MLB managers and up to three coaches from each team vote on these awards, with winners announced on November 12. Dodgers have never had more than two Silver Slugger winners in the same season.
Four Dodgers have a chance to win 2024 Silver Slugger Awards, with Shohti Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith recognized for their offensive prowess.
They were among the “finalists” for the awards announced on Monday, though that’s a misnomer since the votes have long been tabulated. This quintet is simply among the top three to five people offensively at their position in the National League.
Silver Slugger Awards are voted on by MLB managers and up to three coaches from each team, using “a variety of offensive statistics including OPS, OPS+, HR, Hits, Runs, RBI, Average and overall offensive value.”
Winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 12 in a broadcast beginning at 3 p.m. PT on MLB Network.
Ohtani is a lock to win at designated hitter, as he led the National League in most offensive categories, all while hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases, authoring the first 50-50 season in baseball history. He also won American League Silver Slugger Awards with the Angels in 2021 and 2023.
Marcell Ozuna of Atlanta was the only other NL DH listed among the “finalists.”
Hernández hit .272/.339/.501 with a 134 wRC+ for the Dodgers and led the team with hits and home runs with runners in scoring position. He led all National League outfielders with 33 home runs and 99 RBI, the former representing his career high.
Hernández won a Silver Slugger Award in both 2020 and 2021 with the Blue Jays. If he wins one for this season, he’ll earn a $1 million bonus as part of his one-year contract with the Dodgers.
Other NL outfielders listed as finalists are rookies Jackson Chourio of the Brewers and Jackson Merrill of the Padres, plus San Diego’s Jurickson Profar, and the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki. Three of those five will take home Silver Slugger Awards.
Betts is a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, honored in 2016 and 2018-19 with the Red Sox, plus 2020 and 2022-23 with the Dodgers. Though he missed eight weeks with a broken left hand, Betts still finished 11th in the NL in fWAR (4.4) while hitting .289/.372/.491 with a 141 wRC+ with 19 home runs and 16 steals in 116 games.
Because Betts started 61 games at shortstop, 42 games in right field, and 12 more at second base, he falls into the utility category, a position added to the Silver Slugger Awards in 2022. Other NL utility “finalists” for Silver Slugger are batting title winner Luis Arráez of the Padres (109 wRC+), Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates (118 wRC+), and Jake Burger of the Marlins (106 wRC+).
Freeman has a tough task ahead at first base, facing off against Bryce Harper of the Phillies, who hit .285/.373/.525 with 30 home runs, 42 doubles and a 145 wRC+. Freeman hit .282/.378/.476 with a 137 wRC+, 22 home runs, and 35 doubles. Their numbers are very similar in games, plate appearances, hits, runs, RBI, walks, batting average, and on-base percentage. More homers and doubles give Harper an edge of 31 total bases and the higher slugging percentage among the pair.
Pete Alonso of the Mets is along for the ride as the other National League first baseman in the top three of Silver Slugger Award voting.
Freeman is a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, doing so from 2019-21 with Atlanta.
Smith had the worst offensive season of his career to date, but was still an above-average-hitting catcher, hitting .248/.327/.433 with a 111 wRC+. Smith was second among National League catchers in home runs (20), RBI (75), and runs scored (77) this season, behind William Contreras of the Brewers, the favorite to take home the Silver Slugger. Contreras hit .281/.365/.466 with 23 home runs, 92 RBI, and a 131 wRC+.
The other NL catcher in the top three of voting is J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies.
Should more than two of Ohtani, Hernández, Betts, Freeman, and Smith win, it would be the first time the Dodgers have had three or more Silver Slugger Awards in the same season.