J.D. Martinez Becomes First Player To Win Silver Slugger At Two Positions In Same Season
BOSTON (CBS) -- In his first season in Boston, J.D. Martinez mashed no matter where he played for the Red Sox. Now he has two new trophies to add to his collection, and some MLB history to put on his resume.
Martinez became the first player to ever win the Silver Slugger Award at two positions in the same season, taking home the honors for best offensive player at both designated hitter and outfielder on Thursday night.
He spent most of his time as Boston's DH, hitting .297 with 27 homers and 79 RBIs to go with a .970 OPS in 93 games at the position. But Martinez didn't miss a beat at the plate when he played the field, hitting .384 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs and a 1.130 OPS in 57 games (32 in left field, 25 in right field).
Overall, Martinez led all of baseball with 130 RBIs and 358 total bases during the 2018 season, slashing .330/.402/.629 with 43 dingers and 37 doubles. The guy was an absolute monster in the heart of the order for a team that won 108 games in the regular season and then coasted to a Wold Series crown.
Because he saw most of his action at DH, Martinez was not a finalist for the American League MVP award. At least he is cleaning up elsewhere, winning the Hank Aaron Award last month as the AL's best offensive performer.
Martinez wasn't the only member of the Red Sox to win a Silver Slugger on Thursday night. Mookie Betts also took home the hardware as an outfielder, winning for the second time of his career. The MVP favorite led baseball with a .346 average and .640 slugging percentage, the first Red Sox player to accomplish that feat since Ted Williams in 1957. He also became the only player to ever win a batting title during a 30-30 season, hitting 32 homers while swiping 30 bases.
With Silver Sluggers in 2018 and 2016, Betts is now the seventh Red Sox player to win the award in multiple years, joining David Ortiz (7), Wade Boggs (6), Manny Ramirez (6), Xander Bogaerts (2), Dwight Evans (2), and Jim Rice (2).
Boston's three Silver Sluggers are tied with the Colorado Rockies for the most in 2018. This is the fourth time the Red Sox have featured three Silver Slugger winners in a single season, having also done so in 2005, 2011, and 2016.