White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu won his second American League Silver Slugger Award on Thursday, given to the best hitters at each position in each league.
Abreu captured the honor despite recording career lows in homers (22), RBI (78) and across the board lows with a .265/.325/.473 hitting line during a season in which he was named an All-Star starter for the first time in his five seasons but was limited to a career low 128 games for health reasons.
Abreu, 31, was sidelined from Aug. 21 through Sept. 9 after undergoing surgery for testicular torsion and did not play after Sept. 16 because of an infection in his thigh.
Among AL first basemen, Abreu was first with 36 doubles, was tied for second in extra-base hits with 59 and was third in average and slugging percentage. He became the first White Sox to hit 20 or more home runs in each of his first five seasons and joined Albert Pujols (2001-10) and Ted Williams (1939-42, ’46-49) as the only players in major-league history to record 30-plus doubles and 20-plus home runs in each of his first five seasons.
Abreu, who won the award as a rookie in 2014, also became the first player in White Sox history to record 30-plus doubles in each of his first five seasons. He joins catcher Carlton Fisk (1981, 1985, 1988), first baseman and designated hitter Frank Thomas (1991, 1993, 1994, 2000), outfielder Magglio Ordoñez (2000, 2002) and shortstop Alexei Ramírez (2010, 2014) as the only players in Sox history to win multiple Silver Slugger Awards.
The award is voted on by major-league managers and coaches and presented by Louisville Slugger. Matt Olson of the Athletics and Yuli Gurriel of the Astros were among the other contenders for the honor.
