San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and Atlanta Braves outfielder Justin Upton were teammates on the East squad at the 2004 Perfect Game All-American Classic in Aberdeen, Md. Now, legendary bat-maker Louisville Slugger has brought them together again.
Posey, McCutchen and Upton are three of 10 Perfect Game alumni who on Thursday night were named Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award winners, an annual designation voted on by managers and coaches from all 30 teams and given to players they deem to be the most productive offensively at each position. Nine players are honored in each league, including a pitcher in the National League and a designated hitter in the American League.
Other Perfect Game alumni named National League Silver Sluggers are left-handed starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner, Posey’s battery mate on the World Series champion Giants; Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond and Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon; and second baseman Neil Walker, McCutchen’s teammate with the Pirates.
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley and Indians catcher Yan Gomes are former PG performers honored on the American League side.
Posey, the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year and 2012 NL Most Valuable Player, hit a big-league best .354 the second half of the season in helping the Giants to, first, an NL Wild Card playoff berth and finally to their third World Series championship in five years. This is his second Silver Slugger Award, the first coming in 2012.
In addition to his performance at the 2004 PG All-American Classic, Posey was joined by McCutchen and Upton at the 2004 PG National Showcase and by McCutchen, Upton, Brantley and Gomes at the 2004 PG WWBA World Championship.
McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP, receives his third straight Silver Slugger Award after posting a .410 on-base percentage and .952 OPS, both tops in the National League; he hit .314 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI. McCutchen attended a total of seven PG events, including appearances at both the 2003 and ’04 PG WWBA World Championship.
The Braves’ Upton enjoyed a resurgent 2014 season and picked up his second Silver Slugger Award – the first was in 2011 when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks – after hitting 29 home runs and driving in a career-high 102 runs. He was at both the 2003 and 2004 PG National Showcase and PG WWBA World Championships.
Desmond and Rendon anchored the left side of the Nationals’ infield after Rendon was moved to third base from second when Ryan Zimmerman went down with an injury. Desmond won his third straight Silver Slugger after leading all major league shortstops with 24 home runs and 91 RBI. He was a participant at both the 2003 PG WWBA World Championship and the 2004 PG World Showcase.
Rendon, playing his first full big-league season, led all NL third baseman in hitting (.287 average), slugging percentage (.473) and OPS (.824), and he finished with 21 home runs, 83 RBI and a league-high 111 runs scored in grabbing his first Silver Slugger. Rendon played at the 2007 PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla.
The Pirates’ Walker, who played in the 2003 PG All-American Classic as a catcher, picked up his first Silver Slugger Award after posting career highs of 23 home runs and 76 RBI and, with McCutchen, helped the Pirates reach the postseason for the second straight year.
Bumgarner will forever be remembered for his MVP pitching performances in this year’s NL Championship Series and the World Series, but the alumnus of both the 2006 PG National Showcase and 2006 PG All-American Classic also swung a hot bat during the regular season. A terrific athlete, Bumgarner hit .258 (17-for-66) with four home runs – including two grand slams – 15 RBI and 10 runs.
The Angels’ Trout performed in eight PG WWBA tournaments as a high school star, including the 2007 and ’08 PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter.
He picks up his third Sliver Slugger Award in three big-league seasons with a slash-line of .287/.377/.561; he hit 39 doubles, nine triples and 36 home runs and his 111 RBI and 115 runs were tops in the American League. Trout was the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year and finished runner-up in the AL MVP balloting each of the last two years.
The Indians’ Brantley and Gomes both receive their first Silver Slugger Award after breakout 2014 seasons.
Brantley, who attended the 2004 PG WWBA World Championship, recorded nice, easily digestible numbers with 200 hits (.327 average), 40 doubles, 20 home runs 97 RBI and 20 stolen bases. Gomes, who was at that 2004 PG WWBA World Championship as well as the 2005 PG National Showcase, went .278/.313/.472 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI.