Rays’ Silver Slugger finalists are Caminero and

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced their two Silver Slugger finalists for the 2026 season.

They are third baseman Junior Caminero and outfielder Chandler Simpson.

Caminero is one of two finalists at third base in the American League.

The other is Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox.

Caminero is widely expected to win the award.

He is also a finalist for the American League MVP award.

At just 22 years old, Caminero posted his second consecutive 40-plus home run season.

He scored 100 runs and drove in 101 RBIs.

His wRC+ was 148, meaning he was 48 percent better than the league-average hitter.

He led all of Major League Baseball in bat speed in 2026, averaging 79.4 miles per hour.

Vargas, his competition, hit 33 home runs with a 134 wRC+.

Those numbers are strong, but Caminero's are clearly superior.

The more surprising finalist is Chandler Simpson.

Simpson is an outfielder who did not hit a single home run in 2026.

If he wins the Silver Slugger, he will become just the third player in MLB history to win the award with zero home runs.

The only two to do it before are Ozzie Smith in 1987 and Pete Rose in 1981.

Simpson is a finalist in the outfield category.

The other outfield finalists are Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox, Randy Arozarena of the Seattle Mariners, Cody Bellinger of the New York Yankees, Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Chase DeLauter of the Cleveland Guardians, Riley Greene of the Detroit Tigers, Tristan Peters of the Chicago White Sox, and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.

Several of these players — Abreu, Arozarena, Caglianone, DeLauter, Peters and Simpson — are first-time finalists.

Mike Trout is bidding to become the third 10-time Silver Slugger winner in history.

Only Barry Bonds (12 wins) and Mike Piazza (10 wins) have reached that mark.

By wRC+, the league leaders among qualified outfielders are Arozarena (151), Greene (136), Dom Canzone (134), DeLauter (131), and Caglianone (129).

Trout ranks sixth with a 129 wRC+.

Simpson ranks 20th with a 93 wRC+.

That means Simpson was seven percent worse than the league-average hitter by that metric.

That has led some observers to question his nomination.

However, Simpson led the American League in batting average in 2026.

He hit .306.

The second-highest average among outfield finalists was Caglianone at .289.

Simpson also led all outfielders in stolen bases with 46.

The second-highest total among outfield finalists was Arozarena with 26.

The Silver Slugger award is given by Louisville Slugger to the best offensive player at each position in both leagues.

It is voted on by MLB managers and coaches.

They are not allowed to vote for players on their own team.

The award is based on a combination of traditional statistics like batting average, home runs and RBIs, as well as advanced metrics like on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

There is no strict formula for the award.

Voters use their judgment.

That is how a player with zero home runs can still be a finalist.

Simpson's case rests on his elite contact skills and base-running.

He struck out at a very low rate and consistently put the ball in play.

His speed created pressure on defenses and allowed him to leg out infield hits.

He also played a key role for the Rays as they won the American League pennant in 2026.

The Tampa Bay Times reported the finalists on November 5, 2026.

Yahoo Sports noted that Simpson's nomination was "quite a big one" given his lack of power.

The Big Lead, a sports news site, focused on a different angle.

It published a story arguing that the Rays made a big mistake by not signing Caminero to a long-term contract earlier.

Former MLB catcher Erik Kratz said on the show Foul Territory that the Rays may have already missed their best opportunity.

"If the Rays want to extend Junior Caminero, it should've happened already," Kratz said.

"I don't even know if $250 million or $300 million gets it done, and they've never come close to that."

Caminero is under team control through the 2030 season.

That means he cannot become a free agent until after the 2030 season.