Donovan Solano has admitted that he wasn’t expecting to win the National League Silver Slugger Award at second base last year. Solano hit .326 with an .828 OPS and vied for the batting crown for most of the 60-game season, but he assumed the prize would end up going to the Mets’ Robinson Cano.

When the results were announced in November, Solano was pleasantly surprised to find out that he had been recognized as the NL’s top offensive second baseman, becoming the first Giant to capture the honor since Buster Posey in 2017.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler and hitting coaches Donnie Ecker, Justin Viele and Dustin Lind presented Solano with his Silver Slugger Award before Saturday afternoon’s game against the Rockies at Oracle Park.

“I’m very happy that I’m going to be receiving that award today,” Solano said in Spanish. “My family is going to be here and is going to be watching, so that motivates me even more, knowing that they’ll be able to share this moment with me.”

Solano, 33, debuted with the Marlins in 2012 and was out of the Majors for two full seasons before joining the Giants on a Minor League deal ahead of the 2019 campaign. In San Francisco, Solano has enjoyed a late-career renaissance, emerging as one of the Giants’ steadiest hitters and earning the nickname “Donnie Barrels,” due to his uncanny ability to consistently find the sweet spot on the bat.

A native of Barranquilla, Colombia, Solano entered Saturday batting .346 (9-for-26) over the Giants’ first six games, but Kapler opted to start the left-handed-hitting Tommy La Stella at second base against right-hander Chi Chi González.

“He’s one of our harder workers,” Kapler said of Solano. “He’s always smiling, always accountable. He doesn’t get bent out of shape on a day like today when, even though he’s been one of our better hitters this season, he’s not in our lineup. It’s kind of that accountability and the good energy he brings to the ballpark every day, coupled with the excellent performance, that makes him among our easiest players to root for. I think [the Silver Slugger Award] is going to mean a lot to Donovan, but also his teammates and coaches as well.”

Solano said he’s a different player than he was earlier in his career, as he’s hitting fewer ground balls and more line drives after ditching his leg kick and adjusting his approach at the plate.

“I used to have a leg kick, but I ended up being inconsistent when it came time to swing, and I would get beat by hard pitches,” Solano explained. “I also try to use left field more, because I used to try to hit everything to right field. Now I try to think a little bit more up the middle and try to react to inside pitches, which has given me a better chance to hit to all fields.”

What are his plans for his Silver Slugger Award?

“I’m going to put it away and kind of look at it and remember what a great year I had,” Solano said. “I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about it one day. I’ll put it in a safe place and enjoy it.”

Worth noting

• Third baseman Evan Longoria returned to action on Saturday after missing one game due to side effects from the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

• Right-hander Ashton Goudeau was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on Saturday. Goudeau, 28, was designated for assignment last week to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Skye Bolt, who was claimed off waivers from the A’s.