Last week, David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox was named as the recipient of the 2013 Silver Slugger Award for the designated hitter position. It marked the sixth time in the past ten seasons that “Big Papi” has won the award, and the second time in the past three seasons. It extended his record for the most awards at that position, ahead of former players Paul Molitor and Edgar Martinez; his six awards also ties him with Red Sox legends Wade Boggs and Manny Ramirez for the most in team history.
Never was Big Papi’s offensive production more apparent and more valuable this season than in the Fall Classic, when he batted .688 (11-for-16) with two home runs, six RBI, seven runs scored, a .760 on-base percentage, and a 1.188 slugging percentage while making just five outs in six World Series games. He also tied a series record by reaching base in nine straight appearances, which helped him to easily walk away with the 2013 World Series MVP award.
The following is a breakdown of the six seasons that Ortiz has won the award:
| Year | Age | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 28 | .301 | .380 | .603 | 41 | 139 | 4.2 |
| 2005 | 29 | .300 | .397 | .604 | 47 | 148 | 5.3 |
| 2006 | 30 | .287 | .416 | .636 | 54 | 137 | 5.7 |
| 2007 | 31 | .332 | .445 | .621 | 35 | 117 | 6.4 |
| 2011 | 35 | .309 | .398 | .554 | 29 | 96 | 3.9 |
| 2013 | 37 | .309 | .395 | .564 | 30 | 103 | 4.4 |
According to Louisville Slugger, sponsors of the award: “Coaches and managers of Major League teams vote for the players they feel are the best offensive producers at each position in the field in both the American and National Leagues. They base their selections on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches’ and managers’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value.”