Orioles' Tejada, Mora earn Silver Slugger Awards
 November 4, 2004 -- Orioles SS MIGUEL TEJADA and 3B
MELVIN MORA were named today as members of Louisville Slugger's 2004 American League Silver Slugger award team, honoring the best offensive performers at each position in both leagues. It is the first award for both players.
Tejada led the major leagues and set a club record with 150 RBI in his first season with the Orioles. He batted .311, with 34 home runs and a .534 slugging percentage. He was 8th in the American League in homers and was in the top 10 in the league in total bases (3rd, 349), hits (4th, 203), extra base hits (4th, 76) and doubles (9th, 40). He was 11th in the league in slugging percentage. Tejada never won a Silver Slugger Award in 6 seasons with Oakland, despite being named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 2002.
Mora set a club record and finished 2nd in the AL with a .340 batting average in his first season at third base. He led the AL with a .419 on-base percentage, was 5th in slugging (.562) and tied for 6th in doubles (41). He led all AL third baseman in average, on-base and slugging percentage and his 104 RBI was 2 shy of the third base co-leaders despite missing nearly a month with ligament and hamstring injuries. Mora was primarily an outfielder and shortstop in his five previous big league seasons.
The Silver Slugger awards are determined by a vote of managers and coaches in each league and are based on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, as well as general impressions of a player's overall offensive value. Managers and coaches are not allowed to vote for a player on their own team.
This is the 25th year the Silver Slugger awards have been presented. Tejada and Mora are the 6th and 7th different Orioles to win the award, joining SS Cal Ripken Jr. (8 awards, 1983-86, '89, '91, '93-'94), 1B Eddie Murray (1983-84), CA Mickey Tettleton (1989), 2B Roberto Alomar (1996) and 1B Rafael Palmeiro (1998). This marks the 4th time that two Orioles have won a Silver Slugger in the same season: 1983-84 (Ripken-Murray) and 1989 (Ripken-Tettleton).
It also marks the first time teammates have won the Silver Slugger award at shortstop and third base in the American League. It has been done twice in the National League.
Last week, Tejada and Mora were named as the shortstop and third baseman on The Sporting News AL All-Star team, as voted by the league's players.
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