Ohtani and Suzuki Named Silver Slugger Finalists as Japan Awaits Possible Awards Milestones

Two Japanese stars advance to the November 17 awards

Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki were named finalists for the 2026 Silver Slugger Awards on November 5, putting two of Japan's leading hitters in contention for different milestones. Ohtani is seeking his fifth award and fourth in a row, while Suzuki could become the third Japanese player to win the batting honor.

Ohtani, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, faces Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber in the National League designated hitter category. Suzuki, who played for the Chicago Cubs, is among seven National League outfield finalists competing for three awards. Louisville Slugger announced the finalists, with winners scheduled to be revealed on November 17, or November 18 in Japan.

The two races present different challenges. Ohtani finished with a higher batting average and OPS than Schwarber, but Schwarber hit 45 home runs to Ohtani's 30. Suzuki's competition includes Cubs teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong, who also hit 45 homers, along with five other prominent outfielders.

The Silver Slugger recognizes hitting at each position in each league. Major League Baseball managers and coaches vote, and they cannot select players from their own teams. Ohtani and Suzuki therefore need support from people who managed or coached against them during the season.

Ohtani's race pits different kinds of production against each other

Ohtani batted .275 with 30 home runs, 81 runs batted in and 89 runs scored. His .889 OPS exceeded Schwarber's .857, giving him an advantage in a measure that combines reaching base with hitting for power. Ohtani also finished with a .512 slugging percentage.

Schwarber batted .232 with 45 home runs, 97 runs batted in and 95 runs scored. His home run total tied Crow-Armstrong for the National League lead. Compared with Ohtani, Schwarber hit 15 more homers, drove in 16 more runs and scored six more times.

Ohtani's batting average was 43 points higher, and his OPS was 32 points higher. Schwarber hit 50 percent more home runs, based on their totals of 45 and 30. Those figures give voters a choice between Ohtani's stronger combined rate of reaching base and collecting total bases, and Schwarber's larger home run and run production totals.

The designated hitter category has only these two finalists. A designated hitter bats without taking a regular defensive position, allowing voters to compare players occupying the same offensive role. Ohtani's nomination is in that category, with his batting performance at the center of the contest.

What the batting numbers mean

Batting average measures how often a player gets a hit in an official at bat. Ohtani's .275 average means he collected about 27.5 hits for every 100 at bats, compared with about 23.2 for Schwarber. Walks are excluded from that calculation, so average captures only part of how a hitter helps an offense.

OPS adds on base percentage to slugging percentage. On base percentage measures how often a hitter reaches safely through hits, walks or being hit by a pitch. Slugging percentage gives more weight to extra base hits: a double counts for two total bases, a triple for three and a home run for four.

Runs batted in, usually shortened to RBIs, count runs credited to a hitter's plate appearances. Runs scored count how often the player reaches home plate. Teammates affect opportunities in both categories, while home runs allow a batter to score without needing another hitter to bring him home.

Managers and coaches are voting on the best hitter at each position rather than following a single statistical ranking. Ohtani and Schwarber lead each other in different measures, making their complete batting records more useful than any one number.

Suzuki faces six rivals for three outfield awards

Suzuki finished with a .270 batting average, 26 home runs, 86 RBIs, 96 runs scored and an .841 OPS. His nomination places him in a larger field than Ohtani's, but three players will receive National League outfield awards rather than one.

The seven finalists are Suzuki, Crow-Armstrong, Arizona's Corbin Carroll, Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio, San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr., St. Louis's Jordan Walker and Washington's James Wood. They compete together in the outfield category rather than in separate awards for left field, center field and right field.

Crow-Armstrong's 45 homers give him a power total 19 above Suzuki's 26. Suzuki's record also includes 96 runs scored, the most among the three players whose full scoring totals are given here: Suzuki, Ohtani and Schwarber. Ohtani scored 89 times and Schwarber 95.

The Cubs have three individual finalists: Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong in the outfield, plus Alex Bregman at third base. Bregman's opponent is Dodgers infielder Max Muncy. Chicago is also nominated for National League Offensive Team of the Year, extending its presence beyond the individual races.

