The Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger award is a phenomenal way for fans to track just how good a hitter was during any given season according to MLB coaches and managers, and a great resource to track the breakout seasons for all-time greats like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The Los Angeles Angels rostered two potential unanimous Hall of Famers in Trout and Ohtani, and looking back at their first of many Silver Slugger awards is a fantastic way to contextualize just how good they were that year and how much better they would become.
Recalling the 1st Silver Slugger Angels seasons for Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani
Let's start with Trout, who won his first Silver Slugger award back during his rookie season in 2012 (he debuted in 2011 for 40 games but 2012 is considered his rookie season).