By Townhall Chicago News Staff
The Chicago White Sox lead the American League with four Silver Slugger Award nominees and are also in contention for Offensive Team of the Year, Louisville Slugger announced Thursday.
The nominees cap a resurgent season at the plate for the South Side club, which reached the American League playoffs in 2026 just two years after losing a Major League Baseball-record 121 games.
Chase Meidroth earned a nomination at second base after delivering a .765 OPS with 16 home runs in his second big league season. Miguel Vargas received a nod at third base following a breakout campaign that included 33 home runs, an .837 OPS and his first career All-Star selection.
Tristan Peters earned his first nomination in the outfield after posting a .774 OPS as a rookie. Sam Antonacci received a nod in the utility category after hitting .277 with a .370 on-base percentage while playing left field and second base. Antonacci’s 29 times being hit by a pitch led the league.
The Silver Slugger Award is presented annually to the best offensive player at each position in each league, as voted by MLB managers and coaches. Managers and coaches cannot vote for players on their own teams. Winners will be announced Nov. 17.
The White Sox are also nominated for Offensive Team of the Year, a category added in 2023. The club led the American League with 776 runs scored during the regular season. The Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins are also nominated.
The four individual nominees reflect the depth of an offense that powered the White Sox to an 84-78 record under manager Will Venable. Venable has been named one of three finalists for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s American League Manager of the Year Award and was previously named Sporting News American League Manager of the Year by a vote of his peers.
The White Sox’s offensive turnaround was among the most dramatic in recent baseball history. The 2024 team set a modern record for losses, finishing 41-121. The 2026 club not only returned to respectability but advanced to the American League Division Series before falling to the Cleveland Guardians in five games.
Vargas’s emergence was central to the transformation. Acquired before the 2026 season, the third baseman became a middle-of-the-order force and earned All-Star honors for the first time. Meidroth, a contact-oriented hitter, stabilized the lineup at second base throughout the season.
The club’s nominees join a list of AL finalists that includes established stars such as Yordan Alvarez of the Astros, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.
The awards ceremony for Silver Slugger winners is scheduled for Nov. 17.
Source: MLB.com / Chicago White Sox