A fifth award for Ohtani or a first for Suzuki

Ohtani would extend his own Japanese record with a fifth Silver Slugger. A victory would also be his fourth consecutive award, continuing a run that began during his time with the Los Angeles Angels in the American League.

Ichiro Suzuki won the award three times. Seiya Suzuki would join Ichiro and Ohtani as the third Japanese winner if he earns one of the three National League outfield places. His first award would therefore add a new name to a short list, while another Ohtani victory would lengthen an existing record.

Two other Japanese hitters missed the American League finalist lists despite reaching at least 30 home runs in their first MLB seasons. Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami and Toronto Blue Jays player Kazuma Okamoto were both left out. Their absence illustrates the competition within position groups, where a substantial home run total can still leave a player outside the final field.

How the awards and announcement schedule work

The Silver Slugger began in 1980. Its categories have expanded in recent years, with an award for the best hitting utility player added in 2022 and Offensive Team of the Year introduced in 2023. A utility player appears at multiple defensive positions rather than having only one regular assignment.

Managers and coaches select hitters by position in the American and National Leagues. The restriction on voting for their own players means the Dodgers cannot supply votes for Ohtani or Muncy, and Cubs personnel cannot vote for Suzuki, Crow-Armstrong or Bregman.

The announcement schedule spans these dates:

• November 5, 2026: Louisville Slugger announced the finalists, including Ohtani and Suzuki.
• November 6 in Japan: The finalist announcement reached its corresponding Japanese calendar date.
• November 17: Winners are scheduled to be announced.
• November 18 in Japan: The winners' announcement falls on this date for Japanese audiences.

The winners have yet to be announced. Ohtani's and Suzuki's places on the finalist lists put their names into the last stage of the awards process.

The wider field mixes established stars and newcomers

Mike Trout is among nine American League outfield finalists and is pursuing his 10th Silver Slugger. He posted an .803 OPS in 142 games, his highest game total in 10 years. A victory would place him alongside Mike Piazza, who won 10, behind Barry Bonds, who won 12.

Houston's Yordan Alvarez and the Yankees' Ben Rice are the American League designated hitter finalists. Alvarez hit 42 home runs and led MLB in batting average at .316, on base percentage at .432, slugging percentage at .601 and walks with 109. Rice hit 41 homers and finished with an .897 OPS.

The American League outfield field also includes Tampa Bay's Chandler Simpson, who batted .306 and led the league with 46 stolen bases while hitting no home runs. Only two players other than pitchers have previously won a Silver Slugger in a season without a homer: Pete Rose in 1981 and Ozzie Smith in 1987.

Colorado catcher Hunter Goodman offers another striking comparison. He hit 41 home runs, with 25 coming away from Coors Field and 16 at home. Only Schwarber and Crow-Armstrong hit more homers in the National League.

Chicago leads the individual finalist count

The White Sox have four individual finalists, the most of any club: Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas, Tristan Peters and Sam Antonacci. The Brewers, Tigers, Royals and Cubs each have three. Some players appear in two categories, including Milwaukee's Jake Bauers at first base and utility, and Detroit's Kevin McGonigle at shortstop and utility.

Milwaukee's other finalists are Chourio and second baseman Brice Turang. Ohtani and Muncy are the Dodgers' only individual finalists. The team award field brings Milwaukee, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington together in the National League.

Houston, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and the White Sox are nominated for the American League team honor. Houston led MLB with 226 home runs, Tampa Bay led the American League with a .258 team batting average, and the White Sox led that league with 776 runs. Minnesota scored 739, leaving Chicago 37 runs ahead.

Those team figures mirror the choices facing voters in the individual categories: home runs, reaching base and producing runs each describe a different part of a successful offense. For Ohtani and Suzuki, the next date is November 17, when those judgments become awards.

Key Points

• Ohtani and Suzuki were named 2026 Silver Slugger finalists on November 5.
• Ohtani faces Schwarber for the National League designated hitter award after batting .275 with 30 home runs and an .889 OPS.
• Suzuki is one of seven National League outfield finalists competing for three awards after hitting .270 with 26 homers and an .841 OPS.
• Ohtani is seeking his fifth award and fourth in a row; Suzuki is pursuing his first.
• MLB managers and coaches vote and cannot select players from their own teams.
• Winners are scheduled to be announced November 17, or November 18 in Japan.