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For the first time since 2008, the Minnesota Twins have two Silver Slugger Award winners.
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Mitch Garver won the Silver Slugger after a season in which he hit .273/.365/.630 (.995) with 16 doubles and 31 home runs. Garver becomes the first Twins catcher to win a Silver Slugger since Joe Mauer won his fifth in 2013. That was the most recent Twins Silver Slugger win.
The numbers are impressive, but consider that he spent about three weeks on the Injured List with an ankle injury and he was splitting time behind the plate with Jason Castro. Garver made 73 starts behind the plate and had just three starts as the team's DH.
Gary Sanchez of the Yankees hit .232/.316/.525 (.841) with 12 doubles and 34 home runs this season. He and Red Sox backstop Christian Vasquez were the other finalists.
Nelson Cruz came to the Twins and mashed all year! The 39-year-old played in 120 games and hit a remarkable .311/.392/.639 (1.031) with 26 doubles and 41 home runs.
The competition at DH came from Red Sox JD Martinez and the Royals Jorge Soler.
Twins left fielder Eddie Rosario was one of six finalists in the American league outfield. The winners were the Astros George Springer, Red Sox Mookie Betts and the Angels Mike Trout.
Former Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar was a finalist for the National League Silver Slugger at third base. Anthony Rendon was the winner.
2019 American League Silver Slugger Winners
1B: Carlos Santana
2B: DJ LeMahieu
3B: Alex Bregman
SS: Xander Bogaerts
OF: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, George Springer
C: MITCH GARVER
DH: NELSON CRUZ
Who votes for the Silver Slugger Awards? Per the league's 2018 announcement.
The Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award winners are decided by a vote of Major League Baseball managers and coaches who select the players they determine to be the best offensive producers at each position in the American and National Leagues. Selections are based on a combination of offensive statistics, including batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, as well as the managers' and coaches' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value. Tabulation of the balloting is verified by the accounting firm of Mountjoy Chilton Medley LLP.
Related Content:
Twins Daily Most Improved Player 2019
College Coach Not Surprised by Mitch Garver's 2019 Success
Mitch Garver's Other Big Improvement
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