4 Philadelphia Phillies named 2023 Silver Slugger Award finalists

With the World Series wrapped up, the 2023 MLB season is officially over. While the action on the field is done, awards season is now upon us.

On Thursday morning, MLB announced the finalists for the 2023 Louisville Silver Slugger Award, and four Philadelphia Phillies are among the honored for the National League awards.

The Phillies finalists have a chance to join the long list of Phillies to win the Silver Slugger, like Mike Schmidt (6x), Chase Utley (4x), and Ryan Howard (1x), to name a few.

In case you missed it, four Phillies were named Gold Glove Award finalists.

The Phillies also receive a nod as a finalist for the first-ever Silver Slugger Team Award, which was announced at the end of September and will be decided through a combination of stats and fan voting.

The individual Silver Slugger Awards are voted on by MLB managers and coaches and are awarded to the top offensive player at each position in each league. The final winners will be announced on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET on Nov. 9.

Kyle Schwarber, OF

Kyle Schwarber, he of the majestic, ball-crushing moonshots, has a chance to repeat as the NL Silver Slugger in the outfield position after winning the award in 2022. Although he ended the season as the everyday designated hitter, Schwarber began the year in the outfield and played 103 games in left.

In an anomaly of a statistical year, the 30-year-old swatted 47 home runs this season and walked 126 times, both career-highs. He drove in 104 and scored 108 runs, also both career-highs. On the flip side, he also hit .197 and struck out 215 times.

Schwarber is up against Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), Cody Bellinger (CHC), Mookie Betts (LAD), Corbin Carroll (ARI), Juan Soto (SDP), and Seiya Suzuki (CHC) for the award.

Bryce Harper, DH

Two-time Silver Slugger winner Bryce Harper gets another nomination, this year at the DH position. He previously won with the Phillies in his 2021 MVP season and with the Nationals in 2015.

Despite getting a late start after recovering from Tommy John surgery and only playing in 126 games, Harper finished the year with a .293 batting average and a .900 OPS. He went yard 21 times, drove in 72, scored 84 runs, and stole 11 bases.

Harper is up against J.D. Martinez (LAD), Marcell Ozuna (ATL), and Jorge Soler (MIA).

J.T. Realmuto, C

J.T. Realmuto has already won the Silver Slugger three times in his career. The 32-year-old won in his final season in Miami in 2018, his first year in Philadelphia in 2019 and again last season.

The backstop finished the year hitting .252 with a .762 OPS but hit 20 home runs, drove in 63, and scored 70 runs. He also added five triples and 16 stolen bases, both totals the most among catchers.

Realmuto is up against William Contreras (MLW), Sean Murphy (ATL), and Will Smith (LAD).

Trea Turner, SS

Trea Turner turned his horrid first half around so well that he receives a nomination for a chance to win his second consecutive Silver Slugger at shortstop. He won his first in 2022 with the Dodgers.

After turning his season around in August, Turner finished the 2023 campaign with a .266 batting average and a .778 OPS. He hit 26 home runs, drove in 76, and scored 102 runs. He also stole 30 bases.

Turner is up against Xander Bogaerts (SDP), Francisco Lindor (NYM), and Dansby Swanson (CHC).

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