Category: Sports News

As the MLB award season continues, manager Will Venable isn’t the only member of the White Sox receiving his flowers after an astonishing bounce-back season. Today, MLB announced the Silver Slugger finalists, with Chicago having the most finalists of any team in MLB. The nominations included four South Siders at their respective positions, along with a club nomination for Offensive Team of the Year.

As a reminder, the Good Guys led the American League in runs scored (776) and RBIs (740), only — and just barely — trailing the World Series runner-up Tampa Bay Rays (23.8) in offensive fWAR at 23.7. Chicago also mashed 213 home runs (with three players blasting at least 30), ranking fifth in baseball and third in the AL behind the Houston Astros and New York Yankees. The Astros and Rays were both nominated in the team category, with the fourth — and perhaps most surprising — team being the Minnesota Twins. Sox fans already know how pesky the Twins became during the season, which checks out considering Minnesota finished second in the AL with 739 runs scored, behind only the South Siders.

The remaining four nominees were some of the main difference-makers for the Good Guys throughout the season and often found ways to reach base or drive runs in when the White Sox needed it.

Second Base — Chase Meidroth

After narrowly missing — or perhaps even being snubbed — the Gold Glove Award at second base, Meidroth is also being rightfully recognized for his excellent offensive performance this season. In just his second year in MLB, Chase accumulated 4.5 fWAR, which ranked ninth in the American League, and ended the season with a strong .765 OPS (26th in the AL). On top of that, Meidroth posted 31 two-baggers (13th in the AL), 109 base hits (8th) and a .339 BABIP that ranked fourth in the AL and 11th in all of baseball.

Many Sox fans nearly gave up on Meidroth after a poor Spring Training last season, but since he’s been up in the majors, he’s been a key contributor and easily one of the most valuable White Sox players in 2026. Meidroth is up against Kody Clemens, who has a bit more power with 27 bombs to Meidroth’s 16, but he still leads him in most AL offensive categories.

One of my personal favorite Meidroth performances outside of the Wild Card Series dinger was his two-homer game over the Green Monster against the Red Sox, which included a go-ahead two-run bomb in the 10th inning off of Aroldis Chapman. Unfortunately, the Good Guys lost this one, but Meidroth proved he’s a grinder and is ready for any moment.

Third Base — Miguel Vargas

One of the best stories in baseball this season was Vargas. All season, he kept saying that this team allowed him to really love baseball again, and his offensive breakout performance while also being an All-Star in 2026 showed that his talent was always there. Vargas hit 33 home runs, the sixth-most in the American League (12th in MLB), and he was just two bombs behind his teammate Munetaka Murakami with 35. Vargas’ .837 OPS was the eighth-best in the AL, though he scored the second-most runs behind only Randy Arozarena while driving in 93. He was also a menace on the basepaths, and his 22 stolen bases trailed only José Ramírez (32) among third basemen.

Vargas posted 5.3 WAR, tied with Junior Caminero, the other third-base nominee, at the fifth-best in the league. While Yordan Alvarez will likely win MVP — and he should, given the year he’s had — it’s possible Vargas gets some votes, which is a nod to the fantastic year he’s had.

And let’s not forget his no-doubt home run in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game off his former Dodgers teammate Justin Wrobleski. The announcer’s “Oh God” after he smoked that ball is an all-timer.

Outfield — Tristan Peters

Another surprise gem (and All-Star!) that broke out with the White Sox this season was Tristan Peters: our beloved former Savannah Banana. Peters’ season was unprecedented after being traded around the league a few times before landing with the White Sox before Spring Training. The Canadian rookie ranked in the top 20 in the AL in fWAR (3.5) with a .774 OPS and also mashed 31 doubles alongside Vargas and Meidroth. He was consistent all year, racking up three walk-offs, 12 homers and even hitting for the cycle which earned him a beautiful ring from Jerry Reinsdorf.

Peters was also named AL Rookie of the Month in August after mashing six bombs with a .320 average. He blasted five home runs in five games during the last week of the month, including a home run on Players Weekend with the banana bat and a walk-off bomb against the Mets. His five-game home run streak tied the White Sox franchise record and the MLB rookie record for consecutive games with a home run.

Utility — Sam Antonacci

Chicago’s favorite Italian was also recognized for his ability to make things happen and adjust to wherever he was needed all year. As a rookie, Sam Antonacci ranked eighth in the AL in on-base percentage (.370) and 13th in batting average (.277). His OBP benefited from his strangely unrivaled ability to get hit by pitches: His 29 HBP led the American League and trailed only the St. Louis Cardinals’ Iván Herrera in MLB. For reference, he set the White Sox single-season HBP record in August with 24, then got hit five more times in the last month of the season and four more times in the playoffs in just 27 plate appearances.

Antonacci learned left field on the fly, spending most of his time there while also providing elite defense at second base when needed. Antonacci is exactly what you’d expect from a South Side grinder, and he fit in perfectly with this White Sox team in 2026, cementing his value as an MLB player.

For whatever reason, Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers was nominated at both utility and shortstop, and Ezequiel Duran of the Texas Rangers is the third nominee in this category. Duran was also a phenomenal utility player this year, but Antonacci has definitely made a case for himself to be considered.

