It’s OK to celebrate the little things. The Yankees boasted the best offense in baseball for the 2025 regular season, and on Friday night, that success was saluted. Four Yankees were nominated as Silver Slugger finalists, as well as the team as a whole. New York won the team-wide honor as AL Offensive Team of the Year and two of the four finalists took home hardware as well.
Aaron Judge, arguably the finest right-handed hitter in the history of baseball, was an easy pick for his fifth Silver Slugger.
Having said that, it would have been genuinely funny for him to be passed over — now all that’s left for the Yankee captain is the MVP announcement. Meanwhile, Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s 30/30 season was enough to net the second baseman his first Silver Slugger, and makes it tougher for the Yankees to build an extension case with him now just a year away from free agency. Chisholm’s best offensive season yet came at just the right time, and a repeat performance will make him a compelling figure on the open market.
Cody Bellinger walked away without his third such award, but outfield is always a crowded category. More surprising to me was Zach McKinstry claiming his first career Silver Slugger and shutting out Ben Rice at the utility spot, despite Rice’s 14 more home runs and 70-odd points of OPS better than McKinstry’s mark. It’s a bummer to what could have capped off an excellent first full season in the Bronx, but him being almost assured to play every day in 2026 should be enough consolation.
These awards always feel bittersweet after what a letdown the postseason run was, but at least we had these bright spots on the team for six months. Hopefully we’re seeing a similar run of individual excellence next year, with a better team-wide playoff result.
