In an exclusive announcement on FanSided, Louisville Slugger revealed this season's NL Silver Slugger award finalists. As is the case with any award, there will be some fanbases upset that their favorite players didn't make the cut.
Three Dodgers, Cubs and Braves made the cut this season, and that shouldn't come as a major surprise given the star power included in those lineups. The Cubs and Dodgers specifically are up for the team of the year award as well. Before we hop into a list of snubs, however, I must say National League managers and coaches did a tremendous job this season as compared to some years past – there weren't any obvious missing candidates in 2025.
Per MLB.com, "position finalists and winners are determined by a vote of National League managers and coaches who cast ballots for players at each position in their league. Each NL team receives four (4) votes; the manager and three coaches of the team’s choice. Votes are based on a combination of offensive statistics including OPS, OPS+, home runs, RBI, batting average, total bases and runs, as well as the managers’ and coaches’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value."
If we're being honest, some of those statistics should be weighted more heavily than others. For example, OPS and OPS+ take both slugging percentage and on-base percentage into account. It's why most of the snubs listed below rank among the league leaders in that stat. The general impressions from managers and coaches, while important, can get them into trouble from time to time.
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Michael Busch
The National League silver slugger finalists are Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson. Had either of those three not made the cut, it would've been an easy argument to replace Busch with either All-Star. That being said, Busch had a tremendous season in Chicago. The Cubs added the former Dodgers prospect prior to the 2024 season, and he has been everything they could've asked for and then some.
Busch could be a potential extension candidate for the Cubs this winter, especially should they lose Kyle Tucker to MLB free agency. This season, Busch ranked third among NL first basemen in OPS and second in overall WAR. He was second among all NL first basemen in home runs, as well, behind only Pete Alonso.
If we were to exchange one first baseman for another, it would unfortunately mean Olson wouldn't make the cut. The Braves had a down season, and Olson doesn't quite meet the bar in this instance.
Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tatis Jr. is one of the most electric hitters in all of baseball. He ranked 15th among all hitters in OPS, and sixth among all outfielders. He ranked third in overall WAR, and while his defensive prowess surely played a role in that, his presence as one of the most-feared hitters in the Padres lineup and the sport suggests he should at least be a finalist. Tatis Jr. had 24 home runs, a .446 slugging percentage and .368 on-base percentage.
There's a chance Tatis Jr. is still paying the performance-enhancing drugs tax, as he tested positive back in 2022. Tatis Jr. served his 80-game suspension, however, and has since proven that he's a productive hitter beyond his years. Heck, Tatis Jr. has two silver sluggers to his name and is a three-time All-Star.
If we were to remove someone from this list in favor of Tatis Jr., it would likely be Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had an outstanding season in his own right but shares much of the same skill-set as the Padres star. PCA had a rough second half despite emerging as an NL MVP candidate through early July.
Eugenio Suarez
Yes, Eugenio Suarez was traded to the American League at the deadline, as he played a role in the Seattle Mariners run to the ALCS. And yes, he struggled mightily once he was dealt to Seattle, as he had a 0.3 WAR and an OPS under .700 in 53 games with the Mariners. However, Suarez's pre-deadline numbers alone warrant some consideration as a finalist for this award. In just over 100 games with the Diamondbacks, Suarez had a 3.3 WAR and 36 home runs. He was the prize of the trade deadline for a reason, and emerged as one of the greatest power threats in the sport by late July.
If we're adding Suarez to this list, that means someone has to come off. If we're looking at third base specifically, it'd be tough to remove either Manny Machado or Matt Chapman, who finished with a greater WAR than Suarez and played a full season in the National League. Austin Riley, however, was not the same hitter he has been in previous seasons.
Riley hit just .260 this season and 16 home runs. His .737 OPS is just a tick above league average. Suarez had surpassed Riley's 1.3 season-long WAR by the midway point of the first half. What are we doing here?
Seiya Suzuki
The Cubs had plenty of representation in the NL Silver Slugger Finalists, as they had three players – PCA, Kyle Tucker and Nico Hoerner – along with being named a finalist for team of the year. The Cubs had arguably the best lineup in baseball during the regular season, and Suzuki played a large role in completing that group, especially in the middle of the order.
This season, Suzuki had an .804 OPS, ranking second among Cubs outfielders behind Tucker and 18th in all of baseball. Suzuki's 2.6 WAR is lackluster compared to many of his counterparts, and it's tough to find a spot for him in this list of finalists as a result. However, Suzuki did have 32 home runs and over 100 RBIs. The basic counting stats would've had him on this list in past years. 2025 was easily the best season of Suzuki's career, and his red-hot second half ought to have earned him more consideration.
If we're removing another slugger in favor of Suzuki, it'd have to be either Christian Yelich (who made the cut as a DH, which Suzuki would've been eligible for) or PCA due to his previously-mentioned second half struggles.