How 2025 Silver Slugger winners fared in Box-Toppers rankings

Here are Silver Slugger Award winners for 2025, given to the top hitter at each position in both leagues, and how each player fared in Box-Toppers points and rankings at their position. Also shown is the Box-Toppers points leader at each position in both leagues.
Silver Slugger winners Box‑Toppers points leaders
AL winners Team BTP Rank* AL leaders Team BTP Rank*
1B Nick Kurtz Athletics 4.5 8 Lenyn Sosa White Sox 8.5 1
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. Yankees 7.2 3 Jose Altuve Astros 8.0 2**
SS Bobby Witt Jr. Royals 2.5 11 Trevor Story Red Sox 8.0 1
3B José Ramírez Guardians 9.5 1 José Ramírez Guardians 9.5 1
CA Cal Raleigh Mariners 6.0 5 Salvador Perez Royals 9.5 1
OF Riley Greene Tigers 9.0 2 Riley Greene Tigers 9.0 2**
OF Aaron Judge Yankees 6.5 8 Wilyer Abreu Red Sox 8.5 3
OF Byron Buxton Twins 5.0 15 Taylor Ward Angels 8.5 4
DH George Springer Blue Jays 9.7 1 George Springer Blue Jays 9.7 1
UT Zach McKinstry Tigers 2.0 100† Junior Caminero Rays 9.0 5†
NL winners Team BTP Rank* NL leaders Team BTP Rank*
1B Pete Alonso Mets 7.2 1 Pete Alonso Mets 7.2 1
2B Ketel Marte D-backs 5.5 1 Ketel Marte D-backs 5.5 1
SS Geraldo Perdomo D-backs 6.5 3 Willy Adames Giants 8.5 1
3B Manny Machado Padres 9.5 1 Manny Machado Padres 9.5 1
CA Hunter Goodman Rockies 5.9 3 Drake Baldwin Braves 6.5 1
OF Juan Soto Mets 7.0 3 Pete Crow‑Armstrong Cubs 9.5 1
OF Corbin Carroll D-backs 5.2 10 James Wood Nationals 7.7 2
OF Kyle Tucker Cubs 4.7 13 Juan Soto Mets 7.0 3
DH Shohei Ohtani Dodgers 5.5 11§ Kyle Schwarber Phillies 12.0 1
UT Alec Burleson Cardinals 1.0 135† Christian Yelich Brewers 11.2 2†
BTP: Box-Toppers points
Rank*: Shows players' rank among all players in their league at that position. For example, Nick Kurtz ranks eighth among AL first basemen in Box-Toppers points; Lenyn Sosa ranks first.
** Lenyn of the White Sox led AL first basemen and second basemen in Box-Toppers points. Rather than awarding him at both positions, we picked the AL second baseman who ranked second—Jose Altuve of the Astros. Also, George Springer of the Blue Jays led AL designated hitters and outfielders in Box-Toppers points. Rather than awarding him at both positions, we picked the next three-highest-ranked AL outfielders, led by Riley Greene of the Tigers.
§ Shohei Ohtani earned 5.5 Box-Toppers points in 2025—3.5 as a batter and 2.0 as a pitcher. Since he qualifies to rank at both positions, his combined 5.5 points is used to rank him 11th among NL DHs. His 3.5 points earned only as a DH would rank 14th among NL DHs.
† Utility players are ranked by batters in their league. For example, Zach McKinstry's 2.0 Box-Toppers points is 100th among AL batters.

Seven of the 20 batters winning Silver Slugger Awards in 2025 were also among the leaders at their positions in 2025 Box-Toppers point totals.

The awards are given to the top batter in each position in both leagues, voted on by Major League Baseball coaches and managers. Box-Toppers, analyzing traditional box scores, tracks which players most help their teams win the most games, awarding points for the top player in each game.

The seven Silver Slugger award winners who also led in Box-Toppers points at their position in their league:

  • José Ramírez of the Guardians, who led American League third basemen with 9.5 Box-Toppers points.

  • Riley Greene of the Tigers, who ranked second among AL outfielders with 9.0 points.

  • George Springer of the Blue Jays, who led AL designated hitters with 9.7 points.

  • Pete Alonso of the Mets, who led National League first basemen with 7.2 points.

  • Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks, who led NL second basemen with 5.5 points.

  • Manny Machado of the Padres, who led NL third basemen with 9.5 points.

  • Juan Soto of the Mets, who ranked third among NL outfielders with 7.0 points.

