pinstripealley
Two New York Yankees players, Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, have been selected as finalists for the American League Silver Slugger Award, the honor's creator and sponsor, Louisville Slugger, revealed on Thursday morning. The winners will be announced on November 17.
Established in 1980, the Silver Slugger Award acknowledges the top offensive performer at each position in both leagues. The award has recently been broadened to include a utility player category and a team award for the best offensive unit in each league. Unlike other major year-end honors such as MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year, the Silver Slugger is not determined by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Instead, coaches and managers from each team submit votes, and they are prohibited from voting for players on their own clubs.
For Ben Rice, this marks his second consecutive year as a finalist. Last season, he was nominated in the utility category but ultimately lost to Zach McKinstry of the Detroit Tigers. This year, despite splitting time between first base and designated hitter, Rice is recognized in the DH category. Rice led all Yankees position players with 4.2 fWAR, ranking third in MLB in slugging percentage (.534), fifth in wRC+ (149), and seventh in home runs (41). Overall, he posted a .264/.363/.534 slash line while contributing a team-high 105 runs and 97 RBIs in 154 games. A win would be Rice's first major career award, though given the competition, he is considered a long shot.
Cody Bellinger is also a finalist for the second straight year, having lost out last season to Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton, and Riley Greene. Bellinger has already earned two pieces of hardware this offseason, winning the AL Gold Glove Award and the Fielding Bible Award in left field. Despite missing a month due to a hamstring injury, he still finished third among left fielders with 3.5 fWAR and fifth in wRC+ (115). In 121 games, Bellinger slashed .264/.338/.429 with 17 home runs, 73 runs scored, and 73 RBIs. Should he be voted the winner on November 17, it would be the third Silver Slugger Award of his career, following wins in 2019 and 2023.
Key Analysis
The American League finalists include Dillon Dingler and Carter Jensen at catcher; Pete Alonso and Willson Contreras at first base, both of whom finished in the top six in MLB in wRC+; Kody Clemens and Chase Meidroth at second base; Bobby Witt Jr., Kevin McGonigle, and Zach Neto at shortstop; and Junior Caminero and Miguel Vargas at third base, who tied for 12th in MLB in fWAR. The outfield finalists alongside Bellinger are Mike Trout, Wilyer Abreu, Randy Arozarena, Chase DeLauter, Jac Caglianone, Chandler Simpson, Riley Greene, and Tristan Peters. It is a tight group, and Bellinger might well end up outside the top three. Rice also faces tough competition at DH, with likely AL MVP Yordan Alvarez named as the other finalist. Rounding out the AL finalists are McGonigle, Sam Antonacci, and Ezequiel Duran at utility, while the Astros, Rays, Twins, and White Sox are the team finalists.
On the National League side, Hunter Goodman and Gabriel Moreno are finalists at catcher; NLCS MVP and World Series winner Jake Bauers is joined by Alec Burleson, Rafael Devers, and Matt Olson at first base; NL MVP finalist Brice Turang and Brandon Lowe are finalists at second base; Elly De La Cruz, who was snubbed as an NL MVP finalist, is nominated alongside CJ Abrams and Otto Lopez at shortstop; and Alex Bregman and Max Muncy are the third base finalists. In the outfield, presumptive NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the way, accompanied by Jackson Chourio, Corbin Carroll, Seiya Suzuki, Fernando Tatis Jr., James Wood, and Jordan Walker. NL MVP finalist Shohei Ohtani is joined by Kyle Schwarber as DH finalists. Finally, Bauers and Tatis are joined by NL Rookie of the Year finalist Sal Stewart in the utility category, while the Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers, and Nationals are the team finalists.
Originally reported by pinstripealley.