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Silver bats highlight Jays' awards season

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By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com

11/23/09 3:41 PM EST

TORONTO -- Aaron Hill and Adam Lind shined in the batter's box this season for the Blue Jays, forming a dynamic duo that did not go unnoticed come awards season in 2009.

Hill and Lind -- the Blue Jays' second baseman and designated hitter, respectively -- both received Silver Slugger Awards on Nov. 12, honoring them as the top offensive performers at their respective positions in the American League. The pair became the first Toronto teammates to earn silver bats in the same season since Vernon Wells and Carlos Delgado accomplished the feat in 2003.

When the AL Most Valuable Player Award was revealed on Monday, Hill and Lind received some minor consideration, finishing 12th and 15th, respectively, in the balloting. The Jays have had just one MVP in team history: George Bell in 1987. This year, Toronto did not boast any serious contenders for any of the major Baseball Writers' Association of America awards.

Toronto's top candidate for a major honor was ace Roy Halladay, who captured the 2003 AL Cy Young Award. Halladay garnered 11 third-place votes for the '09 Cy Young Award, but he placed fifth in balloting, falling short in taking home the honor for the second time in his career. Beyond Halladay, previous Cy Young Award winners from Toronto include Roger Clemens (1997-98) and Pat Hentgen ('96).

Rookie Ricky Romero fashioned an impressive 13-win season in 2009, but some late struggles kept him from being seriously considered for the AL Rookie of the Year honor. Romero did not receive any votes for the award, which was handed to A's pitcher Andrew Bailey on Nov. 16. Eric Hinske (2002) and Alfredo Griffin (1979) are the only players to win Rookie of the Year in Toronto history.

Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston -- owner of the most managerial wins in franchise history -- will return for a final season at the helm in 2010 before retiring from the bench. In '08, Gaston received a pair of third-place votes in balloting for the AL Manager of the Year Award, despite the fact that he only guided the team for the final three months. Bobby Cox (1985) is the only manager to win the award in Toronto history.

Hill and Lind gave the Blue Jays 16 recipients of Silver Slugger Awards since the club's formation in 1977. Prior to this season, the last players to earn Silver Sluggers were Wells and Delgado in 2003. Hill played outstanding defense this season at second, as well, but fell short in his bid to become the eighth different player to earn a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in team history.

Hill, who missed most of the 2008 season due to a serious concussion, was also named the AL's Comeback Player of the Year in '09 in balloting by MLB.com's 30 beat reporters. He will likely be in the running for even more honors before the end of the year.

The Toronto chapter of the BBWAA announced its annual award winners for the Jays on Dec. 1. Halladay was named the Pitcher of the Year for the fifth year in a row and the seventh time in eight seasons. Hill received the Player of the Year award and Lind was named the Most Improved Player for the second year in a row. Romero was a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year.

The group also named Hill the recipient of the John Cerutti Award, which is given to "a person associated with the day-to-day workings of Blue Jays baseball who displays goodwill, cooperation and character, as exemplified by the late John Cerutti." The 2008 honor went to former team president and CEO Paul Godfrey.

Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.