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Here is a position-by-position look at the Silver Slugger winners compared to the Box-Toppers leaders:

AL first base: Box-Toppers grade: C-minus

Award-winner Nick Kurtz of the Athletics had 4.5 Box-Toppers points and ranked eighth among AL first basemen. The Box-Toppers points leader at the position was Lenyn Sosa of the White Sox with 8.5 Box-Toppers points, seventh among AL batters.

AL second base: Box-Toppers grade: B

Award-winner Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees had 7.2 Box-Toppers points and ranked third among AL second basemen. The Box-Toppers points leader at the position is Lenyn Sosa of the White Sox with 8.5 points, who also leads AL first basemen. Rather than awarding him at both positions, we choose our second-ranked AL second baseman, Jose Altuve of the Astros with 8.0 points. Altuve ranks ninth among AL batters.

AL shortstop: Box-Toppers grade: D

Award-winner Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals ranked 11th among AL shortstops with 2.5 points. The Box-Toppers leader at the position, Trevor Story of the Red Sox, had 8.0 points, 10th among AL batters.

AL third base: Box-Toppers grade: A

Award-winner José Ramírez of the Guardians also led AL third basemen with 9.5 Box-Toppers points, second among AL batters.

AL catcher: Box-Toppers grade: B

Award-winner Cal Raleigh of the Mariners earned 6.0 Box-Toppers points, fifth among AL catchers. The Box-Toppers leader at the position, Salvador Perez of the Royals, had 9.5 points, third among AL batters.

AL outfield: Box-Toppers grade: B

This grade includes an A, a B and a C.

Box-Toppers’ top-ranked AL outfielder is George Springer of the Blue Jays with 9.7 points, who also leads AL designated hitters. Rather than awarding him at both positions, we choose our second- through fourth-ranked AL outfielders for the awards:

  • The A grade: Award-winner Riley Greene of the Tigers ranked second among AL outfielders with 9.0 points, fourth among AL batters, and is placed into our first Silver Slugger award spot for AL outfielders.

  • The B grade: Award-winner Aaron Judge of the Yankees ranked eighth among AL outfielders with 6.5 points. Wilyer Abreu of the Red Sox, with 8.5 points, is third among AL outfielders and is placed in our second Silver Slugger award spot for AL outfielders. Abreu ranks sixth among AL batters.

  • The C grade: Award-winner Byron Buxton of the Twins ranked 15th among AL outfielders with 5.0 points. Taylor Ward of the Angels, with 8.5 points, is fourth among AL outfielders and is placed in our third Silver Slugger award spot for AL outfielders. Ward ranks eighth among AL batters.

AL designated hitter: Box-Toppers grade: A

Award-winner George Springer of the Blue Jays also led AL designated hitters with 9.7 Box-Toppers points, first among AL batters.

AL utility player: Box-Toppers grade: No grade

Baseball added utility players to the Silver Slugger awards in 2022, to award player versatility.

Zach McKinstry of the Tigers is the 2025 winner. He had 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 100th among AL batters. McKinstry lives up to the spirit of the award, playing all over the place in 2025, according to his Baseball Reference page: He played 144 total games in 2025, 85 at third base, 40 at shortstop, 30 in right field, 15 in left field, six at second base, third as a designated hitter, one at first base and even pitched in one game. (Note: He played at more than one position in some games).

Box-Toppers gives no grade for the AL utility player award because Box-Toppers instead violates the spirit of the utility player honor, giving an extra award to the AL batter who ranked highest in Box-Toppers points and did not receive a Silver Slugger. That player is Junior Caminero of the Rays, who earned 9.0 Box-Toppers points, fifth among AL batters and second among AL third basemen. (He played 148 of his 154 games at third base, six as a designated hitter and one at first base.)

NL first base: Box-Toppers grade: A

Award-winner Pete Alonso of the Mets also led NL first basemen with 7.2 Box-Toppers points, 11th among NL batters.

NL second base: Box-Toppers grade: A

Award-winner Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks also led NL second basemen with 5.5 Box-Toppers points, 28th among NL batters.

NL shortstop: Box-Toppers grade: B

Award-winner Geraldo Perdomo of the Diamondbacks ranked third at the position with 6.5 points. The Box-Toppers points leader at the position is Willy Adames of the Giants with 8.5 points, sixth among NL batters.

NL third base: Box-Toppers grade: A

Award-winner Manny Machado of the Padres also led NL third basemen with 9.5 Box-Toppers points, third among NL batters.

NL catcher: Box-Toppers grade: B

Award-winner Hunter Goodman of the Rockies ranked third at the position with 5.9 Box-Toppers points. The Box-Toppers points leader at the position is Drake Baldwin of the Braves with 6.5 points, 17th among NL batters.

