LOS ANGELES, CA—While the Los Angeles Dodgers gear up for the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Major League Baseball has announced the finalists for the annual Silver Slugger Award, and it features four player nominations and a team award.
This season, the Dodgers have four nominees, including Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Shohei Ohtani, along with a team nomination.
Last year, the Dodgers recognized three top performers for the team award: Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernández. Betts was not nominated this year for the first time since 2021 due to a less successful season, but he improved significantly in the second half and has been performing well in the postseason.
It’s difficult to complain too much since the Dodgers have the most nominees of any team, but Andy Pages is likely a notable omission. He hit 27 home runs, the fifth-most among National League outfielders, and his 86 RBIs tied for sixth place.
The award winners will be announced on the Baseball Insiders YouTube channel on November 6th. Follow Robert Murray’s analysis of the winners and key historical award context across the FanSided network, which holds exclusive rights to the award show.
First Base: Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman was off to a great start despite his ankle injury from last year being an issue over the first month of the season.
While the ankle was something to monitor throughout the year, Freddie continued to age like fine wine, as he was Los Angeles’ batting champ with a .295 average among qualified hitters.
For most of the summer, Freeman was in the running for the National League Batting Title before ultimately losing out to Philadelphia Phillies all-star shortstop Trea Turner.
Overall, Freeman put together another solid year at the plate with a .295/.367/.502 slash line and 139 wRC+, earning him an all-star selection and helping push the Dodgers to another World Series appearance.
Third Base: Max Muncy
It was a strange and injury-plagued season for veteran third baseman Max Muncy, but when he was on the field in the batter’s box, he was a game-changer for the team.
Despite an awful start to the season, Muncy and a new pair of glasses changed the course of his season after the left-handed slugger hit .264 with 58 hits, 18 home runs, drove in 62 runners, and scored 41 runs in 71 games between May 1st and September 30th.
Overall, Muncy ended his season with an above-average slash line, hitting .243/.376/.470 with a 137 wRC+ and 2.9 fWAR despite missing over 62 games.
Catcher: Will Smith
Before an early September hand fracture on defense, Will Smith was in the midst of a career year and on pace to win the National League Batting Title.
Still, the numbers were solid with the all-star backstop hitting .296/.404/.497 with a 153 wRC+, a mark that led all catchers in the National League this season.
Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani
It wouldn’t be award season without mentioning two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who, for the second consecutive season, put together a career year, slugging 55 home runs this season.
Unlike last season, Ohtani returned to the mound before the mid-way point of the season and still put together an elite .282/.392/.622 slash line, along with a 172 wRC+, and leading the National League with a 1.014 OPS.
Ohtani’s 55 home runs were only second in the National League to the Phillies’ all-star and fellow Silver Slugger nominee Kyle Schwarber, who hit 56.
Team: Dodgers
To no one’s surprise, the Los Angeles Dodgers are nominated for the team Silver Slugger Award and for good reason.
Overall, this season, the Dodgers led the National League in wRC+ (113), home runs (244), runs (825), RBI (791), and slugging percentage (.441) while also ranking in the top three in batting average (.253), on-base percentage (.327), and fWAR (28.9).
Much like last season, the Dodgers’ offense, led by their MVP trio at the top of the lineup, has helped carry the load of their success this year, despite decreased production from Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández.
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