The Royals had a disappointing season as a team, but some individual players stood out and could be recognized this offseason. Bobby Witt Jr., Carter Jensen, and Jac Caglianone were named finalists for the 2026 Silver Slugger Awards, with winners to be announced on November 17.
The Royals are one of five teams with at least three finalists, joining the White Sox (four), Tigers, Brewers and Cubs (three each).
Witt is looking to make it three consecutive Silver Slugger Awards after winning in 2024 and 2025. No Royals player has ever won the award in three consecutive seasons, and the only AL shortstops to ever win the award three consecutive years are Cal Ripken (1983-86), Alex Rodriguez (1998-2003), and Derek Jeter (2006-09). Bobby hit .281/.359/.441 with 18 home runs, 33 doubles, 94 runs scored and 45 stolen bases in 143 games this season. His 7.0 fWAR ranked second in the majors, trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong. Among American League shortstops, Witt led the position in hits, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases. He is up against Zach Neto of the Angels and Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers.
Jensen is a finalist after an impressive rookie campaign in which he hit .239/.323/.467 with 27 home runs, 35 doubles and 81 RBI in 149 games. Among AL catchers, he ranked first in runs scored and doubles, tied for first in home runs and second in RBI and walks. His 27 home runs set a Royals franchise record for a rookie, surpassing Bob Hamelin's 24 in 1994. His 64 extra-base hits were also the most ever by a rookie catcher in major league history, breaking the previous record of 61 set by Mike Piazza in 1993. If Jensen wins, he would become just the second Royals catcher to earn the award, joining Salvador Perez, who has won five times (2016, 2018, 2020-21 and 2024). He would also become just the fifth rookie catcher to win a Silver Slugger, joining Benito Santiago, Matt Nokes, Craig Biggio and Piazza. He faces Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler.
Caglianone is a finalist after hitting .289/.340/.494 with 23 home runs, 32 doubles and 75 RBI. His .289 batting average ranked fourth in the American League, while his .494 slugging percentage ranked sixth and his .834 OPS ranked ninth. Caglianone hit .411/.429/.684 in the month of August and was named AL Player of the Month Caglianone also showed off his prodigious power, averaging 416 feet on his home runs and participating in the Home Run Derby. If Caglianone wins, he would become just the second Royals outfielder to earn a Silver Slugger, joining Willie Wilson, who won the award in 1980 and 1982. Three outfielders will be chosen, with Caglianone up against Wilyer Abreu of the Red Sox, Randy Arozarena of the Mariners, Cody Bellinger of the Yankees, Chase DeLauter of the Guardians, Riley Greene of the Tigers, Tristan Peters of the White Sox, Chandler Simpson of the Rays, and Mike Trout of the Angels.
Silver Slugger finalists and winners are selected by managers and coaches, who vote for players at each position in their league. Voting considers a combination of offensive statistics, including OPS, OPS+, home runs, RBI, batting average, total bases and runs, along with the voters' overall impressions of each player's offensive value.
American League Finalists
Catcher: Dillon Dingler (Detroit Tigers), Carter Jensen (Kansas City Royals)First Base: Pete Alonso (Baltimore Orioles), Willson Contreras (Boston Red Sox)
Second Base: Kody Clemens (Minnesota Twins), Chase Meidroth (Chicago White Sox)
Shortstop: Kevin McGonigle (Detroit Tigers), Zach Neto (Los Angeles Angels), Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals),
Third Base: Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays), Miguel Vargas (Chicago White Sox)
Outfield: Wilyer Abreu (Boston Red Sox), Randy Arozarena (Seattle Mariners), Cody Bellinger (New York Yankees), Jac Caglianone (Kansas City Royals), Chase DeLauter (Cleveland Guardians), Riley Greene (Detroit Tigers), Tristan Peters (Chicago White Sox), Chandler Simpson (Tampa Bay Rays), Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Designated Hitter: Yordan Álvarez (Houston Astros), Ben Rice (New York Yankees)
Utility: Sam Antonacci (Chicago White Sox), Ezequiel Duran (Texas Rangers), Kevin McGonigle (Detroit Tigers)
Team Award: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays
National League Finalists
Catcher: Hunter Goodman (Colorado Rockies), Gabriel Moreno (Arizona Diamondbacks)
First Base: Jake Bauers (Milwaukee Brewers), Alec Burleson (St. Louis Cardinals), Matt Olson (Atlanta Braves), Rafael Devers (San Francisco Giants)
Second Base: Brandon Lowe (Pittsburgh Pirates), Brice Turang (Milwaukee Brewers)
Shortstop: CJ Abrams (Washington Nationals), Elly De La Cruz (Cincinnati Reds), Otto Lopez (Miami Marlins)
Third Base: Alex Bregman (Chicago Cubs), Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Outfield: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs), Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks), Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers), Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs), Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres), Jordan Walker (St. Louis Cardinals), James Wood (Washington Nationals)
Designated Hitter: Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies), Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Utility: Jake Bauers (Milwaukee Brewers), Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres), Sal Stewart (Cincinnati Reds)
Team Award: Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals
