Willy Adames, Omar Narvaez nominated for Silver Slugger Awards

The World Series starts this week, meaning that the 2021 MLB season is drawing near to the end. Awards season is right around the corner, and nominations for the various honors have begun to trickle out. Earlier today the finalists for the annual Silver Slugger Awards were announced, which recognize the best offensive players at each position. Among this year’s nominees, two members of the Milwaukee Brewers have been included:

Willy Adames was perhaps Milwaukee’s most important acquisition this season, coming to the Brewers in May and providing the high-impact bat that the lineup desperately needed. He appeared in only 99 games for our Menomonee Valley Nine, but .285/.366/.521 with 20 home runs and four stolen bases. Among all NL shortstops with at least 400 plate appearances, Adames was 5th with a 135 wRC+, 5th with a 3.9 fWAR, 9th in home runs, 11th with 58 RBI. He’ll be a long-shot to win the award behind superlative performers Fernando Tatis, Jr., Brandon Crawford, and Trea Turner, but there is no doubting that Adames was an elite hitter once he arrived in Milwaukee.

Omar Narvaez got off to a hot start to the year and was one of the league’s top-hitting catchers until a September swoon dragged down his overall offensive line. He finished at .266/.342/.402 in 445 plate appearances on the year, good for a 99 wRC+ that ranked 6th among NL backstops (min. 400 PA). His 11 home runs tied for 5th, and 49 RBI were 7th. His 2.8 fWAR — which was positively influenced by his defensive and framing numbers — ranked 4th on the Senior Circuit among the group.

Here is a full list of all the nominees: