Manny Ramirez, the Boston left fielder, won his ninth Silver Slugger on November 10, 2006. Along with Ramirez there were thirteen first time winners. Derek Jeter, shortstop for New York Yankees, and Carlos Beltran, center fielder for New York Mets, were among the first time winners.

Silver Slugger award is given to top offensive player at each position and to designated hitter. This award is given annually by Hillerich & Bradsby Co., the maker of Louisville Slugger bats.

Robinson Cano, Yankees second baseman, and Jose Reyes, New York Mets shortstop, were amongst the first time winners of Silver Slugger Award. Vladamir Guerrero, Angels right fielder, won this award for the sixth time while David Ortiz, the designated hitter for Boston, won for the third time. Guerrero and Ortiz are winning this award consecutively in a row.

There are other first time winners in the AL like Justin Morneau, Minnesotas first baseman, Joe Mauer, Minnesotas catcher, Joe Crede, third baseman with Chicago White Sox, and Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Soxs right fielder. Alfonso Soriano, Washington left fielder, also won his first NL Silver Slugger along with Philadephias first baseman Ryan Howard and second baseman Chase Utley, Matt Holliday, Colorados left fielder, Brian McCann, Atlanta catcher and Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs pitcher.

Manny Ramirez has won the Silver Slugger for eight consecutive seasons and is currently tied for third along with Barry Larkin in career Silver Sluggers. He is trailing Barry Bond who won 12 and Mike Piazza who won it 10 times.

Most of the players who won the award received substantial bonuses. The most notable being Jermaine Dye who received $15,000 and got a salary hike for 2007. His salary has been increased to $ 7 million!

About the writer: Nigel Kerry is an American free lance writer born in Los Angeles, California. Kerry writes among others for Sportus.com - Sportsbook reviews, UsBookies.com - Sports Betting Online and Get-best-mortgage-loan.com - Mortgage lenders, get the best mortgage loan

Perfect Holiday Gifts for the Sports Nut
If you have a sports fan or young athlete in the house, sometimes gift buying for the Christmas season can be an arduous task. It seems all they want to do is shoot hoops or kick imaginary goals in the back yard, but there are only so many times you can give them a soccer ball or baseball glove before they say, "another one?"Finding the perfect sports gift for your perfect sport doesn't have to be cumbersome. Here are five gifts that are sure to ...

Barry Bonds Hopes Albert Pujols Shatters Home Run Record
It is no surprise that everyone in MLB knows who Barry Bonds is, between the smashed balls and records to the Balco investigation, the name is now synonymous with baseball. If you asked Barry Bonds to name a few players in the league however, you may be waiting a while. There is one name that stands out in Bonds mind when he thinks about Baseball, and that name is Albert Pujols.This young player is setting records all on his own, and is on pace t...

Types of Compensation
If you have been injured we can claim compensation for the Pain and Suffering. Compensation awards in the UK still do not compare to those in the USA (see below for examples), but do not forget that you can also recover your expenses arising from the accident.In all cases you can claim for:Compensation for your pain and suffering, together with the disruption to your everyday lifelost earningslost pension contributionsthe cost of medical treatmen...

Yankees Land the Big Fish in Abreu
As expected from just about everyone in the baseball world, the Yankees made a move before the trading deadline. What wasnt expected was that the Yankees would reel in such a huge catch: two-time All Star Bobby Abreu and pitcher Cory Lidle, who may turn out to be the huge sleeper that the Yankees need to hold up the back of their rotation. The Yankees didnt necessarily need offensive help, but when you arent giving up any of your top prospects ...

The Baseball Bat: A Historical Look the Great Offensive Equalizer
If you are a fan of the game of baseball, you may not have given much thought to how the game has been changed by the historical evolution of the baseball bat.Americans became infatuated with baseball in the early 1800s, and by 1860 the sport was definitely the national pastime, with players using early versions of baseball bats to slug the ball around a regulation field. r You probably know that Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball, but...