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Paul Goldschmidt wins 2017 Silver Slugger

It’s the third win of this award for Goldschmidt, who previously was victorious in 2013 and 2015.

By Jim McLennan
MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

As if the Gold Glove he picked up earlier this week weren’t enough, Paul Goldschmidt will have to find some more room on his mantelpiece. For it was announced tonight that he has also won the 2017 Silver Slugger at first base. That’s the award given out by MLB in association with Louisville Slugger® for the top offensive player at each position in each league, as selected in a vote by MLB coaches and managers.

Goldschmidt edged out the other National League candidates at first base. Both Joey Votto of the Reds and the Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman matched Paul in home-runs, each man hitting 36. But it appears Goldy’s clear lead in RBI, where he drove in 120 runs, more than negated Votto’s better OPS, which was mostly due to his league-leading 134 walks. Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers also hit more home-runs overall (39) than any of the above, and did start most often at 1B, but with 30 HR and 77 RBI at the position, his output there lagged a little.

11 of the 2017 Silver Slugger Award winners are under 30 years old, including four-time winner Altuve, who is 27. Thirteen teams are represented, with the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies and New York Yankees each having multiple winners. Here’s a complete table detailing the winners in each league, first for the AL, then the NL, along with their seasons stats and previous history for the award.

2017 Silver Slugger winners

Pos. Winner/Age Team Stats # SSAs won
Pos. Winner/Age Team Stats # SSAs won
1B Eric Hosmer – 28 Kansas City Royals .318 BA, 25 HR, 94 RBI, .882 OPS 1st – ’17
2B JoseAltuve – 27 Houston Astros .346 BA, 24 HR, 81 RBI, .957 OPS, 32 SB 4th – ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17
SS Francisco Lindor – 23 Cleveland Indians .273 BA, 33 HR, 89 RBI, .842 OPS 1st – ’17
3B José Ramírez – 25 Cleveland Indians .318 BA, 29 HR, 83 RBI, .957 OPS 1st – ’17
C Gary Sánchez – 24 New York Yankees .278 BA, 33 HR, 90 RBI, .876 OPS 1st – ’17
OF Justin Upton – 30 Los Angeles Angels .273 BA, 35 HR, 109 RBI, .901 OPS, 14 SB 3rd – ’11, ’14, ’17
OF Aaron Judge – 25 New York Yankees .284 BA, 52 HR, 114 RBI, 1.049 OPS 1st – ’17
OF George Springer – 28 Houston Astros .283 BA, 34 HR, 85 RBI, .889 OPS 1st – ’17
DH Nelson Cruz – 37 Seattle Mariners .288 BA, 39 HR, 119 RBI, .924 OPS 2nd – ’15, ’17
.
Pos. Winner/Age Team Stats # SSAs won
1B Paul Goldschmidt– 30 Arizona Diamondbacks .297 BA, 36 HR, 120 RBI, .966 OPS 3rd – ‘13, ‘15, ‘17
2B Daniel Murphy– 32 Washington Nationals .322 BA, 23 HR, 93 RBI, .928 OPS 2nd – ‘16, ‘17
SS Corey Seager – 23 Los Angeles Dodgers .295 BA, 22 HR, 77 RBI, .854 OPS 2nd – ’16, ‘17
3B Nolan Arenado– 26 Colorado Rockies .309 BA, 37 HR, 130 RBI, .959 OPS 3rd – ‘15, ‘16, ‘17
C Buster Posey – 30 San Francisco Giants .320 BA, 12 HR, 67 RBI, .861 OPS 4th – ‘12, ’14, ’15, ‘17
OF Charlie Blackmon– 31 Colorado Rockies .331 BA, 37 HR, 104 RBI, 1.000 OPS, 14 SB 2nd – ‘16, ‘17
OF Giancarlo Stanton – 28 Miami Marlins .281 BA, 59 HR, 132 RBI, 1.007 OPS 2nd – ‘14, ‘17
OF Marcell Ozuna – 26 Miami Marlins .312 BA, 37 HR, 124 RBI, .924 OPS 1st – ‘17
P Adam Wainwright – 36 St. Louis Cardinals .262 BA, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .731 OPS 1st – ‘17

So, Goldschmidt was the best offensive player at 1B in the league, and his Gold Glove shows he was the best defensive player there too. Will that translate into MVP success? We’ll have to wait until next week to find that out...

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