Carlos Santana, Willi Castro Named Silver Slugger Award Finalists

[Cody Christie]

Carlos Santana and Willi Castro were two of the Twins’ best offensive players throughout the season. Does either of them have the résumé to win a Silver Slugger Award?

Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, MLB and Rawlings announced the finalists for Silver Sluggers in both leagues. The Twins have two finalists, Carlos Santana (first base) and Willi Castro (utility), who are among the top three vote-getters at their designated positions. So, how do the two hitters stack up to the competition, and will either have an opportunity to walk away with the hardware?

AL Silver Slugger Finalists
First Base Finalists: Santana, Josh Naylor, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 
Santana: .238/.328/.420, 109 OPS+, 23 HR, 26 2B, 71 RBI
Santana started the year on a sour note with a .621 OPS through the season’s first month. He turned it around, though, with a .777 OPS the rest of the way. At 38 years old, he would be the oldest Silver Slugger winner since 2020, when Nelson Cruz won the award during his second season with the Twins. Of the three candidates, Santana seems the least likely to win the award. Guerrero's season was intimidatingly great. 

Naylor: .243/.320/.456, 118 OPS+, 31 HR, 27 2B, 108 RBI
Twins fans got an up-close view of Naylor this season as he terrorized the AL Central. He led AL first basemen in home runs and RBIs, despite his OPS dropping 66 points compared to the 2023 season. He was a first-time All-Star and helped power the offense of the second-best team in the AL. Will voters give him the advantage because he was on a contending team?

Guerrero Jr.: .323/.396/.544, 166 OPS+, 30 HR, 44 2B, 103 RBI
Guerrero got off to a slow start, himself, with a .678 OPS in the season’s first month. Over the season’s final five months, he combined for a 1.002 OPS, so he should easily be the choice over Naylor and Santana. Toronto was one of baseball’s most disappointing teams this year, but despite these struggles, Guerrero posted an OPS above 1.100 in July and August. He was one of the league’s best hitters and deserves his second Silver Slugger. 
Who Should Win? Guerrero

Utility Finalists: Castro, Josh Smith, Jordan Westburg
Castro: .247/.331/.385, 102 OPS+, 31 2B, 5 3B, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 14 SB
Castro was elected to his first All-Star Game this season, after hitting .266/.352/.422 with 34 extra-base hits in the first half. He struggled offensively in the second half, with his OPS dropping to .627. Much of the attention thrown on him this season seems tied to his ability to play a variety of defensive positions. He was the first player in MLB history to appear in at least 25 games at second, third, shortstop, center field, and left field.

Smith: .258/.337/.394, 110 OPS+, 30 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 62 RBI, 11 SB
Smith played half the season at third base, after Josh Jung fractured his wrist early in the season. He’d go on to play nearly 50 games at shortstop, too. His first half was dominant, as he posted a .293/.392/.469 line with 30 extra-base hits in 90 games. His OPS dropped to .565 in the second half, and his strikeout totals jumped (56 Ks in 233 ABs) as the league started to catch up to him. His offensive totals are slightly better than Castro's, but he had less defensive flexibility. 

Westburg: .264/.312/.481, 129 OPS+, 26 2B, 5 3B, 18 HR, 6 SB
Like Castro, Westburg was a first-time All-Star in 2024 after posting an .814 OPS in the first half. His offensive totals look better than the other two players, but he was also limited to 107 games. He only played 18 games in the second half and went 17-for-73 (.233 BA) with seven extra-base hits. Castro and Smith both played over 130 games in 2024. Without factoring in games played, Westburg should win, but the voters will honor someone who played more regularly. 
Who Should Win? Smith

Santana and Castro both played critical roles for the Twins this season. However, neither seems likely to win the Silver Slugger compared to the competition at their position. Fans will have to wait to find out the winners when they are announced on Tues., Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. CT on MLB Network.  

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Do you agree with the above predictions? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

 

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[notoriousgod71]

Is the state of 1B really that dreadful that Santana is a finalist?

[old nurse]

3 hours ago, notoriousgod71 said:

Is the state of 1B really that dreadful that Santana is a finalist?

It is a vote. The vote is by the manager and 3 coaches from every team. They cannot vote for their own players. Given Guerrero’s season it probably only took a few votes to be in third place. Also as Santan probably knows a lot of coaches and managers a few more might have voted for him out of the friendship vein. 

[RCCola]

Wish C4 could've been a nominee, guess Seager only got the nod over him because of all that missed time in the second half.

[Doctor Wu]

I'd be shocked if Santana got the award, but Castro seems to have a good chance to claim it for the Utility category. No single player truly stands out among those three finalists.