Davis, Jones and Hardy earn Silver Slugger Awards

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles continued their heavy presence in baseball's award season, leading the Majors with three Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award winners in Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones.

The Silver Sluggers, given to the best offensive player at each position in both leagues, were unveiled live on MLB Network on Wednesday night and determined by a vote of managers and coaches. It marked the first time since the award's inception in 1980 that the O's had three winners and just the fifth time in team history that Baltimore has had more than one Silver Slugger Award winner.

The three Silver Sluggers are the latest hardware for an Orioles club that had six Gold Glove finalists and three winners -- Hardy and Jones among them -- along with a Baseball Writers' Association of America American League MVP Award candidate in Davis.

Davis, who led baseball with 53 homers and 138 RBIs, is the third O's first baseman to claim a Silver Slugger, joining Eddie Murray (1983-84) and Rafael Palmeiro (1998).

"Receiving this award is very humbling, as there are some really great hitters that play first base in this league, so it means a lot to me," said Davis who, like Jones and Hardy, won his first Silver Slugger.

"Batting in the middle of the order, you want to pose a threat at all times, and I'm grateful that the opposing managers and coaches recognized not only the success that I had, but also the success of the team as well."

Jones became the first Orioles outfielder to win the award, after leading AL outfielders in homers (33) and RBIs (108). The 28-year-old also finished third in doubles (35) and slugging percentage (.493), as well as sixth in batting average (.285).

"It is a tremendous honor and with all of the great Orioles outfielders of the past, I'm surprised that I am the first to win one," Jones said. "While it is a great individual honor for all three of us, the ultimate goal is to win games and bring a championship to Baltimore."

Hardy rounds out the trio in becoming the third shortstop in club history to win the award, joining Cal Ripken Jr. (who won eight times) and Miguel Tejada (who won twice).

"I am really honored to win this award, because the coaches and managers' vote means so much to you as a player," Hardy said. "They see you quite a bit in the division, but for the guys you only play against a handful of times to notice not only you, but also two of your teammates, that is a good sign for the direction the Orioles are headed.

"And then to be mentioned in the same sentence as Cal and Miggy as an offensive player, that just leaves me speechless."

Hardy posted his third consecutive 20-homer season, going deep 25 times and driving in 76 runs in 159 games.