The 2023 Louisville Silver Slugger Award finalists were announced by Major League Baseball on Thursday morning. The Silver Slugger award has been awarded annually to the best offensive player at their position in their respective league. Previous Philadelphia Phillies winners include Mike Schmidt, Juan Samuel, Lenny Dykstra, Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins. The most recent winners currently active with the club include Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner. Castellanos’ Silver Award was for his 2021 season with Cincinnati while Turner’s was for his 2022 season with LA.
Here’s a look at the four Phillies who were announced as 2023 Louisville Silver Slugger Awards finalists.
C J.T. Realmuto
J.T. Realmuto has won the award two-times in the past four seasons (2019, 2022) but struggled offensively at times in 2023. He ended with a .252 AVG, 20 HR, 63 RBI, and a .762 OPS in 2023. He faces stiff competition from Milwaukee’s William Contreras, Atlanta’s Sean Murphy, and LA’s Will Smith. Smith might be gettin’ jiggy with it in the end, the Dodgers’ backstop had the most consistent season of the finalists.
SS Trea Turner
Trea Turner is the defending Louisville Silver Slugger winner at shortstop, however his path to reclaiming the award is a tough one. Turner famously struggled to begin the 2023 MLB regular season before turning it around after the Phillies fans gave him a standing ovation in early August. He clubbed 26 home runs for the Phillies with a .778 OPS in 2023. Turner faces tough competition from San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts, New York’s Fransisco Lindor, and Chicago’s Dansby Swanson. Lindor’s stats proved to be the best overall, however that’s not always what wins the award.
OF Kyle Schwarber
Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. is on the list. Competition closed.
DH Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper is looking for his third ever Louisville Silver Slugger award but faces tough competition and will likely be hampered by missing six-weeks of the 2023 MLB regular season. In the end, Harper hit 21 homers and slugged .499 with a .900 OPS but it’ll likely be too tough to overcome the injury time. The other finalists include LA’s J.D. Martinez, Atlanta’s Marcel Ozuna, and Miami’s Jorge Soler. Soler likely has the inside track hitting 36 homers and slugging .512 for the Marlins.
