The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball (MLB). These voters consider several offensive categories in selecting the winners, including batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage (OBP), in addition to "coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value." Managers and coaches are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. The Silver Slugger was first awarded in 1980 and is given by Hillerich & Bradsby, the manufacturer of Louisville Slugger bats. The award is a bat-shaped trophy, 3feet (91cm) tall, engraved with the names of each of the winners from the league and plated with sterling silver.
Among catchers, Mike Piazza has won the most Silver Slugger Awards, with ten consecutive wins in the National League between 1993 and 2002; this is the most Silver Sluggers won consecutively by any player in Major League Baseball. In the American League, Iván Rodríguez has won the most Silver Sluggers, with six consecutive wins from 1994 to 1999, and a seventh when he tied with Víctor Martínez in 2004. Lance Parrish won the American League award six times (1980, 1982–1984, 1986, and 1990), and Joe Mauer, Jorge Posada and Salvador Pérez have won it five times; Mauer won in 2006, 2008–2010 and 2013, Posada won in 2000–2003 and 2007, and Pérez won it in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2024. Hall of Famer Gary Carter (1981–1983, 1984–1986), Buster Posey (2012, 2014–2015, 2017, 2021), and Brian McCann (2006, 2008–2011) are five-time winners in the National League; McCann also won a sixth Silver Slugger in 2016, but in the American League. Other multiple awardees include Benito Santiago (four wins; 1987–1988, 1990–1991), J. T. Realmuto (three wins; 2018–2019, 2022), Mickey Tettleton (three wins; 1989, 1991–1992) and Carlton Fisk (three wins; 1981, 1985, 1988). Hunter Goodman and Cal Raleigh are the most recent National and American League winners, respectively.
Piazza holds several Major League records for catchers in a Silver Slugger-winning season; most were set in 1997. That season, he had an on-base percentage of .431, and had 124 runs batted in (a total he matched in 1999) to lead the award-winning catchers in those statistical categories. Cal Raleigh holds the Major League record among winners for home runs (60) and runs batted in (125), which he both set in 2025. Perez holds the American League record for slugging percentage (.633), set in 2020. Javy López holds the Major League record among winners for slugging percentage (.687); these were set in 2003. López also leads National League winners in home runs with 43 in 2003. Mauer holds the Major League record in batting average with a .365 clip he set in 2009. Mauer also leads the American League in on-base percentage (.444 in 2009).
Key Year Links to the corresponding Major League Baseball season AVG Batting average OBP On-base percentage SLG Slugging percentage HR Home runs RBI Runs batted in Ref References * Winner of the most Silver Sluggers in Major League Baseball as a catcher § Indicates a tie between two players in a particular season † Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
American League winners
YearPlayerTeamAVGOBPSLGHRRBI Ref Detroit Tigers.286.325.4992482 †Chicago White Sox.263.354.361745 (2)Detroit Tigers.284.338.5293287 (3)Detroit Tigers.269.314.48327114 (4)Detroit Tigers.237.287.4433398 † (2)Chicago White Sox.238.320.48837107 (5)Detroit Tigers.257.340.4832262 Detroit Tigers.289.345.5363287 † (3)Chicago White Sox.277.377.5421950 Baltimore Orioles.258.369.5092665 (6)California Angels.268.338.4512470 (2)Detroit Tigers.263.387.4913189 (3)Detroit Tigers.238.379.4693283 New York Yankees.305.389.5342684 †Texas Rangers.298.360.4881657 † (2)Texas Rangers.303.327.4491267 † (3)Texas Rangers.300.342.4731986 † (4)Texas Rangers.313.360.4842077 † (5)Texas Rangers.321.358.5132191 † (6)Texas Rangers.332.356.55835113 New York Yankees.287.417.5272886 (2)New York Yankees.277.363.4752295 (3)New York Yankees.268.370.4682099 (4)New York Yankees.281.405.51830101 §Cleveland Indians.283.359.49223108 §† (7)Detroit Tigers.334.383.5101986 Boston Red Sox.281.366.4892270 †Minnesota Twins.347.429.5071384 (5)New York Yankees.338.426.5432090 † (2)Minnesota Twins.328.413.451985 † (3)Minnesota Twins.365.444.5872896 † (4)Minnesota Twins.327.402.469975 Detroit Tigers .295 .389 .506 19 82 Chicago White Sox .278 .326 .501 27 77 † (5) Minnesota Twins .324 .404 .476 11 47 Cleveland Indians .278 .313 .472 21 74 (6) New York Yankees .232 .320 .427 26 94 Kansas City Royals .247 .288 .438 22 64 New York Yankees .278 .345 .531 33 90 (2) Kansas City Royals .235 .274 .439 27 80 Minnesota Twins .273 .365 .630 31 67 (3) Kansas City Royals .333 .353 .633 11 32 (4) Kansas City Royals .273 .316 .544 48 121 Toronto Blue Jays .285 .372 .415 14 63 Baltimore Orioles .277 .374 .435 20 80 (5) Kansas City Royals .271 .330 .456 27 104 Seattle Mariners .247 .359 .589 60 125
National League winners
YearPlayerTeamAVGOBPSLGHRRBI Ref †St. Louis Cardinals.303.375.5052198 †Montreal Expos.251.313.4441668 † (2)Montreal Expos.293.381.5102997 San Diego Padres.284.342.4341798 † (3)Montreal Expos.294.366.48727106 † (4)New York Mets.281.365.48832100 † (5)New York Mets.255.337.43924105 San Diego Padres.300.324.4671879 (2)San Diego Padres.248.282.3621046 †Houston Astros.257.336.4021360 (3)San Diego Padres.270.323.4191153 (4)San Diego Padres.267.296.4031787 Philadelphia Phillies.270.385.52427109 *†Los Angeles Dodgers.318.370.56135112 *† (2)Los Angeles Dodgers.319.370.5412492 *† (3)Los Angeles Dodgers.346.400.6063293 *† (4)Los Angeles Dodgers.336.422.56336105 *† (5)Los Angeles Dodgers.362.431.63840124 *† (6)Los Angeles DodgersFlorida MarlinsNew York Mets.328.390.57032111 *† (7)New York Mets.303.361.57540124 *† (8)New York Mets.324.398.61438113 *† (9)New York Mets.300.384.5733694 *† (10)New York Mets.280.359.5443398 Atlanta Braves.328.378.68743109 Atlanta Braves.314.378.450976 Chicago Cubs.276.345.4791661 Atlanta Braves.333.388.5722493 Los Angeles Dodgers.293.374.4691987 (2)Atlanta Braves.301.373.5232387 (3)Atlanta Braves.281.349.4862194 (4)Atlanta Braves.269.375.4532177 (5) Atlanta Braves .270 .351 .466 24 71 San Francisco Giants .336 .408 .549 24 103 St. Louis Cardinals .319 .359 .477 12 80 (2) San Francisco Giants .311 .364 .490 22 89 (3) San Francisco Giants .318 .379 .470 19 95 Washington Nationals .307 .354 .496 22 80 (4) San Francisco Giants .320 .400 .462 12 67 Miami Marlins .277 .340 .484 21 74 (2) Philadelphia Phillies .275 .328 .493 25 83 Atlanta Braves .321 .386 .533 9 34 (5) San Francisco Giants .304 .390 .499 18 56 (3) Philadelphia Phillies .276 .342 .478 22 84 Milwaukee Brewers .289 .367 .457 17 78 (2) Milwaukee Brewers .281 .365 .466 23 92 Colorado Rockies .278 .323 .520 31 91
References
Inline citations
External links Louisville Slugger - The Silver Slugger Award