Brewers' Jake Bauers uniquely positioned to make Silver Slugger history as nominations arrive

Just two years ago, 2026 breakout slugger Jake Bauers re-signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on a minor league deal. Now, he's an NLCS MVP and a World Series champion. Two years after he went into Spring Training without a guaranteed spot on the roster, Bauers came through with some of the most important at-bats of the postseason after putting together one of the best offensive performances in recent Brewers history at the plate. In fact, Bauers' .873 OPS is the best in a single season by a qualified Brewers hitter since Christian Yelich posted a 1.100 OPS in 2019. As a result of his impressive offensive output this year, Bauers is uniquely positioned to add some more hardware to his trophy case.

The finalists for this year's Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger awards were just announced by FanSided, and Bauers' name appears not once, but twice among the list of players. Not only is Bauers a finalist for the NL Silver Slugger award at first base, where he faces stiff competition in Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves, Alec Burleson of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Rafael Devers of the San Francisco Giants, but the Brewers' breakout star also earned a nod at the utility position. By virtue of his time spent at both a corner outfield position and first base, Bauers qualifies as a "utility player" under Louisville Slugger's criteria, so he will also have a chance to beat out Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres and Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds for a silver bat.

Announcing the 2026 Silver Slugger finalists for American and National Leagues

Notably, only one player has ever won two Silver Slugger awards in a single season: J.D. Martinez, who won the AL DH and an AL OF Silver Slugger award as a member of the Boston Red Sox back in 2018. Bauers could become the second player in history to do so, but it won't be an easy race for the NLCS MVP.

Jake Bauers named finalist for two Silver Slugger awards after breakout 2026 season

Bauers certainly has an argument for both awards. While he trails his fellow first base finalists in most of the counting stats (HR, RBI, 2B), Bauers bested all of them when it comes to on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and trails only Burleson in batting average. That may be a tough argument to sell when Olson crushed 41 homers and 34 doubles to Bauers' 26 and 22, but there's at least a path to victory for the Brewers' left-handed slugger.

Meanwhile, the utility award is probably a better opportunity for Bauers to add some silver to his trophy case this year. Though he once again trails Stewart in HR, doubles, and RBI, Bauers far outperformed the Reds' rookie in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Tatis, on the other hand, trails Bauers in just about every offensive category outside of batting average, meaning the Brewers' outfielder/first baseman should have the upper hand over the Padres' All-Star.

Bauers' 2026 campaign is absolutely worthy of at least one Silver Slugger award. He will have two opportunities to bring one home, and should he pull off the upset in the first base race and take home two silver bats, he will make MLB history as the first National League player to do so in a single season. Winners of the 2026 Silver Slugger awards will be announced on FanSided's "The Baseball Insiders" podcast and YouTube show on November 17. Bauers, Jackson Chourio, and Brice Turang each have a chance to deliver for the Brewers, who didn't have a single Silver Slugger award winner last year.

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