Alexei Ramirez wins Silver Slugger; Jeter’s reign of terror over

In late September, with only a few games remaining in the regular season, I wrote a column that highlighted Alexei Ramirez’s outstanding season at shortstop for the Chicago White Sox.  More importantly, I contended that he should be the recipient of the Silver Slugger Award at shortstop.  However, after Tuesday’s disconcerting announcement that Derek Jeter had won the Gold Glove over Alexei Ramirez, I became perturbed by the thought that the Rawlings Silver Slugger Award might ultimately be just another popularity contest.

Thankfully, logic prevailed on Thursday as Ramirez was awarded the first Louisville Silver Slugger Award of his career, ending Jeter’s four-year stranglehold over the honor.

In 2010, Alexei Ramirez was clearly the best offensive – and defensive, despite the votes cast by the managers and coaches — shortstop in the American League.  Here is how offensive production ranked among all AL shortstops:

• 83 runs (4^th)
• 165 hits (3^rd)
• .282 BA (1^st)
• 29 2B (t-4^th)
• 18 HR (1^st)
• .431 SLG% (1^st)
• 70 RBI (3^rd)
• 13 SB (5^th)
• .744 OPS (1^st)

Alexei is the first White Sox player to win the Silver Slugger since Carlos Quentin in 2008, and joins outfielders Carl Crawford and Jose Bautista as the only other first-time selections for this year’s award.

This article was also published on 312Sports.com