Silver Slugger Award finalists announced

So many sluggers put up big numbers during the 2024 MLB regular season, but only a select few can win a Silver Slugger Award.

• All-time Silver Slugger Award winners

The Silver Slugger Award has been presented each year since 1980 to baseball’s best offensive performers. Ten players in each league receive a Silver Slugger -- one catcher, one designated hitter, one utility player, one player at each infield position and three outfielders.

The manager and three coaches from every Major League team cast their votes for the winners, which will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.

But the finalists for a Silver Slugger Award were unveiled Monday. Here are the hopefuls in each league.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

FIRST BASE

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Josh Naylor, Guardians
Carlos Santana, Twins

Despite a slow start in 2024, Guerrero put himself in position to win his second Silver Slugger by recording a .345/.412/.590 slash line over the final five months of the season. He hit 30 homers and drove in 103 runs, which were both second most among AL first basemen. Naylor was at the top of those categories, with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs. The 38-year-old Santana bashed 23 dingers. He would be the oldest Silver Slugger winner since 2020, when Nelson Cruz took home the award at age 39.

SECOND BASE

Jose Altuve, Astros
Colt Keith, Tigers
Marcus Semien, Rangers
Gleyber Torres, Yankees

Altuve reached the 20-homer plateau for the sixth time in the past eight seasons. He is vying for his seventh Silver Slugger, which would tie him with Ryne Sandberg for the most by a second baseman. Semien is looking to become a three-time Silver Slugger winner, and he has a good case after pacing AL second basemen in runs (101), homers (23) and extra-base hits (52). It took Keith a little time to find his footing in the Majors, but after grinding through 43 homerless games to begin his career, he went deep 13 times and batted .272 over his final 105 contests. Torres hit 15 home runs and really turned it on late in the year, batting .313 with an .840 OPS in his last 39 games once the Yankees moved him into the leadoff spot.

THIRD BASE

Alex Bregman, Astros
Rafael Devers, Red Sox
José Ramírez, Guardians

This is the only AL position with finalists who are all previous Silver Slugger Award winners. Devers and Ramírez are two-time recipients. Boston’s franchise player recorded 67 extra-base hits and .870 OPS while the Guardians’ leader fell just one double and one home run shy of becoming the second player in MLB history with 40 doubles, 40 homers and 40 steals in a single season. Bregman bopped 26 home runs, his most since 2019 when he went yard 41 times and earned his lone Silver Slugger to date.

SHORTSTOP

Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
Corey Seager, Rangers
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

Henderson built upon his acclaimed 2023 rookie season with 37 home runs this year, the most from any shortstop. Seager registered his third consecutive 30-homer campaign despite missing the season’s final 24 games due to injury. However, it’s tough to argue against Witt here after he notched the second 30-30 season of his career, won a batting title with a .332 average and became the first player in AL/NL history to tally at least 40 doubles, 30 home runs, 30 steals and 10 triples in a single season.

OUTFIELD

Jarren Duran, Red Sox
Riley Greene, Tigers
Aaron Judge, Yankees
Anthony Santander, Orioles
Juan Soto, Yankees

Judge and Soto, who combined for 99 home runs, seem to be easy choices for two of the three outfield spots on the AL Silver Slugger squad. They ended the season with a 223 and a 178 OPS+, respectively. Those marks paced all AL players, much less all outfielders.

Duran filled up his stat line with 111 runs, 21 homers and 34 steals. He also led MLB in doubles (48) and triples (14) during his breakout season. Greene, like Duran, received his first All-Star selection in 2024. The Tigers’ young star belted 24 home runs to help lift Detroit to its first playoff berth in a decade. In Baltimore, Santander became the eighth switch-hitter to hit at least 40 dingers. His 44 homers were the most by a switch-hitter since Lance Berkman hit 45 long balls in 2006.

CATCHER

Yainer Diaz, Astros
Shea Langeliers A’s
Salvador Perez, Royals
Cal Raleigh, Mariners

Diaz’s sophomore season wasn’t quite as powerful as his rookie campaign -- his homer total decreased from 23 to 16 -- but his .299 average was the highest among qualified catchers. Langeliers’ 29 home runs were the most by an A’s catcher since Terry Steinbach’s 35 homers in 1996. But no catcher went yard more often this season than Raleigh, who finished with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs. Perez kept putting up big numbers in his 13th big league season. He paced all Junior Circuit backstops with 55 extra-base hits and a .786 OPS, making the Royals’ captain worthy of receiving his fifth Silver Slugger Award.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Yordan Alvarez Astros
Brent Rooker, A’s
Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees

Alvarez, one of baseball’s most consistent power threats, topped 30 home runs for the fourth consecutive season and had an OPS better than .950 for the third straight year. He also ranked fourth in the AL with a .308 average. Rooker followed up his breakout 2023 season with even better numbers -- 39 home runs, 112 RBIs, 307 total bases and a .927 OPS. Stanton, a two-time Silver Slugger winner, crushed 27 homers in 114 games.

