The Philadelphia Phillies have only one National League Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger finalist: Kyle Schwarber. It’s not exactly surprising, especially given that the team had the worst OPS+ in Major League Baseball, but it doesn’t make it any less disheartening to see a player like Bryce Harper snubbed.
The only other NL finalist at designated hitter is Shohei Ohtani, who has taken home Silver Slugger honors every year he’s been with the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving Schwarber in the dust.
Now, for the first time since 2023, Schwarber has a legitimate shot at winning the award, after Ohtani put together an underwhelming performance in 2026. The Dodgers’ two-way superstar slashed .275/.377/.512 with 30 homers in 618 plate appearances.
Although Schwarber didn’t outperform Ohtani in any rate stats, with a .232/.354/.503 slash line, he did have 15 home runs and accrued 83 more plate appearances. The best ability is availability.
The race will really come down to what voters care about more: sample size or statistics.
It's no use arguing that Schwarber was better than Ohtani when both were available. The gap between the two isn’t large, and it is distinct, but the production Schwarber provided in his extra 83 plate appearances cannot be discounted.
For Schwarber, this may be his last chance at a Silver Slugger. How often will Ohtani have down years, and how long will Schwarber have at peak production before his decline begins?
Hopefully, with his skillset, peak Schwarber will be around for a long time.
Harper’s Silver Slugger snub should serve as motivation for 2027
By his standards, Harper probably didn’t have an “elite” season. A .269/.380/.485 slash line is very good, but it’s below his career standard in every category. Nevertheless, for Harper to miss out entirely on nominations for Silver Slugger at first base is a travesty.
The cleanest argument for Harper’s snub is that he didn’t play enough games at first base, finishing the year with 109 appearances there. But then, why did Rafael Devers get a nomination with only 100 games played at first base?
Devers had the same OPS as Harper, .865, with an OBP 40 points lower. OBP is much more closely tied to run production than SLG. Devers also had 60 fewer plate appearances.
Fellow nominee Jake Bauers finished above Harper in voting, fair considering he had a slightly higher OPS and OPS+, but Bauers had 115 fewer plate appearances. Again, that sample size is highly significant when we’re discussing only a slight difference in production: 9 points of OPS.
Worst of all, though, are Alec Burleson and Matt Olson. While both played in a similar sample size to Harper, all three appeared in 160 or more games; Burleson and Olson each had an OPS 49 and 42 points lower, respectively. Burleson didn’t even hit as many home runs as Harper.
No casual statistic, except RBI, says Burleson is better than Harper. And if you’re using RBI to back up an argument in 2026, time has passed you by.
Harper not being a finalist, let alone the favorite, for the NL Silver Slugger at first base is a failure on the part of the voters: MLB managers and coaches. Though they probably use statistics to cast their ballots less than the average fan, the disrespect Harper is getting around the league should motivate him to an even stronger 2027.
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