Atlanta Braves fans have been very lucky to experience some of the best talent that Major League Baseball has to offer. Every decade has provided the organization with something to be proud of. Atlanta is well-regarded for their ability to produce some of the best pitching talent over the years. However, they have also had some of the most remarkable position players in the game. That has led to many award winners, including the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards.
One of the most prestigious awards an offensive player can take home is the Silver Slugger Award. This award started in 1980 and recognizes the best offensive players at each position in the National League and American League. Winners are voted upon by MLB managers and coaches, who are unable to vote for players on their own teams.
Dale Murphy was the first Braves player to win the award in 1982, and there have been many more to follow suit. Here we will take a look at the youngest and oldest player to win a Silver Slugger in franchise history.
The youngest and oldest Braves Silver Slugger winners in franchise history
It's no surprise as to who was the youngest Braves player to take home a Silver Slugger. Superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. accomplished this feat at 21 years old after an impressive 2019 season. During his sophomore campaign, Acuña Jr. slashed .280/.365/.518 with 22 doubles, 41 home runs, 101 RBI, and a 125 wRC+. He earned his first All-Star selection and also received MVP votes.
This earned him a spot on the Silver Slugger list next to fellow teammates Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies that season. He was in some fantastic company for the first of his three Silver Slugger wins. It was an early preview of what was to come from Acuña Jr., who eventually took home his first MVP award four years later, in 2023. Two major knee injuries have slowed him down a bit, but they haven't stopped him from being one of baseball's most feared hitters.
Acuña Jr. has become the fastest player in MLB history to reach 200 career home runs and 200 career stolen bases. It's crazy to think he's almost at the end of his contract with the Braves. His injuries may make a deal tough to construct, but he deserves a chance to stay with Atlanta.
Let's contrast that with the oldest Braves player to be awarded a Silver Slugger. We have to travel back to the early 2000s to find our guy. The oldest Braves player to win this award with the franchise was slugger Gary Sheffield in 2003. Sheffield was 34 years old when he won this honor for the third time in his career, and the only time he did so with the Braves.
Sheffield has five total Silver Sluggers after his 22-year MLB career. Sheffield had a .330/.419/.604 slash line, 37 doubles, 39 homers, 132 RBI, and a 163 wRC+. An absolute monster season for his final one with the franchise. Sheffield's exit was pretty dramatic, but the slugger made the most of his two years with the Braves.
It's wild to see those kinds of numbers and that Sheffield didn't take home the MVP in 2003. However, he had to compete with Albert Pujols and Barry Bonds for that honor. Bonds eventually took home the National League MVP that year.
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