From the consistent excellence of Rod Carew, Joe Mauer and Kirby Puckett to the more modern-day dominance of Nelson Cruz, the Silver Slugger Award has often found a deserving home in the Twin Cities. However, a deep dive into the statistics reveals one winner whose selection stands out as the most surprising in franchise history: outfielder Josh Willingham in 2012.
Dubbed "The Hammer", Willingham's 2012 campaign was undeniably productive. He blasted 35 home runs and drove in 110 runs, providing significant power in the middle of the Twins' lineup. For these impressive counting stats, he was awarded the Silver Slugger alongside two of the era's most dynamic outfielders: Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.
A closer look at the numbers reveals Willingham's .260 batting average lagged a bit behind that of his fellow honorees. Trout hit a remarkable .326 in his phenomenal rookie season, while Hamilton posted a robust .285. Furthermore, Willingham's On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS), a key indicator of overall offensive prowess, was .890. While certainly respectable, it lagged behind Trout's .963 and Hamilton's .931.
Close Behind Willingham
Willingham's selection is magnified when considering other American League outfielders who were snubbed for the award in 2012. Alex Rios had a career-best season with the Chicago White Sox, hitting .304 with 25 home runs, 91 RBIs,184 hits and 20 stolen bases. Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles hit .287 with 32 home runs and 82 RBIs, coupled with superior defensive metrics. Fortunately, the Silver Slugger is an offensive award. The significant gap in batting average between Willingham and other top outfielders, but better power numbers, made his win a bit of a statistical outlier among historical Twins recipients.
Other Noteworthy Twins
In other considerations for Twins who might be considered surprising winners upon first glance, but hold up better under scrutiny. Catcher Mitch Garver's 2019 award came in a season where he slugged an astounding .630 with 31 home runs in just 93 games, clearly establishing him as the top offensive catcher in the league that year. Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch's 1995 win was supported by a .333 batting average and a .424 on-base percentage, elite numbers for his position.
While Josh Willingham's power numbers in 2012 were undoubtedly Silver Slugger-worthy, his relatively low batting average compared to his fellow winners and other top contenders at his position makes his selection the most statistically surprising in the history of the Minnesota Twins Silver Sluggers. His win serves as a testament to the significant weight placed on power numbers in the voting process, even when other offensive metrics might have suggested a different outcome. We loved having "Hammer" and thanks for making a dimmer team record of 66-96 in the 2012 season a bit shinier!!