Michael Cuddyer wins Silver Slugger award

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Often overlooked in the early stages of the off-season, the Silver Slugger awards recognize the most outstanding offensive player at each position for the season. Presumably the Colorado Rockies had three serious candidates for the award: Wilin Rosario at catcher, Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop, and Michael Cuddyer in the outfield.

Of that group, Cuddy was the only winner. Rightfully so, and it is great to see Cuddy get another nod for his outstanding work in 2013.

The fact that Rosario lost out at catcher isn’t difficult to understand. Yadier Molina is a viable MVP candidate with his .319/.359/.477 slash line this year to go with 12 home runs and 80 RBI. Rosario, with his .292/.315/.486, 21 home runs, and 79 RBI, can take comfort in the fact that he lost to Molina.

As for shortstop, Tulo lost out to Ian Desmond of the Washington Nationals. Here’s how their seasons look side by side:

Desmond: .280/.331/.784 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI in 158 games played
Tulowitzki: .312/.391/.931 with 25 home runs and 82 RBI in 126 games played

Hmmm…more production in fewer games, yet Tulo did not win. I guess you could say Tulo paid for missing time with an injury, but you could also say that Desmond won because the first letter of his last name comes first in the alphabet. Either statement would be an altogether confusing explanation for why Desmond won.

But hey, maybe it won’t be a bad thing for Tulo to have a slight to add to the list of reasons that he needs to rip up the league in 2014.