Braves' Ronald Acuña, Ozzie Albies and Freddie Freeman Earn 2019 NL Silver Slugger Honors
By Sam Dunn
The Atlanta Braves didn't get the playoff run they were hoping for, falling to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games in the NL Division Series. But that shouldn't take away from a successful regular season that saw them win a second straight division title-- or the big bats that helped lead the way.
For their exploits, Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Ozzie Albies have all been awarded National League Silver Slugger awards for 2019.
Braves' Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies both join Acuña as first-time Silver Slugger Award winners. Wow. #Braves win 3 of the NL awards. Freeman beat out Pete Alonso and Josh Bell among NL 1B, one day after he won Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award for all MLB 1B.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 7, 2019
Fascinatingly enough, it's not just the first such honor Albies and Acuña have earned-- it's Freeman's first as well, as improbable as that may sound.
Freeman finished just behind Anthony Rendon on the MLB RBI charts this season with 121, just the second time he's drive in 100 runs in a season. Acuña put up brilliant numbers himself, flirting with 40-40 to the tune of 41 homers and 37 steals. Albies, following up his All-Star campaign a year ago, kept it rolling with an .852 OPS and 43 doubles, the third-best mark in the NL.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is 21 years old and just won a Silver Slugger award.
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) November 7, 2019
Here are the other outfielders to win a Silver Slugger at 21 or younger:
Mike Trout
Ken Griffey Jr.
The Braves have work to do in the offseason to round out their roster and get ready for another division title defense in 2020, but in the meantime, one thing is clear: this team's offensive core is as strong as any in the National League, and they're not leaving town anytime soon.