Major League Baseball announced Silver Slugger finalists early Monday morning and the San Diego Padres have four.
Since 1980, the Silver Slugger Award has been given each year to honor baseball’s best offensive performers. Ten players from each league are recognized, including one catcher, one designated hitter, one utility player, one player at each infield position, and three outfielders.
Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, Jurickson Profar, and Luis Arraez are all a finalist for their respective positions. Arraez is nominated as a utility player.
Machado is up against Alec Bohm of the Philadelpha Phillies and Matt Chapman of the San Francisco Giants.
San Diego’s third baseman powered the Padres to the postseason with 29 home runs and 105 RBIs, marking a comeback after missing the playoffs in 2023.
Two of the five outfield finalists belong to the Padres.
Merrill and Profar formed an impressive duo in the Padres’ outfield, with Merrill emerging as a strong NL Rookie of the Year contender and Profar achieving a career-best season in his 11th year.
Finally, there is the batting champion.
Arraez claimed his third straight batting title, making MLB history as the first player to win batting titles with three different teams in three consecutive seasons. He achieved this milestone while playing both first and second base for the Padres.
Here is a look at the entire list of finalists for the National League:
Each major league team’s manager and three coaches submitted their votes for this year’s Silver Slugger winners, with the results set to be revealed on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
