November 12, 201015 yr AND HIS NAME IS... SILVER SLUGGER! Dan Uggla, at the young age of 30, won his first Silver Slugger award on Thursday. After the big offensive season he had, nobody should be surprised Uggla won. This past season, Uggla set career highs in batting average, HR's, RBI's, OBP, and OPS. His slugging percentage was also the highest among all second baseman in the league. Uggla is now the first Marlin second baseman to win a Silver Slugger. It is fitting that he be the first, considering he holds the Marlins record for home runs with 154. He is also the only second baseman in MLB history to have four consecutive 30 home run seasons. Uggla has had a very peculiar road to major league success. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 11th round of the 2001 MLB Draft. After five years with the organization, he was selected by the Marlins in the 2005 Rule V Draft. To the surprise of many, he won the starting 2nd base job out of Spring Training, and after a spectacular first half of the season he was named to the 2006 All Star Team as a rookie. Since 2006, he has been a key part of the Marlins offense, and has set numerous team and major league records for a second baseman. Recently, Uggla rejected a 4 year, $48 million contract by the Marlins. The $12 million per year average salary would be the highest in Marlins history. Reports have stated that Uggla is looking for a 5 year deal. If a deal is not reached before the season starts, it is likely that the Marlins will look into trading Uggla. However, both the Marlins and Uggla have expressed a mutual interest in getting a multiyear contract done. Click here to view the article
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