Who Should Win the National League Silver Slugger Awards?

The 2024 MLB season has ended, and we are firmly in the midst of the playoffs. That means it’s time to begin speculating about end-of-season awards and the players who distinguished themselves on the field enough to earn them.

Today’s topic? The probable National League Silver Slugger Award winners. First consider the voting rules, taken from the Louisville Slugger website:

Coaches and managers of Major League teams vote for the players they feel are the best offensive producers at each position in the field in both the American and National Leagues. They base their selections on a combination of offensive statistics including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches’ and managers’ general impressions of a player’s overall offensive value. Managers and coaches are not allowed to vote for players on their own team.

In most cases, this year’s winners seem fairly straightforward; in a few, it could go one of two ways.

Catcher: William Contreras (MIL)

If you look at the leaderboards on FanGraphs, William Contreras makes a fairly clear case for himself.

Among all catchers with a minimum of 400 plate appearances, he led in batting average (.281), OBP (.365), and SLG (.466). No other catcher approached his wRC+ of 131. He finished tied for second in home runs (23) and led in RBI (92).

Contreras should win the NL Silver Slugger for catchers, and it’s not especially close.

First Base: Bryce Harper (PHI)

Again, it’s not close. Harper led all NL first basement with 5.2 fWAR. (Freddy Freeman — who, granted, had a very challenging 2024 — was second with 4.1 fWAR.)

Harper had the highest wRC+ of all first basemen (145). He was second in home runs (30) to only Pete Alonso. Add to that, he was third in OBP (.373) and first in SLG (by a lot — .525 to second place Freeman’s .476), and the case becomes even clearer.

Case closed: Give the award to Bryce Harper.

Second Base: Ketel Marte (ARI)

This one’s another slam dunk — and it’s not close. In 2024, Ketel Marte was worth 6.3 fWAR. The runner-up? Nico Hoerner with 3.9 fWAR.

His wRC+? It was 151. The next closest NL second baseman? Brendan Donovan’s 115. Marte hit 36 homers. (Nolan Gorman was second with 19.) He had the highest OBP (.372) and the highest SLG (.560) — by over 100 points.

Dust off a spot in your trophy case, Ketel, because this award is for you.

Third Base: Manny Machado (SDP) or Eugenio Suárez (ARI)

File this one under “Too close to call.”

Eugenio Suárez was not good in the first half of the season but was absolutely on fire in the second half, finishing the season with 30 home runs compared to Manny Machado’s 29. However, Machado had the higher wRC+ (122) than Suárez (117).

Machado also had the higher batting average (.275), OBP (.325), and SLG (.472)

Still, Suárez led in home runs, runs (90) and walks (49).

There might be a slight advantage to Machado here, but this one could go either way.

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (NYM)

This is another clear-cut race. Francisco led all NL shortstops in fWAR (7.8), home runs (33), runs scored (107), and SLG (.500).

His wRC+ (138) and OBP (.344) were second to Mookie Betts, who only played 65 games at the position.

Maybe Grimace helped. Who can say? But Lindor should win the Silver Slugger.

Outfield: Jackson Merrill (SDP), Jurickson Profar (SDP), and Teoscar Hernández (LAD)

It was another great year for outfielders, though there are some clear leaders here.

Jackson Merrill

Merrill is in the Rookie of the Year conversation for a reason. He was — by most metrics — the best outfielder in the National League.

His 5.3 fWAR led all NL outfielders. He tied for third in home runs (24) and led in batting average (.292). His .500 SLG ranked second. His 130 wRC+ ranked fourth among qualified primary outfielders.

Whether he’ll win Rookie of the Year remains to be seen, but his receiving a Silver Slugger seems all but a done deal.

Jurickson Profar

What a difference a year makes. Last year, Jurickson Profar was DFA’d by the Colorado Rockies; this year, he became a league-leading player.

Profar was worth 4.3 fWAR, second among primary NL outfielders.

He was first among primary outfielders in the NL in wRC+ (139) and OBP (.380). His .459 SLG came in sixth.

Add to that his 24 home runs and his 85 RBI, and Profar’s case becomes clear.

Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernández’s 134 wRC+ ranked third. Add to that an outfielder-leading 33 home runs and 99 RBI, and his case becomes clear.

He was also first in SLG (.501) and tied for eighth in fWAR (3.5). That Hernández won the 2024 Home Run Derby illustrated just how powerful he was at the plate.

DH: Shohei Ohtani (LAD)

Is there even any point in making a case here?

Shohei Ohtani’s 9.1 fWAR is almost twice that of second-place Marcell Ozuna (4.7.) In Ohtani’s stunning 2024 season, he hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases. (I realize stolen bases may not matter, but it seemed worth mentioning.)

He was first in batting average (.310), second in OBP by one point (.390), and first in SLG (.646). His wRC+? An eye-popping 181.

Just give him the award already.

Utility: Mookie Betts (LAD)

Talk about slam dunks. Mookie Betts is precisely the kind of player the utility Silver Slugger was introduced for.

Betts ranked fifth in the NL in OPS (.863) and wRC+ (141) while splitting his time between shortstop, second base, and right field.