The Louisville Silver Slugger Award has been awarded to Mookie Betts

Mookie Betts, the outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been honored with the prestigious 2023 Louisville Silver Slugger Award for his outstanding performance in the outfield.

By: Angela Redding | Los Angeles, CA. | Hollywood Beat magazine | November 11, 2023
Photos: MLB Dodgers Media

^{Dodgers player Mookie Betts
Louisville Silver Slugger Award Winner}

At the age of 31, Betts has secured his sixth Louisville Silver Slugger award, with three of them being won as a member of the Dodgers. He now shares the record for most Silver Slugger awards in franchise history with Mike Piazza, who also won three or more awards from 1993-1997. Betts’ impressive achievement is a testament to his exceptional skills on the field.

A Remarkable Feat

In 2020, he achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the 20th player in franchise history to receive the award. Not only that, he joined an elite group of players in Major League Baseball history who have won multiple Silver Slugger awards in both leagues. Alongside Miguel Cabrera, Gary Sheffield, and Vladimir Guerrero Sr., he stands as one of the few players to have achieved this feat. Furthermore, he and Guerrero Sr. are the only players to have won the award three or more times in both leagues. Joining the ranks of legendary outfielders like Barry Bonds, Mike Trout, Manny Ramirez, Ken Griffey Jr., and others, he has won the award an impressive six or more times. In fact, he became the 22nd player in Major League Baseball history to achieve this remarkable milestone.

Betts Batting Average .307 (179-for-584)

Betts had an impressive fourth season with the Dodgers, appearing in 152 games. He had a batting average of .307 (179-for-584) and achieved a career-high of 39 home runs and 107 RBI. Betts made history as the first Dodger to have 40+ doubles and 35+ homers in consecutive seasons. As a seven-time All-Star, he not only led the Majors but also set a franchise record with 12 leadoff home runs. Interestingly, 10 of these homers occurred before the All-Star break, setting a new record in Major League history.

Broke the Dodgers’ Record for Hits and Runs

In August, Betts was on fire! He hit an incredible .455 with 51 hits out of 112 at-bats. Not only did he break the Dodgers’ record for hits and runs in a month, but he also joined an elite group of players in MLB history. Betts became one of only four Dodgers to hit over .450 in a month with at least 75 at-bats. He also joined the likes of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth as the only players to achieve a .450 average, 50+ hits, and 10+ home runs in a calendar month. Betts’ outstanding performance didn’t stop there. He finished among the top players in the National League in various categories, including hits, runs, home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, OBP, SLG, and OPS.

The Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award holds the distinction of being the most prestigious offensive accolade in Major League Baseball. The esteemed coaches and managers of MLB teams cast their votes to determine the top offensive performers at each position in both the American and National Leagues. Their choices are influenced by a variety of offensive statistics such as batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, along with their overall impression of a player’s offensive prowess. It’s worth noting that managers and coaches are prohibited from voting for players from their own team.