It's award season for Major League Baseball, after another year of 30 franchises all fighting for the same goal. While some teams finished better than others, individual awards roll around each year to recognize the league's best.
The Detroit Tigers have seen a handful of their players nominated for awards this offseason already. But as of Thursday, Nov. 5, the franchise has three new players nominated for one of Major League Baseball's most prestigious hitting awards.
Rookie of the Year nominee Kevin McGonigle*, Gold Glove winner Dillon Dingler, and three-time All-Star Riley Greene have all been named finalists for the Silver Slugger Award at their respective positions. (*Nominated for SS/UTL).
The winners will be announced on Nov. 17 based on the following criteria :
"Each MLB team receives four (4) votes: the manager and three coaches of the team's choice. Votes are based on a combination of offensive statistics including OPS, OPS+, home runs, RBI, batting average, total bases and runs, as well as the managers' and coaches' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value."
Detroit Tigers' hats and gloves sit on the dugout steps at Comerica Park. Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Here's who feels most likely to win the award out of the three Tigers nominees based on their 2026 performances and the level of competition.
Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) runs the bases after hitting a home run at T-Mobile Park. Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Of the three Tigers, back-to-back Gold Glove Award winner Dillon Dingler is most likely to win the Silver Slugger Award. For starters, he's only up against Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals, who had similar numbers to the Tigers' backstop, but has more going for him than his competition.
Both catchers finished 2026 with 27 home runs, but when looking at the overall numbers, it will be a closer race than people may think.
Dingler: 4.2 WAR, 27 HRs, 91 RBIs .243 AVG, .446 SLG, .749 OPS, 107 OPS+
Jensen: 3.3 WAR, 27 HRs, 81 RBIs, .239 AVG, .467 SLG, .790 OPS, 120 OPS+
Both catchers led their teams in home runs and runs batted in, and had the same number of total bases (246) for the season. The vote will be close, but since Dingler made the All-Star Game, struck out less, and had better power numbers with runners in scoring position, the Silver Slugger is likely going to Dingler based on those small improvements alone.
Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) looks on before an at bat. Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Kevin McGonigle's first year in Major League Baseball will live in the memories of Tigers fans for the next decade, as his 2026 campaign lands him another award nomination. McGonigle was nominated for both the Silver Slugger Award as a shortstop and a utility player, which alone places him second on these rankings, given he has two chances to win.
In the shortstop competition, McGonigle goes up against Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals and Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels. All three shortstops have reason to be nominated, but Detroit's player could be on the short end of the stick.
Both McGonigle and Witt Jr. finished 2026 with 18 home runs, whereas Neto finished with 27. McGonigle had the best OPS+ (126) of the three, had the most hits (168) and had the highest WAR (7.1), but there still seems to be room for him to lose this competition.
Given that Neto hit the most home runs and drove in the most RBIs among the three, the term "slugger" may best fit the Los Angeles Angels. However, McGonigle has a chance to win the Utility Silver Slugger Award, so long as he can beat Sam Antonacci of White Sox and Ezequiel Duran of the Texas Rangers.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (31) prepares to bat. Credit | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Of the three Tigers nominees, Riley Greene is the only player to have won a Silver Slugger Award. His 2025 season saw big power numbers, crushing 36 home runs and driving in over 100 RBIs, but in 2026, Greene focused less on power and more on situational hitting.
Greene finished 2026 with 21 home runs, 75 RBIs, and hit .248 with runners in scoring position, complementing his overall .280 batting average. Three outfield nominees will bring home the award, but Greene has some steep competition:
Wilyer Abreu (Red Sox)
Randy Arozarena (Seattle Mariners)
Cody Bellinger (New York Yankees)
Jac Caglianone (Royals)
Chase DeLauter (Cleveland Guardians)
Tristan Peters (White Sox)
Chandler Simpson (Rays)
Mike Trout (Angels)
Here's where Greene ranks among his competition for crucial stats looked at when deciding the winners.
AVG - 5th
Home Runs - 5th
RBIs - 3rd
Doubles - 3rd
Hits - 5th
SLG % - 3rd
OPS - 2nd
There is a path for Greene, but given that his competition is plentiful compared to Dingler and McGonigle, it'll be more difficult for him to win the award two seasons in a row.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/tigers/onsi as Ranking the 3 Detroit Tigers Silver Slugger Nominees Most Likely to Win .
