Many of the Silver Slugger awards will be given to players MLB fans expect. Yes, Yordan Alvarez, a player in a position to win the AL Triple Crown, is almost certainly going to walk away with a Silver Slugger award. The same can be said about possible NL MVP frontrunner, Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Silver Sluggers are sometimes given to players who have flown under the radar enough to catch fans by surprise, though. These five players are in position to walk away with Silver Slugger awards, and I’m not sure they’re getting enough attention for their accomplishments.
3B Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers
It’s easy to overlook Max Muncy when the Los Angeles Dodgers also have Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and 19 other superstars, but Muncy feels like the glue keeping the dynasty afloat. He rarely gets any recognition, yet has been one of the most consistent infielders in the National League for the better part of a decade during his run with the Dodgers. This year has been no different, and Muncy is in position to win his first Silver Slugger as a result.
The 36-year-old is slashing .256/.349/.509 with 26 home runs and 67 RBI in 121 games played. His 132 wRC+ is 20 points higher than Alex Bregman, the second-best qualified primary third baseman in the National League, per FanGraphs. If Muncy played on any other team, his season would be getting much more attention.
C Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
The National League catcher generating the most buzz this season has been Hunter Goodman, and understandably so. Goodman’s 34 home runs lead all qualified MLB catchers by a wide margin, and he’s had a great year despite limited protection in the Colorado Rockies’ lineup. As great a power year as Goodman has had, though, he has a 118 wRC+, which, while good, isn’t extraordinary. Gabriel Moreno’s wRC+, however, is at 132.
Moreno is tied with Freddie Freeman and Kevin McGonigle for 23rd among all qualified hitters with that mark, while Goodman is tied for 49th. There is a difference. Goodman gets a boost playing at Coors Field that Moreno (who plays in a hitter-friendly ballpark too, just not to that extent) does not. Moreno doesn’t have the power output Goodman does, obviously, but he’s hitting .303 (7th in the majors) with a .381 on-base percentage (10th in the majors). Goodman supplies elite power, while Moreno has elite on-base skills. Both are critical, but Moreno, especially with ballparks adjusted, has a real case for the Silver Slugger award.
2B Luke Keaschall, Minnesota Twins
You might be surprised to see Luke Keaschall on here for a couple of reasons. Not only has he played a good amount of outfield, but he also ended the month of June with a .645 OPS. He was really underperforming for half the year. Well, Keaschall has played 76 games at second base compared to 48 in the outfield, and he’s also been raging hot for a while.
The 24-year-old has hit .333 with a .955 OPS since July 1, raising his season OPS to .751 and his wRC+ to 115. As mediocre as those numbers might seem, they both lead all qualified primary AL second basemen. He only has eight home runs, and his season has been a bit underwhelming given how well he played to begin his MLB career in 2025, but when looking at how guys like Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Travis Bazzana have underperformed, this award figures to be Keaschall’s to lose.
2B Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
Unlike the AL, the National League is flooded with elite second basemen. From JJ Wetherholt to Ketel Marte to Ozzie Albies to Luis Arraez to Brandon Lowe, there’re tons of great players worth highlighting, but none of them have had quite the year Brice Turang has with the bat.
Turang leads this incredible group with a 119 wRC+. He doesn’t hit .320 like Arraez, he doesn’t have 27 home runs like Brandon Lowe, he doesn’t have the big name like Marte, but he’s had a very well-rounded season. He’s slashing .259/.353/.432 with 16 home runs and 75 RBI. These numbers aren’t flashy, but he’s right on par with Arraez in OBP and right on par with Lowe in RBI. He’s as balanced a second baseman as there’s been in the NL this season, and that should make him the Silver Slugger favorite.
1B Jake Bauers, Milwaukee Brewers
Speaking of underrated Milwaukee Brewers position players, can we talk about Jake Bauers for a minute? Bauers has been a bench player for much of his career, and did not have a guaranteed starting role to begin this season, but he’s forced his way into the Brewers’ lineup on most nights due to the incredible season he’s having. Bauers is slashing .273/.382/.503 with 23 home runs and 75 RBI.
He leads all qualified NL first basemen in OPS (.884) and wRC+ (144). Other first basemen like Bryce Harper, Matt Olson and Freddie Freeman, to name a few, have had fantastic years, but Bauers has flat-out outperformed them. On a Brewers team that’s as good as any in the sport, nobody has been more prolific offensively than Bauers, and that includes Turang.
OF Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals
Jac Caglianone ended the month of July hitting .251 with 17 home runs, 40 RBI and a .760 OPS. These aren’t bad numbers by any means, but they don’t exactly scream Silver Slugger-worthy. Fast forward to today, and Caglianone is hitting .277 with an .819 OPS. He’s hitting .403 (!) with a 1.121 OPS in August.
All of a sudden, Caglianone has a 125 wRC+, which ranks fifth among all AL qualified primary outfielders. Now, there’re only three spots, but it’s worth noting that Caglianone is tied for the lead with 22 home runs among all AL qualified primary outfielders, and he ranks fourth with a .276 average. He’s in a tight race with the likes of Randy Arozarena, Mike Trout, Riley Greene and Chase DeLauter, but given how well he’s been playing of late and knowing that he plays half the time at Kauffman Stadium, a park that suppresses home runs more than most, he deserves real consideration.
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