Silver Sluggers

[redsfandan]

They'll be announced (for both leagues) later today at 6 pm eastern on MLB Network. Anyone wanna make any predictions? Think one or two Reds could be named?

[Edd Roush]

I would think that Votto will probably win one at first base; Rolen might have an outside shot at the third base Silver Slugger.

[reds1869]

I think Votto will win 1B. I don't see anyone else picking one up unless Rolen or Leake surprises us. Leake probably won't win it but when you look at pitcher he and Gallardo should be the only ones in the mix.

[Redsfan320]

It would be contradictory for Votto to win Hank Aaron (best hitter in the league) but not silver slugger (best hitter at his position)

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[dougdirt]

It would be contradictory for Votto to win Hank Aaron (best hitter in the league) but not silver slugger (best hitter at his position)

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Are they voted on by the same people? If not, then it wouldn't exactly be contradictory.

[Redsfan320]

You're right, Doug. HA is fan voting. However, it still would be Bush league for JV not to win SS.

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[dougdirt]

You're right, Doug. HA is fan voting. However, it still would be Bush league for JV not to win SS.

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I wouldn't be too bothered if Pujols won the award to be honest. The numbers are very close and Votto plays in a more hitter friendly park. While Votto hit better on the road than at home, he was still helped by his home park. So there is certainly an argument to be made that it isn't completely clear cut.

[kaldaniels]

I wouldn't be too bothered if Pujols won the award to be honest. The numbers are very close and Votto plays in a more hitter friendly park. While Votto hit better on the road than at home, he was still helped by his home park. So there is certainly an argument to be made that it isn't completely clear cut.

So who do you think should get it? I'd say Votto. But those IBB of Albert are hard to ignore.

[RichRed]

The way the Gold Gloves are given out, the Silver Sluggers are almost redundant.

[Matt700wlw]

Pujols gets the award at 1B

[Redsfan320]

A mockery of the game. Put the top 10 payroll teams in their own league. With their own budgets. And their own awards. And their own playoffs. A league where you can give Jeter and Pujols GGs and SSs respectively for 100 years.

Votto should be league MVP. For the coaches and managers not to give him SS- :angry::angry::angry:

[/rant]

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[BCubb2003]

NL's most potent offense had no Silver Sluggers.

[Redsfan320]

Harold Reynolds just said on MLB Network that Pujols’ numbers were better. Harold, meet OPS. OPS, meet Harold.

Exact same thing I thought.

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[HeatherC1212]

Sometimes baseball people are too stupid and clueless for words. *shakes head* :(

[dougdirt]

I saw this coming from a mile away.

[Phhhl]

I don't care that Votto truly deserved this award. Pujols has been so good for so long, I can see him edging out anyone in this type of educated popularity contest. What is going to mean something is the MVP award. Votto was better than Pujols in several weighty statistical categories last year, and not as good in just about as many others. But, what seperates him from Pujols is the success he experienced as part of a winning team. Unlike George Foster or Andre Dawson playing for one of the worst teams of the 1980's, most MVP's are weighed by whether their teams reached the postseason, and how they performed when they did. It is supposed to be an award that has absolutely nothing to do with the postseason, but unless a great player blows away the competition with numbers that rock the game's richter scale, everyone seems to accept that the MVP goes to the guy that is responsible for what his club did AFTER game 162.

This year, Votto deserves the MVP because of the Reds' success. The failure of the Cardinals in 2010 is not Albert Pujols' fault, but it's not a statistic to decorate his resume with either.

Joey losing the Silver Slugger is mildly annoying. A good lawyer could argue that Pujols had just as good a season at the first base position, and there is absolutely no doubt that a jury anxious to agree could be found to convict Joey Votto on charges of slightly overachieving. But, if anyone but Votto wins the NL MVP Award, it truly will be a legitimate miscarriage of justice.

[Strikes Out Looking]

Let's look on the bright side of this. This can only help Albert extort more dollars from the Cardinals and it doesn't add anything to Joey's salary demands from the Reds.

[BCubb2003]

The Reds can go to arbitration and say, "It's not like he won the Silver Slugger or anything ..."

[blumj]

Let's look on the bright side of this. This can only help Albert extort more dollars from the Cardinals and it doesn't add anything to Joey's salary demands from the Reds.
Until he wins the MVP, anyway, then you're doomed. The only award you should want players on your team to win is the Clemente. The rest of them are just promos for bat and glove companies and opportunites for agents to get players more bonus money.

[PuffyPig]

Votto led Pujols in OPS by a marginal amount, Pujols led in some counting stats.

They were so close that I have no problem with Pujols winning.

I expect Votto to easily win the MVP award.