Despite a league-leading 41 doubles from Matt Olson, he lost a close race to Pete Alonso, while Austin Riley’s injury-shortened season wasn’t enough to top Manny Machado.
ATLANTA — While most of the 2025 season was a “nightmare” that Atlanta Braves fans were hoping to wake up from, there were some individual positives. Catcher Drake Baldwin played so well he was named a National League Rookie of the Year finalist. On top of that, the Braves managed to have two Silver Slugger finalists in Matt Olson and Austin Riley.
Unfortunately, when the winners were announced Thursday, neither Braves slugger won.
Riley Loses “Surprise” Bid to Machado
Austin Riley losing the third base award was not a shock. It was “honestly pretty wild,” as one report noted, that Riley was named a finalist at all, given that he only played in 102 games before his season was ended by hernia surgery.
While it would have been “sweet to see Riley steal that one,” San Diego’s Manny Machado was the clear and correct choice. Machado led all NL third basemen by a “substantial margin” with a 123 wRC+.
Olson Loses Close Race to Alonso
The race at first base between Olson, the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, and the Mets’ Pete Alonso was “decidedly less clear.”
Olson put up a strong case for the hardware, posting an .850 OPS with 29 home runs and a league-leading 41 doubles.
However, Alonso’s power numbers ultimately took home the trophy. The Mets’ first baseman led the way with 38 home runs and a 141 wRC+, beating out both Olson and Freeman in a tightly grouped field.
Looking Ahead to 2026
The offensive shutout closes the book on a frustrating 2025 season. Fans and analysts will now be interested to see how the offense performs under new manager Walt Weiss and with a “completely healthy” roster.
The core of Olson, Riley, Baldwin, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Ozzie Albies are all capable of putting up Silver Slugger-type seasons. Time will tell if they can produce the results needed to be back in the conversation at the end of 2026.