NL outfield: Box-Toppers grade B

This grade includes an A, a B and a C:

  • The A grade: Juan Soto of the Mets with 7.0 Box-Toppers points, who also ranked third among NL outfielders and 12th among all NL batters. He is placed into Box-Toppers’ third Silver Slugger award spot for NL outfielders.

  • The B grade: Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks with 5.2 points, 10th among NL outfielders.

  • The C grade: Kyle Tucker of the Cubs with 4.7 points, 13th among NL outfielders.

Box-Toppers’ top two NL outfielders, placed in our first two Silver Slugger positions for NL outfielders, are:

  • Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs, who led NL outfielders with 9.5 points, fifth among NL batters.

  • James Wood of the Nationals, second among NL outfielders with 7.7 points, eighth among NL batters.

NL designated hitter: Box-Toppers grade: B-minus

Award-winner Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers had 5.5 Box-Toppers points, 11th among designated hitters. The Box-Toppers points leader at the position is Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies with 12.0 points, first among NL batters.

Surprisingly, Ohtani had so few Box-Toppers points in 2025, given his offensive prowess: He led the NL in runs scored (146), total bases (380), slugging percentage (.622), and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.014). He was second among NL batters in home runs (55) behind Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies (56). But he was not always the key player to help the Dodgers win games. There were five games in which he had a +3.0 Box-Toppers game score or better in Dodgers wins in which he did not earn Player of the Game honors because a teammate had a higher game score.

It is even more surprising that Ohtani earned only 3.5 of his 5.5 Box-Toppers points as a batter in 2025. The other 2.0 points came as a pitcher. However, because he earned more than 25 percent of his Player of the Game honors at both designated hitter and pitcher, he qualified to have his combined point total rank him at both positions. The 3.5 Box-Toppers points he earned as a designated hitter, would rank 14th among NL designated hitters.

The letter grade we gave for Silver Slugger for NL designated hitter should be lower than the B-minus we gave it, considering the disparities between the Box-Toppers point totals of Schwarber and Ohtani (12.0 vs. 5.5). But it is hard to give it the D grade it deserves because this is Ohtani and he did post remarkable stats. He simply was not Box-Toppers Player of the Game very often in 2025, unlike in 2024.

NL utility player: No Box-Toppers grade

Award-winner Alec Burleson of the Cardinals had 1.0 Box-Toppers point, 135th among NL batters. Burleson played in 139 games in 2025, 50 at first base, 41 in left field, 34 in right field, 22 at designated hitter and one as a pitcher. (Note: He played at more than one position in some games). His 1.0 Box-Toppers point came as a first baseman.

Box-Toppers gives no grade for the NL utility player award because Box-Toppers instead violates the spirit of the utility player honor, giving an extra award to the NL batter who ranked highest in Box-Toppers points and did not receive a Silver Slugger. That player is Christian Yelich of the Brewers, whose 1.2 Box-Toppers points is second among NL batters and second among NL designated hitters, behind Kyle Schwarber. (Yelich played in 150 games in 2025, serving as designated hitter in 131 and playing left field in 19.)

Offensive teams of the Year

Silver Slugger Awards were also given to the best offensive team in each league. The winners were the New York Yankees in the AL and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL, both winning for the second straight year.

The Yankees ranked second in overall Box-Toppers team rankings for 2025 with its players accumulating 127.1 Box-Toppers points, most among all AL teams. Batters earned 53.5 of the team’s points, second-most among all teams and first among AL teams. Batters comprised 42.1 percent of the Yankees’ Box-Toppers point total, the ninth-highest among all teams.

The Dodgers ranked fifth in overall Box-Toppers team rankings for 2025 with its players accumulating 117.9 Box-Toppers points. Dodgers batters combined for 39.1 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 12th-most among all teams and seventh among NL teams. Batters comprised 33.2 percent of the Dodgers’ Box-Toppers point total, eighth-lowest among all teams.

The Chicago Cubs had the highest Box-Toppers point total by batters among all teams (55.1). That is 46.9 percent of the team’s total 117.6 points, fourth-highest among all teams in batters’ share of the team’s overall points. They finished seventh in Box-Toppers team rankings.

The San Francisco Giants had the highest percentage of their team Box-Toppers point total earned by batters in 2025. Giants batters earned 57.4 percent of the team’s total (48.7 out of 84.8 total points). The Giants’ 84.8 Box-Toppers points was 19th among all teams.

Box-Toppers would have given the team awards to the Cubs (NL) and the Yankees (AL) because they both had the highest Box-Toppers point total earned by batters in 2025—the Cubs in first place overall (55.1) and the Yankees in second (53.5).

About Box-Toppers

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day. (No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.)

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