3 Pirates who got robbed of a Silver Slugger award during steroid era

The Silver Slugger Award, given to the best offensive player at each position, was heavily skewed during the late 1990s and early 2000s toward inflated offensive numbers – often from players later linked to performance-enhancing drugs.

The steroid era robbed a handful of players of their rightful recognition. They were producing clean, sustainable offensive numbers that, in today’s environment, would be viewed as All-Star and Silver Slugger-worthy seasons. Instead, they became footnotes in an era where artificially enhanced power redefined what it meant to be a “slugger.”

Several Pittsburgh Pirates hitters from that era put up strong seasons worthy of recognition, but they were overshadowed by players posting superhuman stat lines - and, remember, that these votes were made by the league's managers and coaches, who were clearly swayed by gaudy totals at the time. Here are some notable cases:

3 Pirates who got robbed of a Silver Slugger award during steroid era

Brian Giles (1999-2002)

Brian Giles was one of the purest hitters of his era, boasting elite plate discipline, legitimate power and no documented hint of PED suspicion (though allegations did arise during his early 2010s palimony trial). Yet he was playing in the National League during the height of Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and others’ artificially inflated numbers. In several other eras – including the current one – Giles would’ve had multiple Silver Sluggers.

Here are some of Giles' most notable stat lines in Pittsburgh:

1999: .315 AVG, 39 HR, 115 RBI, 1.032 OPS
2000: .315 AVG, 35 HR, 123 RBI, 1.017 OPS
2002: .298 AVG, 38 HR, 103 RBI, 1.072 OPS

In 1999, Giles ranked third in OPS and second in on-base percentage among all NL outfielders. His WAR (7.3) was better than Sosa's. Only Bonds and Larry Walker were clearly better than Giles that season, but Sosa was the third outfielder to win the NL Silver Slugger award in 1999.

In 2000, Giles once again lost out to Bonds and Sosa, as well as Vladimir Guerrero. Giles' 6.5 WAR was higher than Guerrero's 5.8, and his stat line was essentially identical to Bonds' pre-injury. Essentially, he was penalized for playing in small-market Pittsbugh.

Giles was arguably most deserving of a Silver Slugger nod in 2002, when he lost out to Bonds, Sosa and Lance Berkman. His OPS ranked second in the NL behind Bonds, and his 173 OS+ was top-5 in all of baseball. Statistically, he should have replaced Berkman.

Jason Kendall (1998-2000)

Jason Kendall was a different kind of hitter – one with contact, on-base skills and speed – while Mike Piazza was the archetype of a power-hitting catcher. Unfortunately, during that era, “slugger” was almost synonymous with home run totals, not all-around offensive value.

Kendall’s blend of batting average, on-base percentage and athleticism was elite, but overshadowed by Piazza’s 30-plus homer years in the juiced-ball environment. Piazza’s power numbers were huge in 1998 (32 home runs), but Kendall’s WAR and OBP nearly matched him. Piazza’s team profile gave him the edge.

Kendall's 1998 campaign was arguably the best all-around season by a catcher that year when defense and speed are included. Piazza again beat Kendall by slugging in 2000, but the latter provided elite on-base skills and speed, which is rare for a catcher. He ranked top five in NL on-base percentage (.412).

Aramis Ramirez (2001-03)

Aramis Ramírez’s breakout season in 2001 was one of the best by a young third baseman in baseball. The third baseman hit .300 with 34 home runs and 112 RBI, but again, he was lost in an era dominated by inflated offensive stars at his position. If his 2001 season happened 10 years later, he would have easily been a frontrunner for a Silver Slugger award.

Chipper Jones ended up winning the NL Silver Slugger at third base that year – as he should have – but Ramírez was the clear runner-up. If not for Jones' Hall of Fame-level production, Ramírez likely wins in most other seasons.