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Awards = HOF? Part Five: The Silver Slugger (Catcher) (MLB)

Awards = HOF?  Part Five: The Silver Slugger (Catcher) (MLB)
04 Dec
2015
Not in Hall of Fame
We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least amount of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.

Up next, we are going to take a look at a relatively new award, the Silver Slugger, which is awarded to best offensive player at each position and is voted on by managers and coaches in each Major League Baseball team.

Keep in mind that this award, which has become quite a big deal, is still relatively new, only came into existence in 1980.

Buckle in; this is going to take a while!

Let’s start with the ass end of the battery, the Catcher.



The following are the past MLB players who have won the Silver Slugger at the Catcher position who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have been enshrined.



Carlton Fisk, Chicago White Sox (1981)

7 HR, 45 RBI, .263/.354/.361 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

Gary Carter, Montreal Expos (1981)

16 HR, 68 RBI, .251/.313/.444 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Gary Carter, Montreal Expos (1982)

29 HR, 97 RBI, .293/.381/.510 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Gary Carter, Montreal Expos (1984)

27 HR, 106 RBI, .294/.366/.487 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Carlton Fisk, Chicago White Sox (1985)

37 HR, 107 RBI, .238/.320/.488 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

Gary Carter, Montreal Expos (1985)

32 HR, 100 RBI, .261/.365/.488 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Gary Carter, Montreal Expos (1986)

24 HR, 105 RBI, .255/.337/.439 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Carlton Fisk, Chicago White Sox (1988)

19 HR, 50 RBI, .277/.377/.542 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

Craig Biggio, Houston Astros (1989)

13 HR, 60 RBI, .257/.336/.402 Slash Line.  Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.



Only three?  That isn’t very many is it?



What about those who didn’t make it?

The following are the players who have won the Silver Slugger at the Catcher position who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have not been selected:



Lance Parrish, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1980)

24 HR, 82 RBI, .286/.325/.499 Slash Line.  Received 1.7% of the Vote in 2001. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Ted Simmons, St. Louis Cardinals (NL: 1980)

21 HR, 98 RBI, .303/.375/505 Slash Line.  Received 3.7% of the Vote in 1994  Ranked #17 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Lance Parrish, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1982)

32 HR, 87 RBI, .284/.338/.529 Slash Line.  Received 1.7% of the Vote in 2001. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Lance Parrish, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1983)

27 HR, 114 RBI, .269/.314/.483 Slash Line.  Received 1.7% of the Vote in 2001. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Terry Kennedy, San Diego Padres (NL: 1983)

17 HR, 98 RBI, .284/.342/.434 Slash Line.  Received 0.2% of the Vote in 1997.  Unranked on Notinahlloffame.com.

Lance Parrish, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1984)

33 HR, 98 RBI, .237/.287/.443 Slash Line.  Received 1.7% of the Vote in 2001. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Lance Parrish, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1986)

22 HR, 62 RBI, .257/.340/.483 Slash Line.  Received 1.7% of the Vote in 2001. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Matt Nokes, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1987)

32 HR, 87 RBI, .289/.345/.536 Slash Line.  He was never on the ballot despite being eligible in 2001.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Benito Santiago, San Diego Padres (NL: 1987)

18 HR, 79 RBI, .300/.324/.467 Slash Line.  Received 0.2% of the vote in 2011.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Benito Santiago, San Diego Padres (NL: 1988)

10 HR, 46 RBI, .248/.282/.362 Slash Line.  Received 0.2% of the vote in 2011.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mickey Tettleton, Baltimore Orioles (AL: 1989)

26 HR, 65 RBI, .258/.369/.509 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot in 2003 but did not receive a vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Lance Parrish, California Angels (AL: 1990)

24 HR, 70 RBI, .268/.338/.451 Slash Line.  Received 1.7% of the Vote in 2001. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Benito Santiago, San Diego Padres (NL: 1990)

11 HR, 53 RBI, .270/.323/.419 Slash Line.  Received 0.2% of the vote in 2011.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mickey Tettleton, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1991)

31 HR, 89 RBI, .263/.387/.491 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot in 2003 but did not receive a vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Benito Santiago, San Diego Padres (NL: 1991)

17 HR, 87 RBI, .267/.296/.403 Slash Line.  Received 0.2% of the vote in 2011.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mickey Tettleton, Detroit Tigers (AL: 1992)

32 HR, 83 RBI, .238/.379/.469 Slash Line.  He was on the ballot in 2003 but did not receive a vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Darren Daulton, Philadelphia Phillies (NL: 1992)

27 HR, 109 RBI, .270/.379/.524.  Received 0.2% of the vote in 2003.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Stanley, New York Yankees (AL: 1993)

26 HR, 84 RBI, .305/.389/.534 Slash Line.  He was never on the ballot despite being eligible in 2006.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL: 1993)

35 HR, 112 RBI, .318/.370/.561.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL: 1994)

24 HR, 92 RBI, .319/.370/.541.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL: 1995)

32 HR, 93 RBI, .346/.400/.606.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL: 1996)

36 HR, 105 RBI, .336/.422/.563.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL: 1997)

40 HR, 124 RBI, .362/.431/.638.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Dodgers/Florida Marlins/New York Mets (NL: 1998)

