive player at each position in each league. Since pitchers no longer hit, the ten positions include all four infielders, a catcher, three outfielders (regardless of specific position), a designated hitter, and a utility player.
MLB managers and coaches vote on this award, but those who vote can’t vote for their players on their own team.
While my votes don’t count, I’ve assembled the ten players I think should win the AL Silver Slugger Awards in 2024.
Remember: No specific number of starts at any one position is required to qualify for a Silver Slugger. Players must only have appeared in 100 total games that season. With that out of the way, let’s get right to it!
First Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went wild in the second half of the season. He ultimately blew out the competition for the Silver Slugger at first base.
Guerrero hit 30 home runs and drove in 103 runs for a team that really struggled to find consistent offense this past season. In addition, he slashed .323/.396/.544 and finished with an OPS of .940.
He added a 165 wRC+ and a .398 wOBA throughout the season. Nobody else can even sniff what Guerrero has done this season at first base.
The All-Star struck out just 13.8% of the time in 697 plate appearances and has earned walks in 10.3% of his trips to the plate. His 0.75 BB/K ratio was the highest of all qualified American League first basemen.
Guerrero should be a lock at first base. This would be his second Silver Slugger after winning the award in 2021.
Second Base: Jose Altuve (HOU)
Another Silver Slugger for Jose Altuve wouldn’t surprise anyone. He earned five consecutive Silver Sluggers from 2014-18 and added another in 2022.
This season, he’ll likely earn his seventh. It’s nothing new for him.
Altuve slashed .295/.350/.439 with an OPS of .790. His ISO was .145, and he hit for a .344 wOBA this year. While this wasn’t Altuve’s best season, it should still be enough to surpass his competition of Gleyber Torres, Colt Keith, Marcus Semien, Andrés Giménez, and Zack Gelof.
For one, Altuve had more plate appearances than any of those second basemen listed other than Semien. However, Semien finished the 2024 season with a .237 average. While Semien had slightly more power, Altuve finished the season with 31 more hits than Semien. It’s a big reason why Altuve’s wRC+ was 127 and Semien’s was just 99.
Third Base: José Ramírez (CLE)
This was a battle between José Ramírez and Rafael Devers throughout the season.
However, for one, Ramírez’s bat lifted the Guardians into the playoffs. Secondly, Ramírez finished the season with way more plate appearances, especially since Devers was shut down toward the end of the season due to a shoulder injury.
So, Ramírez had 81 more plate appearances with a higher slugging percentage. The Cleveland third baseman also finished with a slightly higher wRC+ while recording 11 more home runs, 27 more runs, and 35 more RBIs than Devers.
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr. (KC)
The shortstop position was competitive this season. However, the Silver Slugger Award is likely down to two candidates at shortstop: Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr.
Both had career years. However, Witt slashed a .332/.389/.588 with an OPS nearing .980.
Henderson slashed .281/.364/.529 with an OPS just under .900. These are crazy numbers. But Witt sustained his success at a higher level throughout the season.
By the end of the year, both shortstops had more than 700 plate appearances.
Witt knocked 32 home runs, five behind Henderson, but he added more runs (125 to 118) and RBIs (109 to 92). Despite Henderson’s power this season, Witt was the more feared hitter.
Witt was intentionally walked nine times, while Henderson experienced that just once. Beyond that, Witt recorded a wild 168 wRC+ at shortstop while hitting for a .410 wOBA.
It stinks for Henderson, but his numbers don’t compare to Witt’s. Witt’s impact was phenomenal this season.
Henderson certainly deserves a Silver Slugger. But he didn’t have the season Witt had – point-blank.
This would be Witt’s first Silver Slugger after being a finalist last season.
Outfield: Aaron Judge (NYY)
Aaron Judge is on his way to a second MVP. He’s also pretty much a lock to win his second Silver Slugger Award.
Judge had a monster season for the Yankees this past year. He finished the year with 58 home runs. He also added 144 RBIs and 122 runs. While his strikeout rate climbed to 24.3%, he still hit for a .322 average with an OBP of .458 to go along with a slugging percentage of .701.
Altogether, he’s got an OPS of 1.159 and a wRC+ of 218.
Judge found his way on base close to 46% of the time. Ultimately, he earned a hit or walk almost every other time he came to bat.
