White Sox left fielder Eloy Jimenez and shortstop Tim Anderson won their first Silver Slugger Awards Thursday, and first baseman Jose Abreu claimed his third honor, given to the best hitting player at his position in each league.
The three Sox recipients are a franchise-record, breaking the mark of two set on four other occasions (last 2014). The Sox are the first AL team with three Silver Slugger winners since Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and David Ortiz won with the Red Sox in 2016.
Abreu, 33, batted .317/.370/.617 with 15 doubles, 19 home runs and 60 RBI in 60 games this season. He also won in 2014 and 2018, tying Carlton Fisk for the second-highest total in Sox history behind Frank Thomas (four).
“I am very happy to win the Silver Slugger Award, but I am happier of winning it this year along with Tim Anderson and Eloy Jiménez,” Abreu said in a statement. “I am happier for them because I’ve seen them grow and develop. I feel like a proud father. This means a lot for me and for the future of the Chicago White Sox. I want to thank God, my family, teammates, coaches and everyone who has helped me and supported me”.
Abreu, who built a strong case for the AL Most Valuable Player Award that will be announced next Thursday, adds the Silver Slugger to his Sporting News Player of the Year award. He is also a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award.
Anderson, 27, batted .322/.357/.529 with 10 home runs and 45 runs scored over 49 games. The Sox’ leadoff hitter who won a batting title in 2019 joins Alexei Ramirez as the only Sox shortstops to win.
“It’s such a great honor to win the 2020 Silver Slugger award,” Anderson said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity each day to go out on the field and give it my all. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Jimenez won his in his second season. The 23-year-old is the youngest player in franchise history to win the award and the second Dominican-born player, joining Julio Franco in 1994. Jimenez batted .296/.332/.559 with 14 doubles, 14 home runs and 41 RBI.
“This is a reward for all the work and all the sacrifices I have made,” Jiménez said. “I feel very proud with the work and performance I showed on the field this year,” said Jiménez. “I know this is just the first one of many to come, with God’s blessing. I will keep working hard to get more awards and recognition, and with that hopefully more team accomplishments will follow.”
