Mets' Francisco Lindor, Yankees' Aaron Judge and Juan Soto win Silver Slugger awards
Francisco Lindor, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto all took home hardware for their performances at the plate this season. Credit: Jim McIsaac; Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke; Newsday/William Perlman
The three best baseball players in New York in 2024 were further acknowledged as such Tuesday.
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Juan Soto won Silver Slugger awards, Louisville Slugger announced. The annual honors go to the best offensive player at each position in each league.
For Lindor, this is the fourth Silver Slugger of his career and his second in a row. He batted .273 with an .844 OPS to go with 33 home runs, 29 steals and 91 RBIs. With one additional stolen base, Lindor would have had his second 30/30 season in a row.
Judge, similarly, also collected his fourth overall (and third in four years). He was the best hitter in all of baseball, batting .322 with a 1.159 OPS that registered as more than twice as good as league average. Among the categories in which he led the majors: homers (58) and RBIs (144).
Soto, now a free agent, got the nod for a fifth season in a row (with three teams). The technically the lesser half of the Yankees’ 1-2 punch, Soto hit a mere 41 long balls and collected 109 RBIs. He had a .288 average and .989 OPS.
Lindor, Judge and Soto also are MVP finalists in their respective league. The winners of those awards are announced Nov. 21.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
