FanSided is honored to partner with the iconic Louisville Slugger to exclusively release the list of American League Silver Slugger finalists. You won’t be surprised to find marquee names like New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, Seattle Mariners record-setting catcher Cal Raleigh, and Toronto Blue Jays first baseman and ALCS MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr. among those hoping to add a Silver Slugger to their impressive 2025 accolades.
As always, there are three finalists for each position, as well as a special “utility” player category. To be clear, all of the players contending for a Silver Slugger are here for a reason, whether they posted career-best numbers or enjoyed a resurgent season. The Yankees lead all teams with four finalists: Judge, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., center fielder Cody Bellinger, and first baseman/catcher/DH Ben Rice, who qualified for the utility spot.
However, we were surprised to see some notable faces who did not finish as Silver Slugger finalists. We used traditional counting statistics, as well as bWAR and oWAR, to best determine the most jarring omissions. We also focused solely on regular-season numbers, as the Silver Slugger Award does not factor in a player’s postseason performance. Finally, we listed all players in alphabetical order for ease.
Gleyber Torres, 2B, Detroit Tigers
Gleyber Torres sends one to the seats for a 3-run tank 💪 pic.twitter.com/qrhi6XZZkj
— MLB (@MLB) September 6, 2025
Stats: Torres hit .256 with 16 home runs, 74 RBIs, 22 doubles, and a .745 OPS. He also provided the Tigers with 2.9 bWAR and 3.3 oWAR in 628 plate appearances over 145 games.
Who should he have replaced? Jorge Polanco, 2B/DH, Minnesota Twins
Our thoughts: This one is actually fairly close at first glance, with Torres posting 3.3 oWAR to Polanco’s 3.0. The most significant problem here is that Polanco played 89 of his 138 games at DH, compared to 38 at second base. Torres, who exceeded all expectations on a one-year, $15 million contract, played 135 of 145 games at second base.
If we’re awarding the Silver Slugger to players based on their position, then Torres should have earned a spot over Polanco. You wouldn’t see a defensive end make an All-Pro list as a linebacker if 64.4 percent of his snaps came on the defensive line. The same should apply when determining who qualifies for a position for the Silver Slugger or Gold Glove.
Josh Smith, SS/3B, Texas Rangers (Utility)
First pitch of the game!
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2025
Josh Smith wastes NO TIME giving the @Rangers the lead 💥 pic.twitter.com/S9kodJYYBW
Stats: Smith hit .251 with 10 home runs, 35 RBIs, 23 doubles, 12 stolen bases, and a .700 OPS. He also gave the Rangers 3.0 bWAR and 3.3 oWAR in 563 plate appearances over 144 games. Smith played every position except pitcher and catcher, with the bulk of his action coming at shortstop (60 games) and third base (32 games).
Who should he have replaced? Zach McKinstry, 3B, Detroit Tigers
Our thoughts: First off, both players deserve immense credit for suiting up at nearly every position. In fact, McKinstry played every position except catcher, recording the final out in a 10-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 19.
This is easily the least egregious of all the snubs on this list, though. In fact, it’s interesting how similar their numbers are, with McKinstry hitting .259 with 12 homers, 49 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, 23 doubles, and a .771 OPS. Smith posted 3.3 oWAR to McKinstry’s 3.1, and his 3.0 bWAR narrowly beat out McKinstry’s 2.9. Still, McKinstry’s inclusion over Smith caught us off guard, and we felt it was worth including.
Randy Arozarena, LF, Seattle Mariners
Randy Arozarena turns a deficit into a lead with one big swing! pic.twitter.com/xvBedytgnh
— MLB (@MLB) September 10, 2025
Stats: Arozarena hit .238 with 27 home runs, 76 RBIs, 32 doubles, 31 stolen bases, and a .760 OPS. He also provided the Mariners with 3.9 bWAR in 709 plate appearances over 160 games.
Who should he have replaced? George Springer, DH/CF, Toronto Blue Jays
Our thoughts: Springer played 82 of his 140 games at designated hitter, so we’re not sure why he made the list as both a DH and an outfielder. Personally, we would have rather seen Arozarena finish as a finalist, even if his .760 OPS and 191-64 K-BB ratio don’t pop at first glance.
By no means is Arozarena a perfect option, and his 26.9 strikeout percentage marked his worst since 2021. However, his 4.1 oWAR was tied with Cincinnati Reds All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz for 39th leaguewide, and Seattle won its first AL West crown since their magical 116-win 2001 season. The Blue Jays and Mariners each won their division, so the “team success” argument only goes so far. With that said, Arozarena played 158 games in left field, making him a far more credible outfield option than Springer.
Trent Grisham, CF, New York Yankees
Trent Grisham lines one into the bullpen for his 34th homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/iUIbfeBGzX
— MLB (@MLB) September 25, 2025
Stats: Grisham hit .235 with 34 home runs, 74 RBIs, nine doubles, and an .811 OPS. He also provided the Yankees with 3.5 bWAR and 4.6 bWAR in 581 plate appearances over 143 games.
Who should he have replaced? George Springer, DH/CF, Toronto Blue Jays
Our thoughts: Everything that we said about Springer making the list as an outfielder applies here, too, so we won’t rehash that too much. We also acknowledge that Grisham’s .235 average and lack of extra-base hits beyond his home runs likely hurt his case.
But, again, a Silver Slugger for an outfielder should go to, well, an outfielder. All of Grisham’s 140 games came in center field, so he’s certainly more deserving of the outfield award than someone who played nearly 60 percent of their games as a DH. By no means do we think that Grisham would have won, especially not with Judge guaranteed one of the three awards. However, it’s disappointing that he didn’t get a chance over someone who placed as both an outfielder and DH.