Will this be the last year the award is given to pitchers?
On Monday evening the finalists for the 2021 Silver Slugger Awards were announced.
The New York Mets have one finalist: pitcher Jacob deGrom.
After a season in which the offense grossly underperformed, it isn’t surprising that the Mets’ bats aren’t being recognized among the best in the National League.
It is a bit surprising, however, that deGrom is a finalist. He went on the injured list in early July and did not return. He was having a strong offensive season when he left the lineup, but only being available for half of the season usually hurts a players’ chances of earning individual honors.
The other pitchers named finalists are German Marquez of the Rockies, Madison Bumgarner of the Diamondbacks and Max Fried of the National League champion Braves.