The Los Angeles Dodgers, along with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres, are among the National League finalists for the inaugural Team Silver Slugger Award.

The Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Rays are the American League finalists for the 2023 Team Silver Slugger Award.

Leading the way were 2023 All-Stars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez, and Will Smith, along with Max Muncy, Jason Heyward, James Outman, and others, making the Dodgers’ offence one of the strongest in all of baseball this season.

With 34.4 offensive wins above replacement (WAR), the Dodgers were second only to the Braves (36.7) among NL teams.

Moreover, L.A. finished third in batting average (.257) and second in terms of home runs (249), runs scored (906), RBI (877), walk percentage (10.2%), ISO (.197), on-base percentage (.340), slugging percentage (.455), wOBA (.341), and wRC+ (116).

Louisville Slugger has increased the number of Silver Slugger Awards for the second year running. Utility player awards were introduced in 2022 to recognise the best hitters who can play several positions.

Louisville Slugger marketing manager Jake Misener said in a statement, “Every year, there are a few teams in each league that are capable of hanging crooked numbers on a near-nightly basis, and with the introduction of the Silver Slugger Team Award, these clubs will get their due alongside the standout individual offensive performers in the game.”

“Involving and empowering MLB fans nationwide only heightens the excitement surrounding the Silver Slugger Award’s ongoing tradition.”

Along with the individual player awards, the NL and AL Silver Slugger Team Award winners will be announced on the MLB Network on November 9.

The 2023 Silver Slugger Award finalists are five Dodgers.The Dodgers’ Betts, Freeman, Martinez, Muncy, and Smith were all named NL finalists for the 2023 Silver Slugger Award. Muncy and Smith were two of the team’s 2021 finalists, and Freeman, Betts, and Smith were also in contention for the offensive award the previous season.

Betts is a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award this season in both the outfield and utility positions.

MLB managers and coaches cast their ballots for players at each position in their leagues to select the winners; each team gets four votes, one for the manager and three for the coaches of their choosing.

A player’s overall value at the plate is judged by managers and coaches based on a variety of offensive statistics, including batting average, on-base plus slugging percentage, runs scored, home runs, RBI, total bases, RBI, and OPS+.