Justin Upton wins second Silver Slugger Award

As much of a dud as the 2014 Atlanta Braves season can be seen as, the offseason has already been a major success. Andrelton Simmons and Jason Heyward have already been honored with defensive honors, and on Thursday, a member of the organization was rewarded for his offensive capabilities, as Justin Upton was named the National League Silver Slugger award winner.

The Silver Slugger award is given to recognize the top hitters at their respective positions. The award is voted on by major league managers and coaches and brings several stats into consideration (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, etc) as well as the mere impression a player brings with him to the plate. This is the second Silver Slugger award in Upton’s career, the first coming in 2011 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The younger Upton finished the 2014 year, his second with the Braves, with a line of .270/.342/.491, 29 home runs and 102 RBI in 154 games played. His .270 batting average was third-best on the team (behind Heyward’s .271 and Freddie Freeman’s .288), and the 102 RBI was far the best on the team. FF5 was second closest with 78.

The other National League winners are Andrew McCutchen, Giancarlo Stanton, Adrian Gonzalez, Anthony Rendon, Ian Desmond, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner.