2024 Silver Sunburst Awards: April edition RESULTS

The votes are in! Here are your April winners!

After a week of voting, the results are in for your inaugural Silver Sunburst Award winners! While April may not have been the month many fans were hoping for, there are certainly standout performers deserving of our monthly Silver Sunburst.

Winners were decided by DRB readers votes, as well as a vote within the DRB staff and statistics and analysis from these players April performances. Statistics and analysis are weighed in the most, with votes being a tie-breaker for closer candidates.

Offensive Silver Sunburst: Isaac Paredes

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Paredes had himself a month at the plate, leading the Rays in home runs (6), RBI (16), wRC+ (166), and earning himself the inaugural Offensive Silver Sunburst.

Paredes won two Sunbursts in the month of April, including one against the Rangers and one against the Tigers.

Paredes ran away with the DRB vote, earning over 50% of all votes on the readers’ poll and over 60% on the staff poll.

Brett Philips said “Even when he’s not pulling dongs to left field, Paredes’ excellent batter’s eye always makes him a tough out.”

Honorable Mention: Richie Palacios

Palacios had an impressive April, walking at an impressive rate with a 13.3 BB% as well as a .419 OBP. Though he didn’t rack up many reader votes, the ex-Cardinal was right behind Paredes in both staff voting and Analytics.

Robinson said “Palacios has been both the beating heart of the club offensively, as well as a pure standout at the plate.”

Pitching Silver Sunburst: Zack Littell

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This award was probably the most debated one between all three metrics, with Littell in competition with both Ryan Pepiot and Zack Eflin for the inaugural Pitching Silver Sunburst.

While Littell trailed behind in ERA, he kept up in more advanced statistics and won both the reader and staff votes to earn himself the win.

“Littell has no right to be this good but it seems like he actually is.” Ian Malinowski said, and he’s got a good point. Littell’s unexpected successes have been huge in an injury-riddled Rays rotation.

Phillips backed this point, saying “Pepiot almost had my vote, but Littell has a been a continued surprise. A stabilizing force in a rotation which has somehow been surprisingly aceless through April”

Honorable Mention: Ryan Pepiot

Pepiot’s numbers were just outstanding in April, earning 38 strikeouts in 34 ²⁄₃ innings pitched giving up just 12 hits. The Rays went 3-3 in games he started, an impressive feat when you consider they scored just 12 runs in his six starts.

One DRB staffer said “Very tight race between Pepiot and Eflin. I went with Pepiot who provided some of the highest octane stuff, and what got him over the line for me was his stunning start in Colorado.”

Defensive Silver Sunburst: Jose Caballero

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This was perhaps the least debatable of the four categories, with Caballero earning over 60% of the fan vote, 100% of the DRB staff vote, and having the highest defensive WAR on the team.

Caballero won two Defensive Sunbursts in April, after impressive series against both the Angels and Yankees.

Darby Robinson said “The Rays had huge cleats to fill at SS. Jose Caballero has been a revelation as a pesky hitter, but his nifty glove work at SS has been a huge. Perhaps the most demanding position defensively on the diamond and Cabby has been a standout.”

Caballero also currently leads the Rays in total Sunbursts, having won five already on the young season.

Honorable Mention: Richie Palacios

Palacios had an impressive month in the outfield, winning two sunbursts and the second most reader votes, however there was no stopping Caballero from winning this one.

Highlight Silver Sunburst: Dave Wills

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April was a relatively gloomy month for the Rays this season, however Dave Wills’ induction into the Rays Hall of Fame was a beam of light that made Rays fans of all age happy.

Wills is a staple in Rays history for his many iconic calls, and his legacy being immortalized forever is bigger than any play this month.

Wills’ induction was the second most voted on highlight in the reader poll and the most voted in the staff poll.

Honorable Mention: Zack Littell

While Littell won a majority of the fan votes, his lack of any votes in the staff poll and the overwhelming majority of the staff poll voting for Wills’ led to him winning this months nod.

Sunburst Leaders

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We’ll finish up each of these Silver Sunburst pieces with an update on your Sunburst leaders.

As of today (May 9), Caballero is your current leader amongst the Rays with five awards, including two defensive, two highlights, and an offensive nod.

Right behind Caballero is Jose Siri and Palacios with four.

As for pitchers, Pepiot and Eflin are nodded up at three pitching awards, however Pepiot has a highlight Sunburst that gives him the lead amongst the pitchers.

Below is a full ranking of all the winners:

1. Jose Caballero - 5
2. Jose Siri, Ryan Pepiot, Richie Palacios, Zack Eflin - 4
3. Randy Arozarena, Zack Littell, Isaac Paredes - 3
4. Yandy Diaz, Ben Rortvedt, Amed Rosario - 2
5. Brandon Lowe, Aaron Civale, Pete Fairbanks, Rene Pinto, Tyler Alexander, Dave Wills, Curtis Mead, Jonny Deluca - 1