Additionally, he had a BABIP of .367 thanks to his high line drive rate. Judge also hit a home run almost one-third of the time he hit a fly ball. These are absurd statistics, and he did all that while playing all but 41 games in the outfield.
Outfield: Juan Soto (NYY)
Aaron Judge’s teammate, Juan Soto, was absolutely fantastic in his first season in the American League.
Soto won four straight NL Silver Sluggers, and I think he’ll win his first AL Silver Slugger before the year is over.
Soto socked 41 home runs, scored 128 runs, and tallied 109 RBIs with 129 walks. He was only intentionally walked once. But that’s ultimately because this year’s likely MVP, Aaron Judge, protected him.
Soto had more walks than strikeouts this year. He’s also slashed .288/.419/.569, which amounted to an OPS of .988. Furthermore, the Yankees’ outfielder had a 180 wRC+ and helped add 63.4 weighted runs above average (wRAA).
The Yankees right fielder also had the second-highest ISO among qualified outfielders at .281. It was way lower than Judge’s, but still a better number than those of other power sluggers like Anthony Santander and Yordan Alvarez.
Outfield: Yordan Alvarez (HOU)
Yordan Alvarez only played 53 games in the outfield this season. But that still qualifies him for a Silver Slugger in the outfield.
It also allows for someone else who is just as deserving to win the Silver Slugger at designated hitter. We’ll get to that in a bit.
Alvarez hit for a .308 average with a .392 OBP and .567 SLG. He also had a .959 OPS with a .259 ISO. In addition, he had a wOBA above .400 while hitting 35 home runs. Alvarez is somewhat lacking in RBIs (86) and runs (88). But he also limited his strikeouts to just 95 and was intentionally walked 16 times.
That just goes to show you how much managers fear Alvarez late in games. And let’s not forget who’s voting. It’s managers who decided to walk Alvarez so many times when a free base was open.
Oddly enough, despite being in the league since 2019, Alvarez has only one career Silver Slugger Award. This would be his second.
Catcher: Yainer Diaz (HOU)
While Yainer Diaz didn’t showcase much power this season, he was still the most consistent hitting catcher in the American League.
Diaz posted an average of .299 and recorded 16 home runs with 70 runs and 84 RBIs. He added the most hits by a catcher in the American League this season (175) and tied with Cal Raleigh to lead American League catchers with a 117 wRC+.
Ultimately, Diaz did enough this season. But other possibilities for the Award include Raleigh and Salvador Perez.
Perez hit for a lower average but still had a wRC+ of 115 and an AL catcher-best .335 wOBA. He also had a higher OPS than Diaz and got on base slightly more often. He also had a higher ISO, so I wouldn’t be shocked if Perez won it over Diaz.
I’ll still go with my gut and take Diaz here.
Utility: Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS)
Ceddanne Rafaela had one helluva season with the Red Sox this year. The Boston rookie likely won’t win the Rookie of the Year. But he could have a Silver Slugger waiting for him this season.
Rafaela played more than 80 games in the outfield and at shortstop. He also played ten games at second and four games at third base. That’s a true utility player.
While playing multiple positions, Rafaela added 15 home runs and 75 RBIs. He also added an OPS of .664 and a 79 wRC+. In addition, his wOBA was .286.
Those aren’t stats that will blow you out of the water, and this might be a controversial pick. But giving out an offensive award to a utility player isn’t easy. For a rookie who was asked to play multiple positions, Rafaela had an awesome season that should be recognized.
More traditional candidates include Jordan Westburg, Josh Smith, and Luke Raley.
Designated Hitter: Brent Rooker (OAK)
I moved Yordan Alvarez to an outfield spot to give Brent Rooker his potential first Silver Slugger Award.
Rooker had a remarkable season during a year when the Athletics’ expectations were low. Rooker gave Athletics fans something to cheer about during a time when the fanbase was in disarray.
Rooker hit 39 home runs and earned 112 RBIs with 82 runs. He also hit for an average of .293 and added a .365 OBP with a .562 SLG. His OPS was .927, and his ISO was super high at .269 this season.
Rooker’s wOBA of .392 ranked behind only Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez among qualified AL designated hitters. His .269 ISO ranked behind only Judge.
While Rooker’s strikeout rate was high, he still earned four intentional walks and recorded 160 hits.
Rooker deserves AL’s Silver Slugger Award at the designated hitter position.
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