Was Michael Busch Really Snubbed in Silver Slugger Nominations?
Three Cubs were named when Silver Slugger finalists were announced on Wednesday, plus the whole lineup was nominated for the team award. Nico Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Kyle Tucker got recognition for their offensive performances, but Michael Busch‘s name was nowhere to be seen.
A lot of people were surprised, which is fair, as Busch had the ninth-best wRC+ in baseball. His 140 wRC+ was the only one point behind Pete Alonso for the highest among first basemen and his 34 homers also trailed only Alonso (38). Freddie Freeman‘s .370 wOBA barely surpassed Busch (.369) for tops at the position. Busch’s .523 slugging percentage was 13th best in all of MLB and — you guessed it — just a point behind Alonso.
Busch was near the top of the league in plenty of offensive categories, including barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and average exit velocity. He hit the ball hard, and it paid off. However, as The WARmonger pointed out on X, the platoon aspect of Busch’s season impacts the advanced metrics.
Michael Busch had a great season, but it's not some crime he isn't a Silver Slugger finalist. He was 4th among NL 1B in FanGraphs batting value. It's close, though.
His rate stat advantages are largely from how much he was platooned. His OPS was .910 against RHP, .642 against… pic.twitter.com/Jq35H3380a
— The WARmonger (@TheWARmonger_) October 22, 2025
The first baseman played in 155 games, although his lack of appearances against left-handed pitching hurt his case for the award. He logged 497 plate appearances against right-handed arms, but only faced southpaws 95 times. Busch had a .642 OPS and four home runs against lefties, but it was a clear weakness that Craig Counsell often countered by starting Justin Turner instead.
Alonso, Freeman, and Matt Olson were the three first basemen eligible for the award. They all had more plate appearances than Busch, which likely contributed to their nominations. The fact that they posted virtually the same wRC+ and wOBA as Busch, but over a larger sample size, helps explain the absence of Chicago’s rising star.
Awards aside, it was a breakout season for Busch, who has given Jed Hoyer and the Cubs’ front office a sense of comfort, as it looks like they’ve found their first baseman of the future.
