(Story Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
 Xander Bogaerts wins Silver Slugger Award
Nederlands
 NEW YORK, New York (USA) -
Aruba-born short stop Xander Bogaerts has won his first Silver Slugger Award.
The winners of the annual award were announced on Thursday-evening (November 12).
...Xander Bogaerts playing for the Netherlands National...
...Team on the 2013 World Baseball Classic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The Silver Slugger Award, presented by Louisville Slugger is handed each year to the best hitting players at each position.
The voting for this award is done by Major League managers and coaches who named the players they think were the best offensive producers at each position.
They could not vote for players from their own team.
There are nine players this year who won the Award for the first time in their career, including Bogaerts.
Last year, there were eight players who the Silver Slugger Award for the first time.
Four winners on this years Silver Slugger also won a Gold Glove last Tuesday, being José Altuve, Nolan Arenado, Brandon Crawford and Paul Goldschmidt.
Xander Bogaerts, who played for the Netherlands National Baseball Team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, was the best hitting short stop in the American League.
In 2011, Bogaerts also won the World Championship-title with the Netherlands Team.
In his second full season with the Boston Red Sox in the Major League, Bogaerts batted .320 (196-for-613) this season.
Amongst his 196 basehits were 35 doubles, three triples and seven homeruns.
Bogaerts batted in 81 runs and scored 84 runs.
His 196 basehits were second-best in the American League.
He only trailed José Altuve (Houston Astros), who had 200 basehits.
It was the third best in the Major League, which was led by Dee Gordon (Miami Marlins), who collected 205 basehits.
Last year, Bogaerts batted .240 (129-for-538) with 12 homeruns in his first full Major League-season.
Bogaerts made his big league-debut in 2013 and then played in 18 games for the BoSox, hitting .250 (11-for-44) with one homerun.
In 2013, he not only made his Major League-debut, he even was on the World Series-roster of the Red Sox.
He batted .238 in the World Series, which was won by Boston.
Not only the hitting of Bogaerts improved this season, also his defensive qualifies were better.
His fielding average this season was .984, last year it was .975 as a short stop.
With his 23 years, Bogaerts became the youngest Red Sox-player in history to win a Silver Slugger at any position.
(November 12)
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