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Andrés Giménez and José Ramírez Silver Slugger finalists for Guardians

By Kevin Devine |
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 07: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after hitting a two RBI home run in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during game one of the Wild Card Series at Progressive Field on October 07, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 07: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after hitting a two RBI home run in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during game one of the Wild Card Series at Progressive Field on October 07, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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The 2022 Cleveland Guardians played a unique style of offense, putting the ball in play, stringing hits together and not relying on the home run. Despite having the sixth-most hits in MLB, they finished the season right in the middle of the pack with 698 runs, which ranked 15th in the league, ahead of just the Rays among teams that made the postseason. However, Cleveland ranked 29th in MLB with just 127 home runs. The only team that hit less was the Tigers with 110.

While slugging was not their M.O. this season, they do have two finalists for the 2022 Silver Slugger Awards. The Silver Slugger recognizes the top offensive player at each position in each league. There are four finalists announced for each position, which will be voted on by three coaches and the manager from each team in the league, with the winners being announced on November 10.

Let’s take a look at Cleveland’s two finalists for the 2022 season and their competition in the ongoing voting.

Second Baseman Andrés Giménez Nominated for First Time

The first of Cleveland’s two finalists is second baseman Andrés Giménez. The 24-year-old just completed his first full major-league season after playing 49 games with the Mets in 2020 before being traded to the Guardians as part of the deal that sent Francisco Lindor to New York. Last season, Giménez played in 68 games, but hit just .218. This year marked a huge breakout for him, where he has begun to fulfill the promise that made him one of the top prospects in baseball while coming up in the Mets organization.

This season, Giménez hit .297 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI, 66 runs scored and 20 stolen bases (while getting caught just three times). Regardless of whether he wins the Silver Slugger this season or not, the Guardians have to be incredibly encouraged by his massive breakout, and the return on that blockbuster trade with the Mets.

Giménez is nominated along with Houston’s Jose Altuve, who has won the award five times, Texas’ Marcus Semien (who won last year), and the Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu, who was interestingly nominated twice this year (for both second base and the utility player award). Altuve had a monster season, batting .300 with 28 home runs, 57 RBI and 103 runs scored. He added 18 stolen bases for what seems to be on paper the best all-around offensive output of the group this year. Semien hit .248 with 26 home runs, 83 RBI, 101 runs and 25 steals. LeMahieu seems more likely to win the utility award after hitting .261 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI.

MVP-Caliber Season Could Net Ramírez Silver Slugger Award

Also nominated from the Guardians was third baseman José Ramírez, who is no stranger to the award, having previously won it in 2017, 2018 and 2020. In pursuit of his fourth Silver Slugger, Ramirez hit .280 with 29 home runs and a league-leading 44 doubles. His power output is all the more impressive when we consider that he played a significant portion of the season after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb in June, an injury that is known to sap power.

Ramírez waited until the offseason to have the surgery required to fix the ligament, carrying the Guardians offense for most of the season and the postseason. He was second in the league with 126 RBI, scored 90 runs, and added 20 stolen bases, making a well-rounded case that he was the top offensive third baseman, and a solid MVP candidate as well.

Ramírez is nominated along with Boston’s Rafael Devers, Houston’s Alex Bregman and Toronto’s Matt Chapman. Devers, who won the award in 2021, hit .279 with 27 home runs, 88 RBI and 84 runs. Bregman has also previously won the award (2019) and hit .259 with 23 home runs, 93 RBI, and 93 runs. Chapman, a three-time Gold Glove winner, is vying for his first Silver Slugger after hitting .229 with 27 home runs, 76 RBI and 83 runs.

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