4 Guardians you probably forgot won the Silver Slugger Award

The list of all the Cleveland Guardians to win a Silver Slugger Award features plenty of familiar names. Jim Thome. Albert Belle. Manny Ramírez. José Ramírez. 

But it also has some surprising names you may have forgotten about. With this year’s Silver Slugger finalists about to be announced, here’s a look at four former Guardians who you may have forgotten about. 

These four Guardians had great Silver Slugger seasons 

Matt Williams, 1997

After starting his career with a 10-year stint with the San Francisco Giants, Williams finished his MLB career with six years with the Arizona Diamondbacks. But in between those tenures he had a strong one-year stint in Cleveland in 1997. 

Williams was a rock in the middle of the Guardians’ vaunted lineup, as he hit 32 home runs and drove in 105 RBI while hitting between Jim Thome and fellow Silver Slugger David Justice. 

Williams requested a trade to the Diamondbacks after the season so he could be closer to his children and was dealt to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Travis Fryman, Tom Martin and $3 million. 

Juan González, 2001

While González is best known for winning two MVPs during his time with the Rangers, he also impressed in his quick stop in Cleveland in 2001. 

González slashed .325/.370/.590 with 35 home runs and 140 RBI in 140 games with Cleveland in 2001. He came within one out of finishing with the RBI title, but he failed to drive in a run in the final 10 games of the season, which allowed Bret Boone to leapfrog him. 

He also hit .348 with two home runs in the postseason. Not bad for a guy who was signed to a $10 million contract. 

González was able to parlay that performance into a two-year, $24 million deal to return to the Rangers — the franchise he won his two MVPs with. 

Injuries ended up robbing him of much of his power after that 2001 season, and he ended his career with a single at-bat for Cleveland in 2005. 

Asdrúbal Cabrera, 2011

As we mentioned in our entry highlighting Cabrera’s Silver Slugger win on the list of the franchise's winners, he was more known for his glove than his bat during his time in Cleveland. But he was no slouch as a hitter as well.

In fact, his 2011 season ended up being one of the best seasons in Cleveland history by a shortstop, as he hit 25 home runs (which was the franchise record for a shortstop at the time) along with 92 RBI. In total, he hit .273 in 151 games. 

After earning back-to-back All-Star nods in 2011 and ‘12, Cabrera played in Cleveland in 2013 and part of 2014 before being traded to the Nationals. That set off a wild second half of his career where he played for seven teams across the final eight seasons of his career.

Yan Gomes, 2014 

While Gomes was a staple of Cleveland’s lineup in the mid 2010s, he also struggled with some significant injuries that robbed him of his power behind the plate. But before he under .235 in three straight seasons, he was a Silver Slugger in 2014. He posted a .278/.313/.472 slashline while leading American League catchers in WAR (4.6), runs (61) and OPS (.785). 

He also hit 21 home runs and drove in 74 runs. 

Gomes provided a signature moment in the 2017 postseason and was an All-Star in 2018, but the highlight of his career came in 2019 when he was behind the plate for the Nationals’ stunning World Series victory over the Astros.