Blue Jays: Six players named finalists for 2022 Silver Slugger Award

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Yesterday, the Toronto Blue Jays announced via their Twitter page that six players had been named finalists for the 2022 Silver Slugger Award.

This year, there are four finalists named to the award for each infield position (with a catching outlier) within the division, meaning the Jays nominated infielders have a 25% chance of taking home the hardware. The outfield position is a bit different, in that there are ten finalists with just three winners and it isn’t awarded per position, so it’s a bit of a tougher pool to win hardware in. Additionally, the catcher’s pool has six nominees.

Each team gets four votes for each position, with the manager and three coaches on the squad getting the honours of naming the top offensive player at each position.

That being said, let’s take a look at the Blue Jays’ nominees.

Alejandro Kirk – Catcher

Suiting up in a career-high 139 games this season, Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk receives his first Silver Slugger nomination after putting forth a really strong campaign.

While his name was dangled in trade rumours this past offseason, the Mexican-born catcher was one of the top players in the Jays’ lineup this season, slotting in as the catcher and DH. He authored a .285/.372/.415 slash line with 14 home runs and 63 RBI to the tune of a .786 OPS and a 129 wRC+.

Compared to other AL catchers, he owns the highest batting average and on-base percentage while sitting second in numerous other categories such as BABIP (.299), wOBA (.347), and wRC+.

Named to his first All-Star game this year, Kirk is a strong contender for the award with his 3.8 fWAR this year but is in a tough crop of players that also features an additional three names in the ballots.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 05: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats against the Baltimore Orioles during game one of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on October 05, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – First Base

Guerrero Jr. finds himself nominated again for the Silver Slugger Award, winning one last year during his MVP worth 2021 campaign.

This season, the Montreal-born first baseman took a step back compared to last year but still put forward a strong campaign, posting a .818 OPS with 32 home runs and 97 RBI. He led the Blue Jays in both home runs, RBI, and OPS+ (132) and suited up in 160 games this season.

No surprise here 💥

Another #SilverSlugger nomination for Vladdy! pic.twitter.com/nsrRZc2sRI
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 27, 2022

Amongst other AL first basemen, Guerrero Jr. does not lead any of the offence-related categories but does sit within the top five of most of them, most notably sitting second in slugging (.480) and fourth in wRC+ (132).

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 03: Bo Bichette #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on October 03, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Bo Bichette – Shortstop

After a somewhat slow start to the year, Bo Bichette found a rhythm midway through the season and really turned on the jets in September, hitting a .403 batting average with seven home runs (including a three-home run day) and breaking a franchise record for most hits within a calendar month with 48.

Bichette finishes the season with .290/.333/.469 slash line and 24 home runs with a .802 OPS. His 189 hits on the year lead the AL and he finishes second on the team in terms of batting average and RBI.

Bo Bichette going for first Silver Slugger Award

Competing for his first Silver Slugger Award, leading the league in hits will definitely carry some weight but he also sits third in fWAR (4.5), wRC+ (129), and wOBA (.347). The competition will be tough against Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa but hopefully leading the league in his is an added bonus.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 05: Matt Chapman #26 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats against the Baltimore Orioles during game two of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on October 05, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Matt Chapman – Third Base

In his first season with the Blue Jays, Matt Chapman proved that he was not only a good defender but can hit the ball hard as well.

Through 538 at-bats, Chapman authored a 115 OPS+ and finished second on the team with 27 home runs. While his .229 batting average isn’t the highest on the squad or in the AL, his 68 walks led the Blue Jays and helped increase his OBP (.324).

Chapman is in tough to win the Silver Slugger this year, which would be the first one of his career. He sits fourth in fWAR (4.1) and home runs, seventh in wRC+ (117), and ninth in OBP, competing against the likes of José Ramírez, Alex Bregman, and Rafael Devers for the honours.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 05: Teoscar Hernandez #37 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats against the Baltimore Orioles during game two of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on October 05, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Teoscar Hernández – Outfield

Trying to add a third consecutive Silver Slugger Award this season is Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who authored a .267/.316/.491 slash line while adding 25 home runs and 77 RBI on the year to go along with a .807 OPS.

His biggest moment of the season was his two home run game in the second game of the AL Wild Card and the Dominican-born outfielder led the team in slugging while finishing third in home runs RBI, and OPS+ (127).

Six players from the Toronto Blue Jays were named finalists for the 2022 AL Silver Slugger Awards yesterday by Major League Baseball.

In a very stacked outfield class that includes MVP candidate Aaron Judge amongst other impressive names like Mike Trout, Julio Rodríguez, and teammate George Springer. He sits 14th in fWAR (2.4) but makes up for it in wRC+ (129) where he sits seventh and in slugging where he ranks fifth.

TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 30: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays is safe at third on a passed ball by Reese McGuire #3 of the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Rogers Centre on September 30, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

George Springer – Outfield/Designated Hitter

Fitting in two Silver Slugger categories this year is George Springer, who split his time between both positions due to a nagging elbow injury that also saw him sit on the IL towards the middle of August, with the Blue Jays All-Star having recent surgery to remove bone spurs.

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This year, Springer slashed .267/.342/.472 while ranking second on the Blue Jays in terms of OPS and OPS+ with a .814 and 131 respectively. He also added 25 home runs and 76 RBI and when Springer was out of the lineup, it was noticeable on the Jays roster, as he was a key member both offensively and defensively for this squad.

Next. Comparing Bo Bichette’s offense against other shortstop legends. dark

Springer will be battling for his third Silver Slugger Award this year but will be in for a challenge in both categories he is nominated in, as the competition is rough in the outfield category (as I already mentioned) and the DH position does not get any easier with Yordan Álvarez, Giancarlo Stanton, Adolis García, and Shohei Ohtani also being named finalists.

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