Most surprising Silver Slugger winner in Cincinnati Reds history

While it might not be the case in 2025, the Cincinnati Reds have a long history of stellar offensive performances. In total, a Reds player has taken home the award 21 times since it was created in 1980. That number, of course, would be much higher if it existed during the Big Red Machine's run of dominance in the 1970s.

With sluggers like Dave Parker, Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, and Jay Bruce permeating the roster over the years, it's no surprise that the Reds have been well represented. Larkin, himself, is responsible for nearly half of all of the Reds' Silver Slugger selections, taking home nine in his Hall of Fame career.

The Reds' relationship with the award is a little funny. Despite many deserving seasons, Joey Votto never took home the award, which is a true baseball travesty. Despite that, every Red who has been honored with the trophy has clearly been a logical selection... except for one.

Well-traveled journeyman Felipe Lopez is the most surprising Silver Slugger winner in Reds history

The last Reds player to take home the award was Nick Castellanos, a player some believe the Reds might look to reunite with in the offseason, in what was a powerful 2021 campaign. Castellanos's selection broke a nearly decade-long Silver Slugger drought in Cincinnati, as it had not been since Jay Bruce took home the award in 2012 and 2013 that a Red had been given the prestigious honor.

But who was the most surprising Reds player to win the award? Well, to answer that question, we have to go back 20 years and remember a guy who has likely long faded from our memory banks. That player would be Felipe Lopez.

Lopez arrived in Cincinnati by way of Toronto in 2003 as a light-hitting 23-year-old utility infielder. His first season in Ohio left much to be desired with a .612 OPS, but 2004 saw him improve that mark to a more respectable .719 mark.

Following Barry Larkin's retirement ahead of the 2005 season, the Reds moved Lopez to shortstop, giving him the full-time nod. He responded with the best year of his career, slashing .291/.352/.486, earning his first and only All-Star nod and winning NL Silver Slugger honors for the shortstop position. The 23 homers he clubbed that year represented over a quarter of the 90 he'd tally over his 11-year career.

And just like that, Lopez's flame extinguished. He'd post a respectable .749 OPS in the first half of 2006, before being traded to the Washington Nationals that July. After two calendar years in Washington, he'd be on the move often, signing with the St. Louis Cardinals upon his release.

After 2007, Lopez wouldn't finish any of the remaining seasons of his career with the team he broke camp with. 2011 would be the final year that he'd play in the bigs, finishing his career with a .264/.333/.391 line while playing for eight different teams over 11 years.

To be fair to Lopez, lasting over a decade in the majors and posting a .724 OPS is nothing to sneeze at, but his 2005 season for Cincinnati was a clear outlier in his career, and makes him a fun piece of Reds trivia.

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