Nov. 08--Chicago White Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson was one of the least surprised people to learn that shortstop Alexei Ramirez and rookie first baseman Jose Abreu each won American League Silver Slugger Awards for their offensive production.
"Going into the end of the season, the way I looked at it, I thought Alexei could win the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove (awards)," Steverson said during a conference call. "The season that Jose had, I know going up against guys like Miguel Cabrera and other first basemen in the American League put together a solid season. It's nice to see him recognized for that."
Steverson was impressed with the way that Abreu rebounded by skids that Steverson didn't call slumps.
"I call them periods of struggle," Steverson said. "He had one early in the year and he had one toward the middle of the year, for about 25-30 at-bats apiece. And everyone is going to go through their periods of trouble during the course of the season. But his consistency of boucing back and making adjustments is what impressed me the most.
"He's got a lot of self-confidence."
Ramirez batted .273 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs. Abreu, a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award, batted .317 with 36 home runs, 107 RBIs and a .581 slugging percentage.
