2061-5 Butler, Little Win Awards, Get Blocked

[indiansfan]

Butler, Little Win Awards, Get Blocked

Pioneers catcher Sam Butler and right fielder Michael Little have both been awarded Silver Slugger Awards for their respective positions. For Butler it was his third trophy and Little his second.

Butler won the award in 2058, 2060 and this season. The 26 year old has also been voted an All Star all three of those years. One of the top hitting catchers in the game, he has averaged 27 HR and 5.1 WAR over the past 4 seasons. He has topped 6.0 WAR the past 2 years.

For Little the last 2 seasons have been a juggernaut. Last year he came in 2nd in the Sawyer Silk voting, won the Silver Slugger and went to his first All Star game. He was an All Star again this year along with winning his second Slugger. Also 26, Little is entering his last year of arbitration and it would be the ideal year to lock him into a long term deal.

"These guys are two of the top hitters in the game," said GM Kevin Dickson. "While I would like to keep them here in Calgary for their whole careers I don't know that we can afford to. So it saddens me to say, one of them won't be on our roster next season."

Putting these players on the block while honoring them at the same time, while being tacky, is necessary for the team's long term financial health. With the dramatic reduction in the salary cap the team can afford to keep them for the 2062 season, but not beyond. Plus the team is in desperate need of pitching to become competitive.