UTILITY

Willi Castro, Twins
Josh Smith, Rangers
Jordan Westburg, Orioles

Castro became a first-time All-Star in 2024 while playing at least 25 games at five different positions. He scored 89 runs, hit 12 homers and stole 14 bags. The 25-year-old Westburg also made the AL All-Star team and had 18 home runs with an .815 OPS through 390 at-bats before a broken hand sidelined him for nearly the remainder of the regular season. Smith stepped up once Rangers third baseman Josh Jung went down in early April with a fractured wrist. By season’s end, Smith had racked up 30 doubles and a .731 OPS.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

FIRST BASE

Pete Alonso, Mets
Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
Bryce Harper, Phillies

In what was possibly his final season with the Mets, Alonso played in all 162 games and launched 34 home runs while posting a .788 OPS, helping New York reach the NL Championship Series. Freeman, prior to injuring his right ankle at the end of the regular season, had another Freeman-esque campaign, hitting .282/.378/.476 (143 OPS+) with 22 homers in 147 games. And Harper, following a pair of injury-marred seasons, put together his best season since he won his second career MVP Award in 2021 -- he slugged 30 home runs with an .898 OPS in 145 games.

SECOND BASE

Luis García Jr., Nationals
Jonathan India, Reds
Ketel Marte, D-backs

The 24-year-old García enjoyed a breakout season with the Nationals, hitting .282/.318/.444 with 18 homers over 140 games. India, meanwhile, put together his best campaign at the plate since he won the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year Award -- he finished last season with a .749 OPS with 15 home runs. After helping lead the D-backs to a surprise World Series run in 2023, Marte turned in a career year in which he had a .932 OPS with a career-high 36 home runs and 95 RBIs for Arizona.

THIRD BASE

Alec Bohm, Phillies
Matt Chapman, Giants
Manny Machado, Padres

Bohm had a big first half for the Phillies, posting an .830 OPS with 33 doubles and 11 homers. He slowed down considerably after the All-Star break, when he was limited to 49 games due to a hand injury, but he still finished with a .780 OPS and 44 doubles. Chapman, known primarily for his tremendous defensive prowess at the hot corner, had his best offensive campaign since 2019, hitting 27 homers with a .791 OPS for the Giants. And Machado belted 29 homers and drove in 105 to help the Padres reach the postseason after missing it in 2023.

SHORTSTOP

Willy Adames, Brewers
Elly De La Cruz, Reds
Francisco Lindor, Mets

Following a down year at the plate by his standards (.217/.310/.407, 24 home runs), Adames bounced back with a strong 2024 campaign, posting a .793 OPS with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs for the Brewers. De La Cruz, meanwhile, had a breakout season commensurate with his tremendous five-tool skillset -- the 22-year-old shortstop produced an .810 OPS with 25 home runs and stole an MLB-high 67 bases. Lindor got off to a slow start, but from May 21 through the end of the season, he hit .309/.377/.566 with 26 home runs to help fuel the Mets’ run to the NLCS.

OUTFIELD

Jackson Chourio, Brewers
Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers
Jackson Merrill Padres
Jurickson Profar, Padres
Seiya Suzuki, Cubs

It took some time, but Chourio figured things out and never looked back in his rookie year -- on June 7, he had a .209/.251/.337 slash line, but from there, he hit .306/.363/.525 with 15 homers over his final 94 games.

Hernández belted a career-high 33 home runs while posting an .840 OPS for the Dodgers, and he was named an All-Star for the second time, winning the Home Run Derby in Arlington.

Merrill and Profar were a stellar tandem in the outfield for the Padres, with Merrill making a strong case for NL Rookie of the Year and Profar having a career year in season No. 11.

Suzuki hit 21 homers with an .848 OPS for the Cubs, continuing his upward trend at the plate in his third Major League season following nine seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball.

CATCHER

William Contreras, Brewers
J.T. Realmuto, Phillies
Will Smith, Dodgers

Contreras had his best season yet and was named an All-Star for the second time. He set career highs in home runs (23) and RBIs (92) while hitting .281/.365/.466. Realmuto missed some time due to injury, but still posted a .751 OPS with 14 home runs in 99 games for the Phillies. And Smith was an All-Star for the second straight season, launching 20 homers and driving in 75 runs with a .760 OPS for the Dodgers.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Marcell Ozuna, Braves

Ohtani had a season for the ages, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 or more home runs (54) and steal 50 or more bases (59) in the same year. Ozuna was, for a time, right there with Ohtani, statistically speaking, but Ohtani pulled away down the stretch. Still, Ozuna had a prolific season of his own for the Braves, posting a .924 OPS with 39 home runs.

UTILITY

Luis Arraez, Padres
Mookie Betts, Dodgers
Jake Burger, Marlins
Bryan Reynolds, Pirates

Arraez won his third consecutive batting title and did so with his third team in as many years, becoming the first player in MLB history to win three batting titles with three different clubs. He accomplished that while appearing at first base and second base for the Padres.

Betts began the season at shortstop and later moved back to right field after being sidelined with an injury -- he finished the season with an .863 OPS and 19 home runs in 116 games.

Burger smashed 29 homers with a .761 OPS in his first full season with the Marlins while splitting time between first base and third base.

And Reynolds, who spent most of his time in left field but also appeared in right, had another strong season for the Pirates -- he hit 24 homers with a .791 OPS.