5 Reds who were robbed of a Silver Slugger Award during steroid era

The steroid era in Major League Baseball, widely considered to encompass the early-to-mid 1990s and into the early-2000s is considered by many to be a black eye of the sport. It also brought some of the most iconic moments into focus — Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chasing down Roger Maris' home run record in 1998, and of course Barry Bonds surpassing the great Hank Aaron in 2007.

Though the records still stand, they're shrouded in doubt. Would McGwire and Sosa have eclipsed 500 home runs without the use of performance enhancing drugs? Is Bonds really the all-time home run leader?

But beyond the record books, one has wonder how many awards could be deemed illegitimate. It's difficult to say with certainty that Player A was completely clean, but Player B undoubtedly took PEDs. Baseball didn't begin testing until 2003. Let's look at five former Cincinnati Reds who may have been robbed of the Silver Slugger Award during the steroid era.

Editors Note: The voting for the Silver Slugger Award is done by MLB coaches and managers, not by Louisville Slugger.

5 Reds who were robbed of a Silver Slugger Award during steroid era

Kevin Mitchell, Reds outfielder (1994)

Bonds, Moises Alou, and Tony Gwynn took home Silver Slugger honors in 1994, but Kevin Mitchell had an outstanding season for the Reds. Obviously the player's strike resulted in the cancellation of the final two months of the season and playoffs, but Mitchel still had a 1.100 OPS with 30 home runs.

Eric Davis, Reds outfielder (1996)

Two-time Silver Slugger Award-winner Eric Davis should probably have three trophies on his mantle after being robbed in 1996. Eric the Red posted a .917 OPS with 26 homers and 96 RBI, but still finished behind Bonds, Gary Sheffield, and Ellis Burks.

Greg Vaughn, Reds outfielder (1999)

Reds outfielder Greg Vaughn missed out on the Silver Slugger Award in 1999 despite clubbing 45 homers — tied for the third-most in the league that season. Instead, Sosa, Vladimir Guerrero, and Larry Walker were presented the awards. Vaughn had more home runs and RBI than Walker that year.

Ken Griffey Jr., Reds outfielder (2000)

Ken Griffey Jr.'s first year back home in Cincinnati was his best as a member of the Reds. That year, the Hall of Famer posted a .271/.387/.556 slash line with 40 home runs. But Bonds, Sosa, and Guerrero took home the Silver Slugger Awards that season.

Adam Dunn, Reds outfielder (2004)

PED testing was enacted in 2003, so there's reason to believe that the sport was somewhat "clean" by this point. Adam Dunn had an outstanding season for the Reds in 2004. He hit 46 home runs that year — second behind only Adrian Beltré — but was still beaten out for the Silver Slugger Award that season by Bonds, Jim Edmonds, and Bobby Abreu.

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