Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts has won the 2023 Louisville Silver Slugger Award for outfield.

Betts, 31, wins his sixth Louisville Silver Slugger award (2016, 2018-20, 2022-23) and his third as a member of the Dodgers. With his third award, he joins Mike Piazza (1993-97) as the only two players in franchise history with three or more Silver Slugger awards.  In 2020, he became the 20^th player in franchise history to earn the award and he is one of four players in Major League Baseball history to win multiple Silver Slugger awards in both leagues along with Miguel Cabrera (five in AL, two in NL), Gary Sheffield (two in AL, three in NL) and Vladimir Guerrero Sr. (five in AL, three in NL), and he and Guerrero Sr. are the only players to have won the award three or more times in both leagues. He also joins Barry Bonds (12), Mike Trout (9), Manny Ramirez (8), Ken Griffey Jr. (7), Guerrero Sr. (7), Tony Gwynn (7), Juan Gonzalez (6) Kirby Puckett (6) and Sammy Sosa (6) as outfielders that have won the award six or more times. Additionally, he became the 22^nd player in Major League Baseball history to win the award six or more times.

In his fourth season with the Dodgers, Betts played in 152 games, hitting .307 (179-for-584) and finishing with a career-high 39 homers and 107 RBI. He became the first Dodger in franchise history to record 40+ doubles and 35+ homers in back-to-back seasons. The seven-time All-Star led the Majors and set a franchise record with his 12 round-trippers leading off a game. Ten of his 12 leadoff homers were prior to the All-Star break, which set a new Major League record prior to the break.

Betts was named the NL Player of the Month in August after hitting .455 (51-for-112) while setting the Dodgers record for hits and runs (35) in a calendar month. He became one of four Dodgers in franchise history to hit over .450 in a calendar month with a minimum of 75 at-bats and was just the third player in MLB history with a .450 average, 50+ hits and 10+ HR in a calendar month, joining Lou Gehrig (June 1930) and Babe Ruth (July 1923 and 1924).

Betts finished among the National League leaders in hits (4^th, 179), runs (4^th, 126), homers (6^th, 39), RBI (5^th, 107), extra-base hits (3^rd, 80), OBP (4^th, .408), SLG (3^rd, .579) and OPS (3^rd, .987).

The Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award is the top offensive honor in Major League Baseball. Coaches and managers of Major League teams vote for the players they feel are the best offensive producers at each position in the field in both the American and National Leagues. They base their selections on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches’ and managers’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value. Managers and coaches are not allowed to vote for players on their own team.

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(Article Courtesy of LA Dodgers)

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