32 HR, 111 RBI, .328/.390/.570.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, New York Mets (NL: 1999)

40 HR, 124 RBI, .303/.361/.575.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, New York Mets (NL: 2000)

38 HR, 113 RBI, .324/.398/.614.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, New York Mets (NL: 2001)

36 HR, 94 RBI, .300/.384/.573.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Mike Piazza, New York Mets (NL: 2002)

33 HR, 98 RBI, .280/.359/.544.  He has been on the ballot for three years and received 69.9% of the ballot last year.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Javy Lopez, Atlanta Braves (NL: 2003)

43 HR, 109 RBI, .328/.378/.687 Slash Line.  Received 0.2% of the ballot in 2012.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Johnny Estrada, Atlanta Braves (NL: 2004)

9 HR, 76 RBI, .314/.378/.450 Slash Line.  He was only in the Majors for eight years and was never on the ballot.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com

Michael Barrett, Chicago Cubs (NL: 2005)

15 HR, 61 RBI, .276/.345/479 Slash Line.  He was never on the ballot despite being eligible in 2015.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com



It is expected that Mike Piazza, the man who has won the most Silver Sluggers for a Catcher, who is entering his fourth year on the ballot will get in this year, and had there not been PED suspicion around him, would have been inducted already.

The fact that Ted Simmons did not even make five percent is a joke.

Lance Parrish would also win three Gold Gloves (we’ll get to that later, but his low On Base Percentage, high Strikeout ratio lowers his overall bWAR to 39.6, which while still very good, is just that…very good and not Hall of fame caliber.

Four time All Star, Terry Kennedy, was a good player, but was probably lucky to get the miniscule tally he did get for the Hall.

Another four time All Star, Benito Santiago (and also known for being a Padre) received the same percentage of the vote as Kennedy, and while he was one of the better Catchers for some time, he was not a huge threat for HOF contention.

Javy Lopez was another very good Catcher, but the three time All Star has a bWAR just 30 though has a World Series ring with the Brave to console him.

Matt Nokes’ Silver Slugger season was never close to being duplicated again.

Mickey Tettleton had good offensive production but was largely one-dimensional. 

Darren Daulton was a good player, but not Hall of Fame caliber.

Mike Stanley was a good player but even if he made the ballot, gaining a vote would have been difficult. 

Johnny Estrada fell off the face of the baseball earth almost as quickly as he arrived and Michael Barrett was correctly left off of the ballot

Let’s update our tally shall we?



Award in Question

Percentage of recipients who have entered the HOF

Percentage of recipients by year who have entered the HOF.

NBA MVP

100 %

100 %

NHL Norris

90.5 %

96.4 %

NHL Lady Byng

63.8%

76.0 %

NFL Super Bowl MVP

60.6%

64.9 %

MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Catcher)

20.0%

22.5 %

MLB (NL/AL) Rookie of the Year

13.3%

13.3 %



The eventual induction of Mike Piazza should propel the Percentage by Year much higher, but overall, Silver Slugger Awards for Catchers do not appear to be much help for Hall of Fame possibility.

So who is up next?



The following are the players who have won the Silver Slugger at the Catcher position who have retired but have not met the mandatory years out of the game to qualify:



Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 1994)

16 HR, 57 RBI, .298/.360/.488 Slash Line.  Rodriguez will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 1995)

12 HR, 67 RBI, .303/.327/.449 Slash Line.  Rodriguez will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 1996)

19 HR, 86 RBI, .300/.342/.473 Slash Line.  Rodriguez will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 1997)

20 HR, 77 RBI, .313/.360/.484 Slash Line.  Rodriguez will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 1998)

21 HR, 91 RBI, .321/.358/.513 Slash Line.  Rodriguez will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ivan Rodriguez, Texas Rangers (AL: 1999)

35 HR, 113 RBI, .332/.356/.558 Slash Line.  Rodriguez will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Jorge Posada, New York Yankees (AL: 2000)

28 HR, 86 RBI, .287/.417/.527 Slash Line.  Posada will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Jorge Posada, New York Yankees (AL: 2001)

22 HR, 95 RBI, .277/.363/.475 Slash Line.  Posada will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Jorge Posada, New York Yankees (AL: 2002)

20 HR, 99 RBI, .268/.370/.468 Slash Line.  Posada will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Jorge Posada, New York Yankees (AL: 2003)

30 HR, 101 RBI, .281/.405/.518 Slash Line.  Posada will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers (AL: Co-Winner 2004)

19 HR, 86 RBI, .334/.383/.510 Slash Line.  Rodriguez will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Jason Varitek, Boston Red Sox (AL: 2005)

22 HR, 70 RBI, .281/.366/.489 Slash Line.  Varitek will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Jorge Posada, New York Yankees (AL: 2007)

20 HR, 90 RBI, .338/.426/.543 Slash Line.  Posada will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017.



“Pudge” has the Hall of Fame numbers, but has the dark PED cloud over his head, which could inhibit an induction. 

