A-Rod and Shef each claimed a Louisville Silver Slugger award for their hitting prowess this season, the eighth for A-Rod and “only” the fourth for Sheffield. Neither recipient should come as a surprise to anyone who watched them bat this year; those two were pure intimidation at the plate. This season also marked the milestone 400-homer mark for Rodriguez, which he accomplished before he even turned thirty - - and yes, we have him through 2010. For his part, Shef knocked in 34 homers and hit a solid .291, definitely enough to warrant a Silver Slugger. Of course, several Yanks could be candidates for this award, but I shan’t be biased towards them.

I do have a bone to pick with their first base choice, however. How was Albert Pujols overlooked? He was an absolute monster this season. I do realize that Derrek Lee certainly was amazing as well, and will concede that their numbers were nearly equal across the board. The reason I would personally put Pujols on top is because the numbers he put up this year aren’t anything out of the ordinary for him. Pujols has not dipped below .314 or hit fewer than 34 home runs since the start of his career, while Lee’s numbers came from out of nowhere (steroids? Body double?) this season. Lee did edge out Pujols by a point or two, but in this case, I’m going to have to say that those advantages are moot. Pujols should be awarded for his solid, career-spanning domination.