Drake Baldwin Key Braves Player Missing From Silver Slugger Finalists

The Silver Slugger finalists have been announced, with two Atlanta Braves players, Matt Olson and Austin Riley, receiving a nod. In an up-and-down season, especially at the plate, it's noteworthy that they had multiple finalists. However, it can still be argued that one player was missing.

After a strong rookie showing, Drake Baldwin was absent from the list of finalists. This isn't a case to say he should win it. Hunter Goodman likely has this award on lock. There is still a case to be made that he should have been in the final three, and certainly over a former Braves catcher, William Contreras.

Among all National League catchers, Baldwin finished with the third-most home runs (19), the second-most RBIs (80) and had the seventh-best OPS (.810). Among catchers who played in at least 100 games, his OPS is third.

There is very little arguement that he was a top hitting catcher out of the gate, and he out performed one of the finalists. Perhaps there is an underlying reason Contreras got picked.

He played more games (150), and is a qualifying hitter. Meabwhile, Baldwin played in 124 games and isn't a qualifier. On top of that, Baldwin also wasn't a full-time starting catcher, whereas Contreras is.

We don't know if this is actually the case. This is an educated guess for why someone who had lesser stats ranked ahead of Baldwin. The Brewers' performance could have been a potential factor, but one of the finalists at this position played for the worst team in baseball. So, it's not that.

The fact that he's a rookie probably isn't why either. Rookies have won the award before. Jackson Merrill is an example from last season. Playing time could be the reason. But even then, there are multiple finalists for the Silver Slugger who played fewer games than Baldwin, including Riley.

Pinpointing the reason might be a lost cause, but it leaves the argument open. Baldwin was a high-performing player at his position on a team that needed him most, and he out performed finalists. It's a straight-forward argument.

Fortunately for him, the future looks bright, and he'll have more opportuities to not just be a finalist, but even win the award. There are also potential, bigger awards that be can still win and would hold more meaning. The Rookie of the Year Award has yet to have its finalists revealed. He's expected to be at least a finalist, if not win it.

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