If there is a pair of designated hitters that can perfectly define the challenge for the American League Silver Slugger Award this year, they have been Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Ben Rice of the New York Yankees.
Both contributed more than enough to what their respective teams needed: the power and consistency that could guide the lineup throughout the entire year. Yordan was the heart of Houston's offense and was until the end of the season trying to win the Triple Crown.
The last time Yordan was leading the three categories that momentarily supported his Triple Crown was on August 25, when he was batting .323 with 36 home runs and 91 RBIs. However, Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso had a spectacular end to the season and finished leading the league with 43 home runs and 113 RBIs.
Even so, Yordan hit 42 home runs , his personal record in MLB, and led the American League in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432), slugging (.601), OPS (1.033), offensive WAR (7.2), total bases (341), walks (109), intentional walks (33), and extra-base hits (77), standing out as the only MLB hitter who finished the season with an OPS above 1.000.
His 33 intentional walks established a record for the Houston franchise, surpassing Jeff Bagwell's 27 in 1997, and fell just three short of the American League's all-time record.
But there is more! Yes, because Yordan also became the first hitter since the implementation of Statcast, in 2015, to record an average above .300 against the three categories of pitches in the same season.
New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice (22). Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
For his part, Rice's season was impressive and surpassed what seemed to be his breakout season after hitting 26 home runs with 65 RBIs for the Yankees in 2025, raising his impact to another level, with personal records in games played (154), runs scored (105), hits (151), extra bases (69), home runs (41), RBIs (97), walks (85), batting average (.264), on-base percentage (.363), slugging (.534), OPS (.897), and bWAR with 3.7.
Added to those achievements, what impacted the most was the weight they had for the Yankees, in a season in which they could barely count on two of their main hitters, the three-time MVP and five-time Silver Slugger winner, Aaron Judge, and the MVP and two-time Silver Slugger winner, Giancarlo Stanton.
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44). Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Look, it is clear that there is not much to discuss here, since Yordan is not only the main candidate to win his second Silver Slugger, but also stands out among the favorites to take the MVP. But that does not mean that we fail to highlight Rice's great season, which in many ways was also at the elite level.
While Yordan finished in the 100th percentile in Batting, Rice finished in the 97th, with a high power impact from both, although the Cuban made the difference by ranking in the 100th percentiles in xSLG, xISO and barrels, 99 in exit velocity, 98 in barrel rate, and 97 in Hard-Hit Rate. Rice was below in all those categories, but with percentiles of 97, 96, 96, 89, 94 and 87, respectively.
That said, I believe that what Alvarez differs from almost all the hitters in the league in is the way he generates power, contact and extends his discipline at the plate to another level. His 17.3% strikeout rate and a 15.8% walk rate reveal that combination and, together with his great power impact, he finished recording 6.8 bWAR, practically double Rice's 3.7.
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44). Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Then comes another solid argument, and it was Yordan's stability, who only had a marked decline in August , when he hit just two home runs in 94 plate appearances and produced a .457 slugging, being that the only month in which he fell below at least .510 slugging.
For his part, Rice also started strongly, although he went through two complicated periods, first in June, when his OPS fell to .656, and later in August, his worst month, when he finished with a .184/.304/.337 line and a .641 OPS.
The only game situation in which Rice surpassed Alvarez was high leverage, where the New Yorker led the league with 224 wRC+, and surpassed Yordan with four home runs and a .729 slugging.
Even so, the Cuban recorded a better on-base percentage (.500 vs. .483) and, throughout the season, was the most consistent hitter when he found runners in scoring position. He produced a .366/.562/.793 offensive line, with nine home runs and 57 RBIs in 130 plate appearances, while Rice finished with a .273/.411/.564, with eight home runs and 55 RBIs in 110 at-bats.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Yordan Alvarez vs. Ben Rice: A Power Challenge That Will Define the Silver Slugger Winner This Year .
