Crawford, Posey, Bumgarner Win Silver Slugger Awards
by Russell Preston, KHTK Sacramento
San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, shortstop Brandon Crawford and catcher Buster Posey brought home some hardware Thursday, as they were all awarded Silver Slugger honors for their respective positions in the National League.
The Silver Slugger, opposite of the Gold Glove, is given to the best offensive player for each position in each league.
Bumgarner had a very impressive year offensively, improving from his four home runs he hit the year before. With his second straight Silver Slugger, Bumgarner proved he is a threat in the batter's box. He smashed five home runs in just 77 at-bats with nine RBI and a .247 batting average.
Bumgarner was so much of a threat, he was sometimes used as a pinch hitter over positional players on the bench. This is the second straight year he finished with an offensive WAR over 1.0.
Posey, who was snubbed for a Gold Glove yet again by St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, easily earned the trophy - his third of his career. With a 19 home run, 95 RBI, .318 batting average performance, no other catcher in the NL could keep up with him offensively.
As for the other Giant, the awards keep piling up for Crawford after a breakout season offensively.
After winning his first Gold Glove award earlier in the week, Crawford received his first Silver Slugger award. Now that the positional award have been dealt, Crawford stands alone as the top offensive and defensive shortstop in the NL - quite the accomplishment. No Giant has done that since Barry Bonds won both awards for an NL outfielder in 1997.
Crawford hit career-highs in home runs (21), RBI (84), BA (.256), doubles (33), hits (130) and stolen bases (6) in 2015. His first selection to the All-Star game in July was also a highlighted accomplishment.
