Four Venezuelans won the award; among them Altuve, who takes his seventh silver stake at second base of the new circuit.
In this way, ‘Astroboy’ equals Ryne Sandberg as the waiters with the most awards of this style, at the same time as having tied Miguel Cabrera among those born in Venezuela. The other three Creoles to win the Silver Slugger were Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Pérez, William Contreras (Milwaukee Brewers Catcher) and Anthony Santander (Designated Hitter, Baltimore Orioles).
Altuve had his third 20/20 season, that is, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases (20/22). He also had his most hits since 2017 (185) and compiled 31 doubles, 94 runs scored, 65 RBIs and a .790 OPS in 153 challenges.
Royals catcher Salvador Pérez won his fifth Silver Slugger, leading all MLB catchers with 104 RBIs. Perez hit .271 along with 27 home runs as well. Perez, a nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, certainly has a spot reserved in Cooperstown one day. But the 34-year-old continues to hit, propelling Kansas City back to the playoffs after nine years away. He won the Silver Slugger in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021.
Ohtani and his Silver Slugger in both leagues
Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese superstar of the Los Angeles Dodgers, made history by becoming the first designated hitter to receive the Silver Slugger in both the American League and the National League.
This achievement comes after a spectacular year for Ohtani, who reached the World Series with the Dodgers and also broke a record by becoming the first player in Major League history to achieve a 50/50: 54 home runs and 59 stolen basesfigures that left an indelible mark on the 2024 season.
Soto ties Trout
The same goes for New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, who is about to get one of the juiciest contracts in baseball history in free agency. Soto, the MLB leader with 128 runs, helped the New Yorkers win their first American League pennant in 15 years. He also had 41 home runs, 109 RBIs and a .989 OPS.
With this award, the young player tied with Mike Trout, becoming one of only two players in Major League history to win five or more Silver Slugger awards at age 26 or younger.
Mookie Betts beat Luis Arráez
Along with Altuve, Mookie Betts has the most Silver Slugger awards among active players after winning his seventh for another outstanding offensive campaign. He began the season at shortstop after having played right field for most of his major league career.
On June 18, he fractured his left hand as a result of being hit by a pitch, causing him to miss about two months. When he returned to the lineup, he moved back to right field. Despite the injury, he finished with an .863 OPS (145 OPS+) with 19 home runs in 116 games. Betts’ four Silver Slugger awards with the Dodgers are the second-most in franchise history, trailing only Mike Piazza’s five.
Betts won Silver Sluggers with the Boston Red Sox in 2016, 2018 and 2019 before adding four for Los Angeles in 2020 and 2022-2024.
After covering more than one position in the season, Betts far surpassed the National Batting Champion, Luis Arráez.
These were the winners
American League/National League
C: Salvador Pérez, KC / William Contreras, MIL
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR / Bryce Harper, PHI
2B: José Altuve, HOU / Ketel Marte, ARI
3B: José Ramírez, CLE / Manny Machado, SD
SS: Bobby Witt Jr., KC / Francisco Lindor, NYM
OF: Aaron Judge, NYY / Teoscar Hernández, LAD
OF: Anthony Santander, BAL / Jackson Merrill, SD
OF: Juan Soto, NYY / Jurickson Profar, SD
DH: Brent Rooker, OAK / Shohei Ohtani, LAD
UT: Josh Smith, TEX / Mookie Betts, LAD
