Detroit Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario wins 2021 Tiger of the Year
Detroit Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario is the first player since Miguel Cabrera in the 2012 and 2013 seasons to secure back-to-back Tiger of the Year awards.
Candelario was announced Tuesday afternoon as the 2021 Tiger of the Year, as voted on by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
The 27-year-old was considered the Tigers' most consistent player last season, finishing with a team-best 3.2 wins above replacement. Candelario received nine votes, followed by infielder Jonathan Schoop (five votes), outfielder Robbie Grossman (three votes) and right-handed pitcher Casey Mize (one vote).
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Since the award's establishment in 1965, just seven players have won consecutive titles: Denny McLain (1968-69), Ron LeFlore (1977-78), Alan Trammell (1987-88), Cecil Fielder (1990-92), Travis Fryman (1995-96), Cabrera (2012-13) and Candelario (2020-21).
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Candelario won the 2020 Tiger of the Year award last November after hitting .297 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs in 52 games during the shortened season. This time around, the switch-hitter posted a .271 batting average with 42 doubles, three triples, 16 homers and 67 RBIs in 149 games.
Tying for first place in MLB with 42 doubles helped Candelario to a .443 slugging percentage. He also chipped in 65 walks, compared to 135 strikeouts, for a .351 on-base percentage. In the field, he logged minus-4 defensive runs saved as the everyday third baseman.
Candelario became the 12th player in franchise history to produce 40-or-more doubles in a season and the first Tiger since Cabrera in 2011 to lead MLB in two-baggers.
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Spanning the past two seasons, Candelario boasts a .278 batting average, .356 on-base percentage and .458 slugging percentage with 53 doubles, three triples, 23 homers, 96 RBIs, 85 walks and 184 strikeouts over 201 games.
The Tigers acquired Candelario, along with fellow infielder Isaac Paredes, in a 2017 trade with the Chicago Cubs. They sent catcher Alex Avila and reliever Justin Wilson the other way. Candelario is a .246 hitter in 482 career games.
Here are the Tiger of the Year winners since 2000:
2000: Bobby Higginson
2001: Steve Sparks
2002: Randall Simon
2003: Dmitri Young
2004: Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez
2005: Placido Polanco
2006: Carlos Guillen
2007: Magglio Ordonez
2008: Miguel Cabrera
2009: Justin Verlander
2010: Miguel Cabrera
2011: Justin Verlander
2012: Miguel Cabrera
2013: Miguel Cabrera
2014: Victor Martinez
2015: J.D. Martinez
2016: Justin Verlander
2017: Justin Upon
2018: Nick Castellanos
2019: Matthew Boyd
2020: Jeimer Candelario
2021: Jeimer Candelario
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Jeimer Candelario wins 2021 Tiger of the Year
