SF Giants: Thairo Estrada and Joc Pederson named NL Silver Slugger finalists

SF Giants outfielder Joc Pederson and second baseman Thairo Estrada were named finalists for a National League Silver Slugger award.

Marc Delucchi | Oct 27, 2022

SF Giants: Thairo Estrada and Joc Pederson named NL Silver Slugger finalists /

In this story:

San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants had a pair of players named finalists for the 2022 National League Silver Slugger award on Thursday. Giants outfielder Joc Pederson and second baseman Thairo Estrada were each named finalists, although Estrada was a finalist in a category for the new "utility" position.

SF Giants shortstop Thairo Estrada singles against the Cubs. — SF Giants infielder Thairo Estrada singles through the right side of the infield. (2022) / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Estrada emerged as a great utility man with the Giants in 2021, crushing left-handed pitching in a platoon role off the bench. In an expanded role in 2022, he was arguably the Giants best position player. He played in 140 games this season, posting a .260/.322/.402 triple-slash with 23 doubles, 14 home runs, and 21 stolen bases. While he was primarily the Giants starting second baseman, he also appeared in 37 games at shortstop and 19 games in the outfield (18 in left field and one in center).

Giants manager Gabe Kapler heaped praise on Estrada for his production this season. "Estrada continues to be outstanding," Kapler said during a postgame press conference in September. "What we're learning about Thairo is not only is he coming up in the biggest moments and being able to slow his heartbeat down, not only is he going out there and playing every day and showing durability, but the toughness is off the charts. The physical toughness is off the charts."

Pederson, a Bay Area native, signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Giants last offseason and had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022. He was easily San Francisco's best hitter this year, batting .274/.353/.521 with 23 home runs in 134 games. Pederson received his second career All-Star game selection and went 0-for-2 in the midsummer classic.

Neither Pederson nor Estrada are favorites to win the award.

Brandon Drury (Reds/Padres), Tommy Edman (Cardinals), Jeff McNeil (Mets), and Chris Taylor (Dodgers) are the other nominees in the utility category with Estrada. Drury seems like the odds-on favorite, hitting .263/.320/.492 with 31 doubles and 28 home runs this year between his time with the Reds and Padres.

The other outfielders in Pederson's category are Mookie Betts (Dodgers), Kyle Schwarber (Phillies), Juan Soto (Nationals/Padres), Starling Marte (Mets), Michael Harris II (Atlanta), Bryan Reynolds (Pirates), Hunter Renfroe (Brewers), and Brandon Nimmo (Mets). While three outfielders will be given a Silver Slugger, it's hard to envision Pederson receiving more votes than five of the players on that list.

Estrada is under team control via arbitration through 2027 and seems like a lock to be in the SF Giants lineup next season. Pederson, on the other hand, is set to be a free agent. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the team has engaged in negotiations to re-sign Pederson with his agent but have yet to reach a new deal.

Thairo Estrada and Joc Pederson were responsible for many of the best moments of the Giants 2022 season. While it seems unlikely that either SF Giants hitter will be hoisting a Silver Slugger award this season, they both can add 2022 NL Silver Slugger finalist to their respective resumes.

Published Oct 27, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).