The offseason is officially upon us and awards for the regular season will begin to trickle out now that it is complete.
Today, the finalists for the Silver Slugger were announced and 6 Atlanta Braves players are featured on the list after an incredible season. Not only are the players nominated but also the entire team is up for the first-ever team award for the Silver Slugger.
It is incredible to think that almost the entire Braves lineup could have been nominated for a Silver Slugger after completing one of the best offensive seasons baseball fans have ever seen.
Your 2023 Atlanta Braves Silver Slugger Awards finalists! pic.twitter.com/ACzrQ5vvrB
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 2, 2023
The list of Braves nominees includes MVP candidate Ronald Acuna Jr., MLB home run leader Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy, and Marcell Ozuna.
Likely the most shocking name on that list is Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna started off 2023 as bad as anyone could have. Fans were ready to give up on him and wanted him gone. However, after a monster series in Miami against the Marlins, Ozuna turned things around and became one of the most consistent bats in the lineup.
Let's check out how each nominee performed in 2023.
1. Ronald Acuna Jr. (.337/.416/.596, 1.012 OPS)
2. Matt Olson (.283/.389/.604, .993 OPS)
3. Austin Riley (.281/.345/.516, .861 OPS)
4. Ozzie Albies (.280/.336/.513, .849 OPS)
5. Marcell Ozuna (.274/.346/.558, .904 OPS)
6. Sean Murphy (.251/.365/.478, .843 OPS)
Atlanta fans were very lucky to experience an offense like this. It didn't end how we'd have liked it to but it doesn't take away how special of a season it was.
You can make a case for all 6 players winning the award for their respective positions. The team award should pretty much be a lock for the 2023 Atlanta Braves. No other team even came close to being as good offensively as they were.
Atlanta finished with a team slash line of .276/.344/.501 and a .845 OPS. They even tied the MLB record for most home runs in a season with 307 of them and 916 runs batted in.
It was an all around great season for the Braves despite how it ended. Things bode well for the 2024 season as the offense will remain basically unchanged. However, matching a record breaking season would be a tough feat.