The Mets are adding to their hitting department for next season after hiring Johnny Washington to be their co-hitting coach, confirms SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes.

Washington will join hitting coach Troy Snitker, whom New York added last offseason, and assistant hitting coach Rafael Fernandez, who was promoted in 2026  after a long road with the Mets that began in the minor league system in 2015.

Washington spent last season as the minor league hitting coordinator for the Atlanta Braves, but he also has major league experience -- most recently as the Los Angeles Angels hitting coach from 2024 to 2025. 

Before that, the 42-year-old served as the assistant hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs for two seasons following a year in the KBO League as the Hanwha Eagles hitting coach. Washington's major league coaching career began in 2017 with the San Diego Padres -- as a member of manager Andy Green's staff -- where he was the first base coach for two years before being named the hitting coach in 2019.

Re-joining Green in Queens, Washington will try to help a Mets offense that ranked in the bottom third of most offensive categories last season aside from total home runs which they finished tied for seventh (204).

However, New York's offense did make a late push last season, posting the fifth-best OPS after Aug. 1.

The Royals have added Hunter Mense as an assistant hitting coach, according to reporters Mark Feinsand and Maria Guardado. Mense has just completed his first year as hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants. The Royals reassigned hitting coach Alec Zumwalt from instructing major league hitters at the end of the season so he could focus on working with minor leaguers.

Mense is from Liberty, Missouri and attended Mizzou. He spent a few years in the Marlins organization as a minor leaguer, but was never in the big leagues. He was hired as a minor league coach for the Padres in 2017, before moving on to the Blue Jays organization after one year. He joined their big league team as an assistant hitting coach in 2022, helping the team win a pennant in 2025. The Giants hired him to work under new manager Tony Vitiello this year. Under his watch, the Giants averaged just 4.13 runs-per-game, fifth-lowest in baseball. They also cycled through 34 different position players as the team underwent a rebuild mid-season.

Mense is taking a step down by joining the Royals, and it is interesting the Giants allowed him to leave after just one year. He will work with assistant hitting coaches Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames at the big league level, while Zumwalt will retain his title as Director of Hitting Performance. The Royals improved offensively last year, scoring 4.26 runs-per-game, 21st in baseball and up from 2025 when they averaged just 4.02 runs-per-game. But the lineup got off to a slow start, the team still struggled to draw walks, and they were the worst offensive team on the road this year.

The St. Louis Cardinals have received more post-season honors. Both Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker have been selected as Silver Slugger Award finalists according to MLB.com.

MLB announced the full list of Silver Slugger Award finalists. Alec Burleson is a finalist among the first basemen which also includes Jake Bauers of the Brewers, Rafael Devers from the Giants and Matt Olson of the Braves. Here are Alec Burleson’s 2026 stats:

• Games Played: 160
• At Bats: 605
• Runs: 89
• Hits: 169
• Doubles: 37
• Triples: 1
• Home Runs: 26
• Runs Batted In (RBI): 116
• Stolen Bases: 4
• Walks: 55
• Strikeouts: 121
• Batting Average (AVG): .279
• On-Base Percentage (OBP): .343
• Slugging Percentage (SLG): .473
• On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS): .816
• WAR: 3.7

Jordan Walker is an outfield Silver Slugger Award finalist along with Corbin Carroll of the D-Backs, Jackson Chourio from the Brewers, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs, Fernando Tatis Jr. from the Padres and James Wood of the Nationals. Here are Jordan Walker’s numbers from the 2026 season:

• Games Played: 158
• At Bats: 609
• Runs: 97
• Hits: 164
• Doubles: 33
• Triples: 0
• Home Runs: 29
• Runs Batted In (RBI): 102
• Stolen Bases: 22
• Walks: 50
• Strikeouts: 174
• Batting Average (AVG): .269
• On-Base Percentage (OBP): .327
• Slugging Percentage (SLG): .466
• On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS): .793
• WAR: 3.3

The Silver Slugger Award winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 17, 2026.

Texas Rangers jack of all trades Ezequiel Duran is a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award for utility players, it was announced today. Duran is up against the Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle and Sam Antonacci of the White Sox.

Duran, who already won the Gold Glove for the utility player spot this offseason, slashed .260/.320/.419 this season, good for a 114 OPS+, and also was 12 for 16 on stolen base attempts. He played all over the diamond for the Rangers, with 49 starts at shortstop, 41 starts at third base, 20 starts in the outfield, 25 starts at second base, and one start at first base.

McGonigle, who made his major league debut this season, led American League position players in bWAR this year at 7.1 bWAR. He split his time roughly evenly between shortstop and third base, and slashed .278/.376/.430, good for a 126 OPS+.

Antonacci is a rather baffling finalist here. He started 109 games this season in left field and 13 games at second base, although he did appear in another 19 games at second base that he didn’t start. Still, he seems like a left fielder who occasionally played second base rather than a utility guy. He slashed .277/.370/.396, good for a 116 OPS+.

You can see the full list of finalists in both the American League and the National League here.

The handling of Jacoby Brissett this offseason and into the season can only be described as disastrous.

