The Orioles have their first Silver Slugger Award winner in five years.
Chris Davis was chosen among American League first basemen, the announcement coming tonight on MLB Network.
Davis led the majors with 53 home runs and 138 RBIs. He ranked fourth among first basemen in the AL with a .286 average, tied for first with a .370 on-base percentage, and ranked first with a .634 slugging percentage and 1.004 OPS. He also tied for third with 42 doubles and third with 167 hits.
No Oriole had won a Silver Slugger since designated hitter Aubrey Huff in 2008.
Davis is the third Orioles first baseman to claim a Silver Slugger Award, joining Eddie Murray (1983-84) and Rafael Palmeiro (1998).
"Receiving this award is very humbling, as there are some really great hitters that play first base in this league, so it means a lot to me," Davis said in a statement tweeted by the Orioles' PR department.
"Batting in the middle of the order, you want to pose a threat at all times, and I'm grateful that the opposing managers and coaches recognized not only the success that I had, but also the success of the team, as well."
Davis was the first winner revealed tonight. More to come.
Update: Adam Jones became the first Orioles outfielder to win a Silver Slugger.
This is the fifth time in franchise history that the Orioles have multiple Silver Slugger Award winners in the same season.
Jone led AL outfielders in homers (33) and RBIs (108), finished third in doubles (35) and slugging percentage (.493) and ranked sixth in batting average (.285).
"It is a tremendous honor, and with all of the great Orioles outfielders of the past, I'm surprised that I am the first to win one," Jones said in a statement. "While it is a great individual honor for all three of us, the ultimate goal is to win games and bring a championship to Baltimore."
Yes, Jones said "all three of us." Guess that means there's one more Oriole joining the group of winners. Stay tuned.
Update II: J.J. Hardy became the third Orioles shortstop to win the award, joining Cal Ripken and Miguel Tejada.
Hardy led AL shortstops with 25 homers and 76 RBIs, and his .433 slugging percentage ranked second.
The Orioles led the majors with three winners. This is the first time that three Orioles have won Silver Slugger Awards in the same season.
"I am really honored to win this award because the coaches' and manager's vote means so much to you as a player," Hardy said in a statement. "They see you quite a bit in the division, but for the guys you only play against a handful of times to notice not only you, but also two of your teammates, that is a good sign for the direction the Orioles are headed. And then to be mentioned in the same sentence as Cal and Miggy as an offensive player, that just leaves me speechless."
Here's the updated list of Orioles Silver Slugger winners:
1983: Eddie Murray (1B) and Cal Ripken Jr. (SS)
1984: Eddie Murray (1B) and Cal Ripken Jr. (SS)
1985: Cal Ripken Jr. (SS)
1986: Cal Ripken Jr. (SS)
1989: Cal Ripken Jr. (SS) and Mickey Tettleton (C)
1991: Cal Ripken Jr. (SS)
1993: Cal Ripken Jr. (SS)
1994: Cal Ripken Jr. (SS)
1996: Roberto Alomar (2B)
1998: Rafael Palmeiro (1B)
2004: Miguel Tejada (SS) and Melvin Mora (3B)
2005: Miguel Tejada (SS)
2008: Aubrey Huff (DH)
2013: Chris Davis (1B), Adam Jones (OF), J.J. Hardy (SS)
Baseball's 2013 winners are:
1B: Chris Davis (Orioles) and Paul Goldschmidt (Arizona)
2B: Robinson Cano (New York) and Matt Carpenter (St. Louis)
3B: Miguel Cabrera (Detroit) and Pedro Alvarez (Pittsburgh)
SS: J.J. Hardy (Orioles) and Ian Desmond (Washington)
C: Joe Mauer (Minnesota) and Yadier Molina (St. Louis)
OF: (AL) Adam Jones (Orioles), Torii Hunter (Detroit), Mike Trout (Los Angeles)
OF: (NL) Jay Bruce (Cincinnati), Michael Cuddyer (Colorado), Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh)
DH: David Ortiz (Boston)
P: Zack Greinke (Los Angeles)
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