November 12, 2021

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won his first Silver Slugger award on Thursday.

The Montreal-born 22-year-old was named the recipient for American League first basemen when the winners were announced by Louisville Slugger and Major League Baseball last night.

Guerrero enjoyed a breakout season in 2021 that saw him top Canadian-born players in almost every offensive category. He tied for the American League lead in home runs (48) and was the outright league leader in on-base percentage (.401), slugging percentage (.601), on-base plus slugging percentage (1.002), runs (123) and total bases (363). On Tuesday, he was named the American League’s Hank Aaron Award winner, as the league’s top hitter.

Guerrero becomes the youngest first baseman ever to win a Silver Slugger Award and also the youngest Blue Jay to take home the honour.

Freddie Freeman, whose parents were born in Canada, was the named the winner among National League first basemen. He batted .300 with 31 home runs in 159 games for the Braves and also topped the Senior Circuit with 120 runs in 2021. This is Freeman’s third Silver Slugger Award.

Canadians Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) and Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) were finalists at the National League first base and outfield positions respectively.

On top of Guerrero Jr., two other Blue Jays Teoscar Hernandez (outfield) and Marcus Semien (second base) were also named 2021 Silver Slugger Award winners.

The Silver Slugger awards are designed to recognize the top offensive performers at each position in each league. The manager and three coaches from each big league squad vote for the awards.

For a complete list of 2021 Silver Slugger Award winners, click here.