Fans stunned as Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. comes up short — award goes to rising rookie sensation. DD
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lost out on the American League Silver Slugger award at first base, finishing behind Athletics breakout rookie Nick Kurtz.
Guerrero had a solid season at the plate for the Blue Jays, batting .292 and posting a .848 OPS to go with his 23 home runs and 84 RBIs. He was one of three candidates for the award along with Kurtz and the Kansas City Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino.
While Guerrero had a great season, Kurtz – who is currently the clear favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award – was next to unstoppable towards the end of 2025. He hit 36 home runs – 19 of which came after the All-Star break – in just 117 games, posting a .290/.383/.619 slash line with a 173 OPS+. He also led MLB in home runs to the opposite field.
In July, Kurtz became the 20th player – and first rookie – to record a four-homer game when he did so against the Houston Astros.
With his win, he became the first rookie first baseman to win the Silver Slugger since Jose Abreu in 2014, and just the second AL first baseman to ever win the award in their rookie season.
Guerrero may have missed out on the award this season, but he has already claimed the award twice, in 2022 and 2024. He Is also coming off of a spectacular postseason performance falling just one game short of winning the World Series and potentially World Series MVP. He batted .397 throughout 18 games in the postseason, hitting eight home runs and recording 15 RBIs and also bringing home the ALCS MVP.
Despite his shortcoming with the Silver Slugger, Guerrero had an incredibly hot end to the season, and will look to get off to a similarly hot start in 2026 to chase the accolades he so narrowly missed in 2025.
