Josh Willingham, the Minnesota Twins’ Left Fielder wins Silver Slugger Award - MLB News
Minnesota Twins’ Josh Willingham won his first Silver Slugger Award on Thursday, November 8. This was Twins’ first Silver Slugger Award after Joe Mauer last won it in 2010, which was Joe’s fourth one. This was the left fielder’s first season with the ball
club.
Josh was also named the Twins’ Most Valuable Player of 2012 last week. He was picked last year on a three year long deal worth $21 million. Josh at the time was a free agent and has proven to be a good signing for the Twins.
The award was first presented in 1980. The managers and coaches of both American and National League vote but are not allowed to cast ballot for a player of their own team.
The 33-year-old played 145 games in the regular season, which are the most he has played in a single year in his career spanning over nine seasons. His numbers in the season were certainly not bad. He had 85 runs, 110 RBI’s and hit 35 home-runs. A batting
average of .260 and an on-base percentage of .366 were also quite impressive. April was particularly good for the right-handed hitter as he averaged .347. His hitting remained consistent on both sides of the All-Star break.
Willingham was pleased with his form and commented that he did not expect to win the award.
"I felt my offensive year was great by my standards," Josh said. "I felt like I had a really, really good year. But I never dreamed of a Silver Slugger or anything like that. All I can do is try to be the best player I can be; when I look back on the year,
I’m really proud of what I accomplished."
There are rumors that the hitter may be traded, most likely for some pitchers. With the current year’s results, there is no guarantee that changes will not take place in the Minnesota roster. In the event, both Willingham and Denard Span are likely candidates
due to their attractiveness to other franchises.
The veteran, however, is not disturbed by such possibilities and said he was not paying attention to such issues at the moment. "Any time a guy’s productive, teams are interested," he said. "That’s good, I think. So, I can sort of see why," he said.
He also stated that he wanted stability in his career but understands that moving around is a part of the game and cannot be ruled out altogether.
It will be interesting to see what roadmap lays ahead for Josh Willingham. Twins have had a struggle in the last two years. Josh has been one of the few bright spots the team had in 2012. It will be ideal that he continues to serve the team though the management
is certainly going to make the decision with an eye on the future as well.
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