6 Atlanta Braves Who Could Win Silver Sluggers in 2023

We take a look at six Atlanta Braves hitters who are in contention to win an NL Silver Slugger in 2023.

Los Angeles Dodgers v Atlanta Braves
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3. NL Silver Slugger - C, Sean Murphy

Sean Murphy
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Sean Murphy has struggled in the second half. Even so, he has managed to ride his scorching-hot first half to some of the best overall offensive numbers at the catcher position in the NL this year. Murphy doesn't have enough playing time to qualify for a batting title thanks to his talented backup, Travis d'Arnaud. The Braves have the luxury of trying to keep him fresh.

Despite only registering 434 PAs, Murphy has the second-most homers among NL catchers with 21. His 68 RBI are fourth-best. The players ahead of him on the RBI list have a lot more plate appearances. William Contreras: 603, Will Smith: 460, and Elias Diaz: 523. Even so, Murphy's RBI totals are right there with the leaders.

So, his counting stats are AMONG the leaders but not necessarily leading. The thing that may give Murphy a shot is his per-plate appearance performance. Murphy led all NL catchers in OPS (.845) and wRC+ (129). The fact that he did play a lot fewer games than the rest of the catchers could be the thing that costs him the Silver Slugger but he still has his name in the hat with a solid first year in Atlanta.

2. NL Silver Slugger -RF, Ronald Acuna Jr.

MVP.

I don't need to run through the accolades here. Acuna has had one of the greatest seasons in MLB history. He's going to win the MVP and it better be bundled with the Silver Slugger. While this one is an easy one, nobody would have guessed the final player at the beginning of the season.

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