In a “disrespectful” snub, Smith’s 152 OPS+ was overlooked in favor of Goodman’s 120 OPS+ and Coors-inflated home run totals, in what some are calling a “pity vote.”
LOS ANGELES — The 2025 Silver Slugger Award announcements on Thursday were a mixed bag for the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The team had four individual nominees and was also a finalist for the Team of the Year award.
The good news: Shohei Ohtani (DH) won his fourth career Silver Slugger, edging out Kyle Schwarber, and the Dodgers organization won the Team of the Year award.
The expected news: Freddie Freeman (1B) lost to the Mets’ Pete Alonso, and Max Muncy (3B) lost to the Padres’ Manny Machado. Both results were “far less surprising and arguably even justified.”
The “disrespectful” news: Catcher Will Smith, who was “just a few points away from putting up a .300/.400/.500 season” and seemed the most likely of any Dodger nominee to win, was snubbed. The award instead went to Hunter Goodman of the “hilariously bad” Colorado Rockies.
The Snub: 152 OPS+ vs. 120 OPS+
The argument for Goodman relies entirely on traditional stats, which were “dramatically inflated” by his home ballpark. The argument for Smith relies on who was actually the better hitter.
Goodman’s stats were inflated by playing at Coors Field. According to reports, Coors inflated his batting average by almost 60 points and his on-base percentage by almost 70 points.
The most telling statistic, which adjusts for these ballpark factors, is OPS+:
- Will Smith (Dodgers): 152 OPS+ (52% better than league average)
- Hunter Goodman (Rockies): 120 OPS+ (20% better than league average)
Even beyond advanced metrics, Smith was one of the “clutchest” hitters in baseball for the World Series champions. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Smith hit .347 with a .953 OPS (171 OPS+). In those same situations, Goodman hit .273 with a .737 OPS (109 OPS+).
A “Pity Vote” for the Rockies?
To be fair, Goodman was the best (and only) qualified player on a terrible Rockies team. He played in more games than Smith (144 to 110, though 39 of Goodman’s were at DH), which allowed him to accumulate more traditional stats like home runs (31) and RBIs (91), both of which led NL catchers.
However, Smith was “out-performed… in every possible way” when accounting for context. The voting body’s decision has led many to speculate that “pity went into the decision-making,” as a way to “throw a single award to someone on baseball’s worst team.”
While Goodman had a good season, Smith deserved the recognition. The 152-to-120 OPS+ gap says it all.
