Complete history of Cleveland Guardians’ Silver Slugger Award winners

While it may not seem like it right now, the Cleveland Guardians have had a history of putting together powerful lineups filled with hulking sluggers who made majestic home runs seem routine. 

There’s no better way to quantify that than by looking at the team’s list of Silver Slugger winners, which features plenty of players who made Cleveland rock at one point or another. 

With this year’s Silver Slugger awards on the horizon, here’s a look at every Silver Slugger winner in the club’s history. 

Complete list of Cleveland Guardians players who've won the Silver Slugger Award since its inception in 1980

Andre Thornton, Designated Hitter - 1984

A Cleveland baseball Hall of Famer, Thornton recorded his second career All-Star season in 1984 while playing exclusively at designated hitter due to a knee injury. He tied his career high with 33 home runs while also driving in 99 runs in ‘84. 

Julio Franco, second base - 1988

While Franco ended up winning five Silver Sluggers across his 23-year big league career, his first came in 1988, which was also his last season in Cleveland. He hit .303 with 10 home runs and 54 RBI in his Silver Slugger year. He also ended up being the last active MLB player born in the 1950s. 

Albert Belle, outfielder - 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996

One of the more divisive players in Cleveland baseball history, Belle was revered for what he did on the field and hated for what he did off it. 

He won five straight Silver Sluggers from 1993-96, a period in which he slugged 173 home runs and had an OPS of 1.040. The 1996 season ended up being his last in Cleveland. 

Carlos Baerga, second base - 1993 and 1994 

One of the best middle infielders of the 1990s, Baerga was a force in the middle of the lineup for Cleveland 1993 and ‘94, as he hit .318 with 40 home runs and 194 RBI. Baerga hit 21 home runs and drove in 114 runs in ‘93, which ended up being career highs. 

Manny Ramirez, outfield - 1995, 1999 and 2000

Before Ramirez was a postseason hero in Boston, he was a cult hero in Cleveland. He had his first Silver season in 1995 on Cleveland’s journey to the World Series before winning the award in back-to-back years in 1999 and 2000. He led all of baseball with 165 RBI in 1999 and posted an OPS above 1.000 in both seasons. 

Jim Thome, third base - 1996 

It’s hard to believe Thome only won one Silver Slugger in his legendary career (in a season where he wasn’t an All-Star, no less). 

HIs 1996 season marked the first time he cleared the 30 HR, 100 RBI plateau in his career along with being the second season where he hit better than .300. He ended up having 12 seasons in his career where he hit 30+ home runs. 

David Justice, outfield - 1997 

Justice’s first season in Cleveland was arguably his best one, as he hit .329 with 33 home runs and 101 RBI in 139 games for a Cleveland team that made it back to the World Series. He ended up being traded to the Yankees midway through the 2000 season and won ALCS MVP for them, because of course. 

Matt Williams, third base - 1997

Williams made the most of his one season in Cleveland, as he hit .263 with 32 home runs and 105 RBI. While his All-Star streak ended, he won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove. Cleveland traded him to Arizona after the season.

Roberto Alomar, second base - 1999 and 2000

Alomar’s 1999 campaign stands out as one of the best in his career, as he hit .323 with 24 home runs, 120 RBI and an AL-leading 138 runs scored. He put together two more great seasons with Cleveland before he was traded to the Mets ahead of the 2002 season. 

Juan González, outfield - 2001 

A two-time MVP earlier in his career, González proved that he had one more vintage season in him in 2001 when he hit .325 with 35 home runs and 140 RBI. He ended up performing well for Cleveland in the postseason, which helped him earn one more contract with the Rangers. 

Victor Martinez, catcher - 2004

Arguably the face of Cleveland baseball in the 2000s, Martinez’s 2004 season marks the beginning of his reign in the American League. 

After only having two career home runs in 61 games entering 2004, he mashed 23 home runs and recorded 108 RBI. He ended up adding five All-Star nods and one more Silver Slugger win to his ledger before retiring. 

Grady Sizemore, outfield - 2008 

While injuries robbed Sizemore of a Hall of Fame career, he was still one of the game’s best outfielders in the mid 2000s. The 2008 season marked the end of a three-year run where he earned MVP votes in every season. He set career-highs in home runs (33) and RBI (90) in 2008 while also stealing 38 bases. 

Yan Gomes, catcher - 2014

The ‘Yanimal’s’ best season came in 2014 when he cleared the 20-homer plateau for the first time in his career while adding 74 RBI. He ended up playing six seasons in Cleveland and added a signature moment with a walk-off against the Yankees in the 2017 postseason. 

Michael Brantley, outfielder - 2014

Another outfielder who had their career altered by injuries, Brantley had one of the best swings in baseball when healthy, and the 2014 season was him at the height of his powers. 

He racked up 200 hits, 45 doubles, 20 home runs and 97 RBI while also providing above-average defense in the outfield. 

Francisco Lindor, shortstop - 2017 and 2018

Even if Lindor never met the heights that were expected of him as one of baseball’s top prospects, he still had a solid tenure in Cleveland.  Lindor was an All-Star in all four of his full seasons in Cleveland. He hit 30+ home runs in 2017, ‘18 and ‘19 while also leading all of baseball with 129 runs scored in 2018. 

Carlos Santana, first base - 2019

‘Slamtana’’s second tenure with the Guardians was arguably his best season in the major leagues. He recorded 34 home runs with 93 RBI along with having 108 walks and 30 doubles. Santana entered the baseball wilderness after leaving Cleveland in 2020, though he got a chance to have one final run with the Guardians in 2025. 

José Ramírez, third base - 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 

After coming up as a light-hitting infielder, Ramírez has blossomed into one of baseball’s best players who has a stranglehold on the American League’s third base Silver Slugger. 

He’s helped carry countless underwhelming Guardians lineups to the postseason, and he’ll enter the 2026 season with a career OPS of .857 along with having an inside track to make the Hall of Fame.