Five Houston Astros Named Finalists for Silver Slugger Awards

Houston Astros' Martín Maldonado, José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Álvarez and Kyle Tucker were all named finalists for Silver Sluggers.

Eligibility has played a major factor in awards this season with the Gold Gloves being a prime example. Then on Thursday, the Silver Slugger finalists were announced and five Houston Astros graced the release.

Martín Maldonado is a prime example of how eligibility affected the voting. The backstop was named an American League finalist along with Alejandro Kirk, Sean Murphy, Cal Raleigh, Adley Rutschman and Salvador Perez. Maldonado will presumably not take home the award after a season slashing .186/.248/.352.

Around the infield, José Altuve, a five-time winner, was named a finalist at second base. The 32-year-old tied his best OPS+ (160) in a 162-game season this year — which he first accomplished during his 2017 MVP season.

At third base, Alex Bregman joins Rafael Devers, José Ramirez and Matt Chapman as AL finalists. Bregman — who won the award in 2019 — had a resurgent second half, posting a 133 OPS+ and an .820 OPS.

Among the numerous outfielders, Kyle Tucker was named a finalist. In his first All-Star season, the lefty slashed .257/.330/.478 with 28 doubles and 30 home runs. The outfielder opposite him much of the time this postseason, Yordan Álvarez, was named a finalist for the designated hitter position.

Álvarez, in his best season to date, slashed .306/.406/.613 in 135 games with 37 home runs and 29 doubles. The lefty was an All-Star and will receive AL MVP votes.

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