[stealofhome]

In 1980, the manufacturer of Louisville Slugger bats first awarded the Silver Slugger. We have now reached 1980 in this league and I will be renaming the Silver Slugger award in each league (excluding the minor leagues) in honor of a particularly memorable hitter. I typically like to name awards for players who played in the early beginnings of the league, but the recent hitting boom in the Majors has led to many 40 and 50 year-old retirees getting the nod.

MLB: Paul Vines, RF
Vines simply has provided the most offensive value in MLB history. He is first all-time in Runs Created, wRC, wRAA, and BatR. He also ranks highly in some of the rate stats as well, with a minimum 3,000 PA - 3rd in RC/27, 14th in wOBA, and 6th in wRC+. He won the Silver Slugger 10 times in the Major Leagues and three times in high school.

Other options: Arnold White was the second player to 3,000 hits and the oldest player in the top 15 in hitting. Vito Fernandez was also an option. He had a higher total career value in a shorter timeframe than Vines but some of that value came from the glove as well.

NCAA: Arnold White, RF (Kentucky Wildcats)
White missed out on the MLB award so he deserves to be the NCAA namesake. He was a 7-time silver slugger in the Major Leagues and still only one of three players to have 3,000 career hits. He was a 1st overall draftee that had the absolute fulfillment of his potential.

Other options: UCLA Bruin Meredith Applewhite had perhaps a slightly better offensive MLB career than White but I did want to give it to White mostly due to his age.

California Interscholastic Federation (CIF): Urdar Arisson, LF (Central Grizzlies)
Arisson only won the Silver Slugger once in his MLB career but he did win the award four times in high school. He had much greater potential but struggled with injuries his entire career.

Other options: Clayton Heise never won the Silver Slugger in the MLB but did win twice in High School and was drafted 3rd overall in 1951.

Florida High School Athletic Association (FLHSAA): Tony Snow, RF (Wiregrass Ranch Bulls)
Snow was just inducted into the Hall of Fame and now this. He won the MLB silver slugger six times and the high school award twice. In 1957 when Snow was drafted with the 110th overall pick, I'm sure a Rookie of the Year and MVP award would have seemed out of his reach, but he sure turned it on after signing with the Giants. Fellow Bull Gilson Cravoa has the Florida MVP award named after him.

Other options: Noah Sylvain

Georgia High School Association (GHSA): Landon Smythe, 1B (North Cobb Warriors)
Smythe won 7 silver sluggers on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Both Wesley Haley (Fielding Award) and Everett Williams (Pitching Award) also attended North Cobb - a school with an esteemed history to be sure.

Other options: Other top hitters from Georgia include Rio Aldrich, Devan Quade, and Kerry Law.

Illinois High School Association (IHSA): Julian Foreman, LF, (Teutopolis Wooden Shoes)
Foreman has far and away been the best hitter out of Illinois, one of three Hall of Fame inductees this year to receive the award. Seven of his nine silver slugger awards were won in the MLB. He attended the same high school as Devon McFadden after whom the pitching award is named.

New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA): Moe Fay, RF (Tappan Zee Dutchmen)
Fay is another of the recent Hall of Fame inductees to get an award named after him. He won four silver sluggers in the majors, two in the minors, and one in high school. He wasn't much to look at as a high school draftee, getting drafted in the 7th round, but he was able to turn his career around quite extremely.

New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA): Kengo Toyoshima, 1B (Rio Rancho Rams)
Toyoshima had quite possibly the longest MLB career of all-time, including the future. He retired amazingly at age 47, meaning he spent time in the Major Leagues in four decades. He did win two silver sluggers in the Major Leagues, one in the minor leagues, and two in high school.

Other options: Elliot Raprap

North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA): Leo McCanna, LF (Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans)
McCanna spent his entire career with the Marlins after getting drafted 7th overall. He failed to sign out of high school and went to the University of Washington. He won five silver sluggers in the MLB, two in the minors, two in high school, and one in college.

Other options: Lester Taylor, Travis Newbold, Cody Vitale, Thomas Hagan

Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA): Guy Hubbell, RF (Sheldon Irish)
Hubbell led the league in HR and OPS four times. He won the MLB silver slugger five times, in high school four times, and in the minor leagues once. Wyatt Overton and Borya Yevgenyan also attended Sheldon High School.

Other options: David Findlay, Casey West, Aiden Shelton

Texas University Interscholastic League (TUIL): Christian Barnett, CF (El Dorado Aztecs)
Texas has a great history of hitting prospects and Christian Barnett comes out as one of the best. He won two silver sluggers in the majors and dominated the TUIL in the 1930s. The top two hitters already have awards so they were ineligible, opening up the door for Barnett. C.J. Steiner, the gold glove award namesake also attended El Dorado.

Other options: Paul Vines, Phoenix Amoss, Keith Blas, Levi Bryant, Leo Mendoza

Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA): Nick Reed, CF (Hortonville Polar Bears)
Nick Reed is one of only two players at defense-first positions to have the slugging award named after him. The 3-time silver slugger and 2-time MVP should probably have been moved out of CF later in his career but he did still make the Hall of Fame despite his poor defense in the latter part of his time on the diamond.

Other options: Johan Velez, Harold Bach