3 Guardians hitters who somehow never won a Silver Slugger 

While the Cleveland Guardians have had plenty of players win Silver Sluggers since the award’s inception in 1980, that doesn’t mean that every slugger to suit up for the team has had their feats represented with a Silver Slugger win.

Here are three former Cleveland sluggers who put together great seasons that resulted in a Silver Slugger snub. 

These three Guardians put together great seasons that didn’t win a Silver Slugger 

Travis Hafner - 2006 

While Hafner put together a four year run from 2004 to ‘07 where he mashed 127 home runs, he never won a Silver Slugger thanks to David Ortiz, who ended up winning the award at designated hitter in all four seasons. 

Hafner’s 2006 season was him at the peak of his powers, as he hit .308 with 42 home runs and 117 RBI while leading all of baseball in OPS (1.097) and OPS+ (181) despite missing all of September with a broken hand.  

On the other side, Ortiz led the American League in home runs (57), RBI (137) and walks (119). 

Even if Ortiz’s numbers were better, Hafner made history by hitting six grand slams during the season. He ended up mashing 13 home runs during August, which helped him earn AL Player of the Month honors. 

While Hafner ended up playing five more seasons with Cleveland after 2007, injuries robbed him of his ability to hit the ball out of the park (and stay on the field in general). He retired after the 2013 season after spending one year with the Yankees. 

Shin-Soo Choo - 2010 

A staple of Cleveland’s lineup in the late 2000’s, Choo had a strong three-year run from 2008 to ‘10 on some bad teams. 

His best season during the span was in 2010 when he slashed .300/.401/.484 with 22 home runs, 90 RBI, 31 doubles and 22 steals. He also led all right fielders with 14 assists. 

While Choo’s season ended up earning MVP votes thanks to his stellar season, it didn’t end with a Silver Slugger win. The outfield awards were won by José Bautista (MLB-leading 54 home runs), Josh Hamilton (.359 batting average, won MVP) and Carl Crawford (13 triple, 90 RBI, 47 steals). 

Choo played two more seasons for the Guardians before going on to play for the Reds and Rangers. 

Jason Kipnis - 2016 

While Kipnis has a couple other seasons that could have been Silver Slugger worthy (he hit 17 home runs and stole 30 bases in 2013 and hit .303 in 2015), his 2016 season had the best power numbers of his career. 

Kipnis hit .275 with 23 home runs and 82 RBI in 156 games to go along with 41 doubles and 15 steals. He also cemented his status as a Cleveland legend in the postseason by hitting four home runs on the Indians’ run toward the World Series. 

The second base Silver Slugger this year was won by Jose Altuve, who led the American League in batting average (.338) while also leading all of baseball in hits (216). 

Kipnis finished his career with two All-Star nods (‘13 and ‘15), and his 2016 ended up being the last season where he wasn’t compromised by injuries. He spent three more seasons in Cleveland before finishing his major league career in 2020 with the Cubs.