There are less than two weeks remaining in the MLB regular season, and the playoffs and awards season will follow quickly after.
Each year, Louisville Slugger's Silver Slugger Award is given to the best hitter at each position in each league. Former Boston Red Sox star, current Los Angeles Dodger and future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts has won seven Silver Sluggers. Three of his awards came while he was with the Red Sox organization, including in 2018, when he was also named an All-Star, won a Gold Glove, MVP and a World Series.
Betts is currently tied with another Red Sox legend in Silver Slugger wins — David Ortiz. If the Dodgers outfielder wins another, he'll surpass one of the greatest hitters in recent memory. In an interview posted on September 18, Adam Weinrib of FanSided asked Betts if he would brag about his eventual eighth Silver Slugger win.
"Oh absolutely, I'll never let him hear the end of it," Betts said. "At least I'm better than him at something, you know? That's tough to say, especially with someone like that."
Mookie Betts is one Silver Slugger win away from surpassing Red Sox legend David Ortiz
Ortiz is a larger than life figure in Red Sox history, and surpassing him in any offensive statistic is no small feat, especially for a player who still has so much of their career ahead of them. Betts is just two All-Star appearances away from tying Ortiz's 10, both players have won three World Series, but Ortiz has never won an MVP.
All of Ortiz's seven Silver Sluggers came with the Red Sox organization, where he revitalized his career after six seasons with the Twins. Ortiz won a Silver Slugger in four consecutive years from 2004-07, and in each of those years he also claimed All-Star nominations and MVP votes.
Betts may still be a ways from the eighth Silver Slugger that would put him above Ortiz. He's slashing .260/.328/.409 with a .737 OPS over 142 games after a slow start to the season, possibly due to a wicked offseason stomach bug that caused him to drop over 20 pounds quickly. Betts has found his rhythm as the season progresses. He's batting .325/.391/.564 in his last 30 games, and he's a critical offensive contributor during the Dodgers' race to the postseason, as usual.