The baseball season has officially come to an end as the Texas Rangers win their first World Series title in franchise history against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which means it’s time for award season. MLB announced Silver Slugger Award finalists on Thursday, and Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras was rightfully selected as a finalist at catcher.
Brewers Catcher a Silver Slugger Finalist
The Silver Slugger Award is presented each year to the best offensive player in each league at each position. Contreras was the only Brewers player selected for this honor.
Contreras had an electric first season with the crew, posting an .828 OPS with 17 homers in 141 games, starting in 137. When the crew acquired Contreras as part of a three-team deal in December of last year, it didn’t really look too promising, but the Brewers were trying to look for an upgrade at catcher.
Looking at things from a statistics perspective, Contreras really wasn’t expected to bring a lot of value behind the plate, but his bat had a lot of power for a Brewers lineup that really needed a boost.
However, upon coming to Milwaukee, Contreras proved all doubters wrong. He brings a true power to the plate each and every time, and has been able to make himself one of the best offensive producers in the lineup, and it’s also boosted him in the top offensive catchers in all of baseball. He ended up with 156 hits, 38 doubles, 56 XBH, and 247 total bases.
Additionally, he finished second in RBIs at 78, and third with 17 home runs across the team. He ended his season with a career-high 18-game hitting streak and was able to reach base safely in 38 of his last 39 games.
William Contreras was also voted unanimously by the team as their MVP and Top Newcomer, respectively.
This is the first time that Contreras has been selected as a finalist for this offensive award in his career.
The Silver Slugger Award winners will be announced on MLB Network on Thursday, Nov. 9 starting at 6PM ET.
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