Rooker, Langeliers named finalists for the Silver Slugger award

Showing some promise this year, two of their most important players earned big time recognition for their strong season.

Sep 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) hits a three-run home run during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Don’t let the record fool you, there was a lot to be proud of in the Athletics’ final season in Oakland. Despite finishing 69-93, the A’s showed a lot of promise, with plenty of players stepping up and proving their value to a rebuilding franchise. Expected to struggle, which they did in the middle months of the season, the A’s also went on some runs where they looked like one of the best teams in baseball. 

And with the 2024 season done and over with, the A’s received some much deserved recognition for their strong play, with both Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker being finalists for the Silver Slugger Award at their respective positions.

Langeliers, who hit a career high .224 with 29 home runs and 80 RBI in 2024, evolved into much more of a power hitter this season, hitting the most home runs by an A’s catcher since Terry Steinbach hit 35 in 1996. He was named a Silver Slugger finalist at the catcher position along with Yainer Diaz of the Houston Astros, Salvador Perez from the Kansas City Royals and Cal Raleigh from the Seattle Mariners. Making his debut in August of 2022, Langeliers quickly became the A’s everyday catcher. In his first full season in 2023, he played in 135 games and had 448 at-bats, ending the year with a .205 average, 22 home runs and 63 RBI.

Rooker’s nomination comes as no surprise, joining fellow designated hitters Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees, as after he burst onto the scene with an All-Star 2023 campaign, he joined the upper echelon of hitters in baseball this year. In the 2024 season, Rooker ended the campaign as the leader in all hitting stat categories for the A’s, possessing a .293 average with 39 home runs, 112 RBI and 160 hits. All of his numbers were career bests.

The winners of the Silver Sluggers will be announced on Tuesday, Nov.12 at 3 p.m. (PT) on MLB Network. Each manager from all 30 MLB clubs along with three coaches cast their votes to decide the winners.

Now officially in Sacramento, there will be a lot of uncertainty for the A’s moving forward, but having guys like Rooker and Langeliers to rely on will go a long way as the team looks to get back to prominence and be a force in Major League Baseball once again.