William Contreras loses NL Silver Slugger to a foe we never expected

In what has become one of the most successful trades in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired William Contreras from the Atlanta Braves in a three-team blockbuster back on December 12, 2022. In 2023, Contreras' first season with the Crew, the Brewers backstop beat out finalists Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers, J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies, and Sean Murphy, who the Braves essentially picked over Contreras during the offseason, to win the NL Silver Slugger Award at the catcher position.

A season later, Contreras once again took home a Silver Slugger Award, besting Realmuto and Smith in the voting process. In just two short seasons with the Brew Crew, Contreras established himself as the best catcher in the National League, beating out big names to take home a Silver Slugger Award in each season.

Fast forward to 2025, and Contreras' name was once again among the finalists for the NL Silver Slugger Award at catcher. For the third straight season, Will Smith's name was alongside Contreras' as a finalist for the award, but this year a new name joined the ranks: Hunter Goodman. The Colorado Rockies backstop broke out with 31 homers this season, raising his OPS nearly 200 points from his rookie campaign in 2024. In addition to leading all NL catchers in home runs, Goodman also set the pace for slugging percentage (.520) and RBI (91) in 2025 and was named to his first All-Star Game.

Despite Goodman's breakout season, many still expected one of the two household names, Contreras and Smith, to take home this year's Silver Slugger Award. However, as announced just moments ago on FanSided's "The Baseball Insiders" YouTube show with Robert Murray and Adam Weinrib, Goodman is this year's NL Silver Slugger at the catcher position.

William Contreras beat out by Rockies' Hunter Goodman for Silver Slugger Award

Contreras' three-peat bid has unfortunately come up short. Despite Contreras and Smith having an impressive track record of success, there's no denying that the offensive performance that Goodman put together in 2025 makes him worthy of this coveted honor.

Even still, Brewers fans have to be wondering how different this season would have looked for Contreras if he hadn’t been battling a finger injury all season. Dating back to early May, it was reported, by MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, that Contreras was battling a fractured finger on his glove hand. Despite the injury, Contreras never went on the injured list, and instead toughed out 128 starts behind the dish and 155 total games in 2025. Sure, his production was down a tick at the plate, but what Contreras accomplished in 2025, given his health, is nothing short of incredible.

Therefore, while he may have justifiably lost out to Goodman for the NL Silver Slugger Award this year, there's no reason to believe that Contreras can't reclaim his throne next season. He underwent surgery to mend his fractured finger and will be fully healthy when spring training rolls around next February. Pair that with a player who is clearly hungry for more success, and opposing pitchers should be afraid of what Contreras will bring to the table in 2026.