2025 NL Silver Slugger Finalists Announced

The anticipation for the 2025 Silver Slugger Awards is heating up as the finalists in the National League have been officially disclosed. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pete Alonso of the New York Mets are among the top candidates, showcasing their impressive offensive skills throughout the season.

Star Candidates for Each Position

The finalists, determined by a vote among NL managers and coaches, highlight the league's premier hitters. The nominees for the coveted Silver Slugger are as follows:

• Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers), Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies), Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers)
• Catcher: William Contreras (Milwaukee Brewers), Hunter Goodman (Colorado Rockies), Will Smith (Los Angeles Dodgers)
• First Base: Pete Alonso (New York Mets), Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers), Matt Olson (Atlanta Braves)
• Second Base: Nico Hoerner (Chicago Cubs), Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks), Brice Turang (Milwaukee Brewers)
• Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (New York Mets), Geraldo Perdomo (Arizona Diamondbacks), Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies)
• Third Base: Matt Chapman (San Francisco Giants), Manny Machado (San Diego Padres), Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers), Austin Riley (Atlanta Braves)
• Outfield: Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs), Juan Soto (New York Mets), Kyle Stowers (Miami Marlins), Kyle Tucker (Chicago Cubs), James Wood (Washington Nationals)
• Utility: Alec Burleson (St. Louis Cardinals), Jake Cronenworth (San Diego Padres), Brendan Donovan (St. Louis Cardinals)

Intense Competition at DH and First Base

The most exciting matchup appears to be at the designated hitter position, featuring Ohtani and Schwarber. While Schwarber hit one more home run than Ohtani, the overall stats favor Ohtani, who boasted an impressive triple-slash of .282/.392/.622, a weighted on-base average of .418, and an OPS+ of 179. His superior offensive metrics paint a strong case for him to take home the award.

In the first base category, the competition is equally fierce, with Alonso, Freeman, and Olson all sharing a close range in FanGraphs' offensive value metric. Alonso led in home runs with 37, while Freeman excelled in batting average at .295. Olson matched Freeman in on-base percentage, making this a tight race to watch.

Team Performance Considerations

When it comes to team performance, the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, stand out. They led the National League in runs scored (806), slugging percentage (.441), and home runs (244), giving them an edge in the team category against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs.

The winners of the Silver Slugger Awards will be officially announced on November 6 at 6 p.m. ET, creating an air of excitement as fans eagerly await the results.