Aubrey Huff Wins Silver Slugger Award
Louisville Slugger today announced that Orioles designated hitter AUBREY HUFF has been awarded the Silver Slugger Award as the top DH in the American League.
The Silver Slugger Award winners were determined by a vote of Major League Baseball coaches and managers who named the players they felt were the best offensive producers at each position in both the American and National Leagues. Selections were based on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value. Managers and coaches were not allowed to vote for players on their own team.
Huff was awarded his first Silver Slugger Award after leading the American League with 82 extra-base hits (48 doubles, two triples and 32 home runs) and finished in the top ten in the AL in total bases (3rd, 330), doubles (3rd, 48), slugging percentage (5th, .552), RBI (6th, 108), home runs (9th, 32) and hits (10th, 182).
Huff becomes the eighth different Orioles player to win the Silver Slugger Award, and the first since SS MIGUEL TEJADA in 2005. Huff joins SS CAL RIPKEN JR. (8 awards, 1983-86, '89, '91, '93-'94), 1B EDDIE MURRAY (1983-84), CA MICKEY TETTLETON (1989), 2B ROBERTO ALOMAR (1996), 1B RAFAEL PALMEIRO (1998), 3B MELVIN MORA (2004) and TEJADA (2004, '05).
"It's a tremendous honor for me and something I've always wanted to win," said Huff. "Some guys try to win a Gold Glove, but as a DH, this is the ultimate honor for an offensive player and the fact that it is chosen by opposing coaches and managers means that others noticed the year I had, and probably that David Ortiz had an off year," joked Huff.
Huff was also recently named as the designated hitter on The Sporting News AL All-Star team, as voted by the league's players.
