Chase DeLauter could exorcise Guardians Silver Slugger demons with strong final month

In 2014, Michael Brantley authored one of the greatest seasons by a Cleveland outfielder when he hit .327 with 20 home runs, 97 doubles and 45 doubles en route to a third-place MVP finish along with a Silver Slugger win. 

While there have been countless outfielders who have patrolled the grass for the Guardians in the time since, none of them have put together an offensive season worthy of winning a Silver Slugger Award. 

But it seems like there’s an outside shot that could change this season thanks to rookie sensation Chase DeLauter, who has been one of the most productive right fielders in baseball and could stake his claim to the American League’s Gold Glove for right field with a strong final month. 

Chase DeLauter has a legitamiate shot to win his first career Silver Slugger

Although DeLauter missed a month with an injury along with having a variety of other nicks and bruises, he still has a .289/.363/.451 slashline with 13 home runs, 59 RBI and 22 doubles in 112 games. 

After opening his MLB regular season career with one of the best power surges we’ve seen out of a rookie he’s spent most of the season showcasing a profile built around taking a lot of pitches and putting the ball in play while also plugging the gaps. 

Take his pinch-hit appearance against the Angels on Wednesday. 

With one out in the ninth inning of a tied game, DeLauter entered the game as a pinch-hitter and smoked a ball up the middle on the second pitch he saw to put the go-ahead run on base. There wasn’t anything about the hit that stood out (he “only” hit it 101 miles per hour), but that’s kind of the point. 

He didn’t try to do too much, and was able to get the barrel on a curveball that was down in the zone to provide the Guardians with a hit that helped them big up a key win. 

But DeLauter’s approach has been far from being all singles. Along with having those strong power numbers mentioned above, he also ranks in the 77th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 85th percentile in average exit velocity. 

He’s also shown some great plate discipline with 50 walks compared to 67 strikeouts thanks to a whiff rate in the 93rd percentile and the 92nd percentile in chase rate. 

DeLauter may not finish the season with the insane home run numbers that Aaron Judge finished with last year when he won the AL’s right field Silver Slugger, DeLauter still has an .814 OPS despite having a fairly average home run total. 

His biggest competition for the award is Boston’s Wilyer Abreu (who seems to be the favorite) along with new teammate Jo Adell. Adell could also have a huge impact on DeLauter’s Silver Slugger campaign due to his mere presence on the roster. 

DeLauter’s playing time has been split evenly between right field and designated hitter (59 at each), so he’ll need to play a lot of right field down the stretch to be eligible for the award at that position. 

But Adell has primarily played right field since joining the Guardians, so it seems like there are only going to be so many appearances in right to go around.

Plus the Guardians may want to give DeLauter more starts at designated hitter so that way he can stay off his feet and avoid aggravating his hamstring injury that seems to be lingering in the background.

But regardless of whether DeLauter ends up being eligible for the award, the mere fact he has a legitimate case to win a Silver Slugger shows just how productive his rookie season has been. 

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