Statistically speaking, Jorge Posada is not on the same level as Rodriguez, but does have the four World Series rings in Yankee pinstripes.  That never hurts, though we do not think he will make it.

Jason Varitek had a good career but won’t get in either.  He does have two World Series Rings to console him though. 

Perhaps we have a one out of three situation here?



The following are the players who have won the Silver Slugger in the Catching position who are still active baseball players:



Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians (AL: Co-Winner 2004)

23 HR, 108 RBI, .283/.359/.492 Slash Line.  Currently with the Detroit Tigers, 36 Years Old.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL: 2006)

13 HR, 84 RBI, .347/.429/.507 Slash LIne  Currently with the Minnesota Twins, 32 Years Old.

Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves (NL: 2006)

24 HR, 93 RBI, .333/.388/.572 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees, 31 Years Old.

Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL: 2007)

19 HR, 87 RBI, .293/.374/.469 Slash Line.  Currently with the Toronto Blue Jays.  32 Years Old.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL: 2008)

9 HR, 85 RBI, .328/.413/.451 Slash Line.  Currently with the Minnesota Twins, 32 Years Old.

Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves (NL: 2008)

23 HR, 87 RBI, .301/.373/.523 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees, 31 Years Old.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL: 2009)

28 HR, 96 RBI, .365/.444/.587 Slash Line  Currently with the Minnesota Twins, 32 Years Old.

Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves (NL: 2009)

21 HR, 94 RBI, .281/.349/.486 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees, 31 Years Old.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL: 2010)

9 HR, 75 RBI, .327/.402/.469 Slash Line  Currently with the Minnesota Twins, 32 Years Old.

Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves (NL: 2010)

21 HR, 77 RBI, .269/.375/.453 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees, 31 Years Old.

Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers (AL: 2011)

19 HR, 82 RBI, .295/.389/.506 Slash Line.  Currently with the Detroit Tigers, 28 Years Old.

Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves (NL: 2011)

24 HR, 71 RBI, .250/.351/.466 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees, 31 Years Old.

A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox (AL: 2012)

27 HR, 77 RBI, .278/.326/.501 Slash Line.  Currently with the Atlanta Braves, 38 Years Old.

Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants (NL: 2012)

24 HR, 103 RBI, .336/.408/.549 Slash Line.  Currently with the San Francisco Giants.  28 Years Old.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (AL: 2013)

11 HR, 47 RBI, .324/.404/.476 Slash Line  Currently with the Minnesota Twins, 32 Years Old.

Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants (NL: 2013)

15 HR, 72 RBI, .294/.371/.450 Slash Line.  Currently with the San Francisco Giants.  28 Years Old.

Jan Gomes, Cleveland Indians (AL: 2014)

21 HR, 74 RBI, .278/.313/.472 Slash Line.  Currently with the Cleveland Indians, 27 Years Old.

Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (NL: 2014)

12 HR, 80 RBI, .319/359/.477 Slash Line.  Currently with the St. Louis Cardinals.  33 Years Old.

Brian McCann, New York Yankees (AL: 2015)

26 HR, 94 RBI, .232/.320/.437 Slash Line.  Currently with the New York Yankees, 31 Years Old.

Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants (NL: 2015)

19 HR, 95 RBI, .318/.379/.470 Slash Line.  Currently with the San Francisco Giants.  28 Years Old.





Out of the above, the Catcher who has the best shot without question is Buster Posey, who is already closing in on 30.0 bWAR, has an MVP a Batting Title and three World Series Rings under his belt.

Joe Mauer may have a better shot with his three batting titles, but stat accumulation can certainly put him over the top, As he isn't quite there yet.


Victor Martinez is a six time all star and former OBP champion, but his 32.5 career bWAR (which is dropping as a DH now) won’t get him to Cooperstown.

Brian McCann may have gone to seven all star games, but he is a lot of work to do to get to a career stat line (both traditional and sabremetric) that will get him to the discussion. 

While Russell Martin is a four time All Star, he has a bWAR of 33.3, which while good, isn’t putting him on the Cooperstown trajectory that he needs to be on.  He needs a monster season to put him in the conversation, though he is a lock for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame!

Yadier Molina has had a very god career this far but there is some statistical accumulation to move the needle for his candidacy.

A.J. Pierzynski won’t get there either, but he is undoubtedly one of the most known Cacthers of his time…and polarizing for sure!

Alex Avila doesn’t have a real shot.  His Silver Slugger season was the only one to date of his seven year career where he hat over 100 Hits.

Jan Gomes is unlikely to make a significant run statistically to warrant consideration at any time.



With the players who are coming up soon, we do not expect anything other than a mild increase, though with the young age of the award, it should move in that direction as more players become Hall of Fame eligible. 

It is also very interesting to note that multiple wins at this award has not done very much to increase Hall chances.



So what’s up next? 

Lather, rinse and repeat, as we are going to look at the same award, but this time for First Base, where the power numbers are certainly going to increase but will that mean increased Hall chances?

Look for that soon, and as always thank you for your support!

Last modified on Monday, 21 November 2016 18:38
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Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .

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