And now, they are paying a little bit extra to make sure they get something in return for Brissett, and we still don’t know exactly what it is going to be, but the Cardinals converted half of his remaining salary into a signing bonus in order to get him off the roster.

The decision to cave into Brissett and give him a raise, then having to bench him for Gardner Minshew because he didn’t seem to fit the offense that Mike LaFleur wanted to run, is just another extension of all the issues that occur within the Cardinals organization.

It is sad to see this unfold this way, and completely avoidable, but instead it cost the Cardinals money, competing for wins, and now having to add a little extra to get him to the Baltimore Ravens.

Brissett leaves the Cardinals having never won a game at State Farm Stadium, but he was technically 2-0 at Jerry’s World, so there is that.

Well, for all the talk of the Giants’ lineup being not only set going into next season but productive thanks to their new approach, they’re now in a situation where they need a new hitting coach. Maria Guardado and Mark Feinsand are reporting that Hunter Mense, the Giants’ hitting coach for all of one season, is headed for Kansas City.

For as much plaudits as online fans seemed to have for the lineup — and, indeed, if you ignore a decent chunk of the season, the offense was spectacular! — it’s worth noting that the Giants’ final team line of .245/.306/.400 (7.4 BB% & 22.1 K%) was 3% worse than the league average. Their 669 runs scored was 26th out of 30 teams. The 2026 Royals scored 690 runs (22nd) on a line of .248/.316/.402 (98 wRC+). And, of course, the Giants’ lineup was one of the worst… things… in the world in the first month of the season.

GPT (@giantsprospects.bsky.social) has been analyzing the swing data of the Giants’ veteran core (Chapman, Adames, and Devers) to try to understand their slow starts and assigned some of the potential blame to Mense’s instruction.

I point this out because it’s rarely clear just how much influence a particular coach has on any one thing. We might want to say that Ron Washington is a miracle worker, but how much of Luis Arraez’s success at second base had to do with Washington and how much with Arraez? Along the same line, GPT’s analysis does capture some part of this, but Roger Munter’s replies point to how much Chapman had to do with his results (to say nothing of him being the one actually doing the hitting):

But if we’re just looking at results, the lineup did turn things around after a bad start. Rafael Devers is a Silver Slugger Award finalist. Bryce Eldridge never looked overmatched. Drew Gilbert found a groove.

There were some nice things about the situation, but maybe not good enough to keep him around? It seems hard to believe that this is a personality conflict with the manager. As noted when he was hired:

Mense — pronounced “MENTZ,” like how Hunter Pence pronounces his surname — is good friends with Tony Vitello, so those who’ve been on the Vitello MLB Connections beat are being rewarded right now. Pavlovic mentions, “Both are Missouri natives and Mense played at Missouri while Vitello was an assistant coach.” This is the same setup for those Max Scherzer to the Giants rumors, by the way, and Scherzer is currently the only active major leaguer from Vitello’s time in Missouri.

Still, relationships can sour. Or, a simple matter of a better opportunity came along. I’m sure some explanation will emerge, but you have to admit that it’s a bit odd and from the outset seemingly another ding against the Giants in this abysmal calendar year for them. A team without a hitting coach as we head into a lockout probably isn’t the best idea in the world… but maybe the Giants have a better backup plan lined up.

1:08pm EDITED TO ADD: Indeed, it would appear the Giants are making multiple changes to their coaching staff.

The #3 story of the San Francisco Giants’ season was Rafael Devers making it clear that he’s still a dominant force at the plate. He can still hit and hit in any stadium, win or lose. This morning, the finalists for the Silver Slugger Award, which awards the best hitter at each position in each league — were announced and there he was, alongside Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers, St. Louis’s Alec Burleson, and Atlanta’s Matt Olson.

His injury shortened season still ended with 37 home runs, 36 doubles, 88 RBI, 69 walks (10.9 BB%) against 161 strikeouts (25.4 K%) for a triple slash of .258/.340/.525 (136 wrC+) in 148 games played and 633 plate appearances. It was fantastic to watch. One of the few great things about this terrible Giants season. It helps that it was on par with his last three seasons, too. Not some fluke. He’s also won the award twice before (2021 & 2923) and he had a better year this year than in those, rate-wise (133 wRC+ & 126 wRC+).

The Giants, though, have been on a cold streak with this award. Buster Posey was the last to win one, and that was back in 2021. Devers, as great as he was, doesn’t seem to have had a season that will snap the spell. His 136 wRC+ wound up being just 14th in MLB, behind Bauers (143). Burleson (125) and Olson (123) are likely ahead of him, too, because of average/games played (.279/160) and home runs (41), respectively.

Still, when people start attaching him to their mock trade proposals or we start to hear about him in trade talks, remember that he hit well enough to be a Silver Slugger finalist. He anchored a Giants lineup that wound up being pretty good. Certainly not the aspect of the roster that needs a great deal of work this offseason.

If you want to watch all 37 of his home runs, the Giants helpfully posted a video with them all to their YouTube page yesterday:

And here were his five biggest games by Win Probability Added:

5. June 27th vs. Atlanta: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI on his Bobblehead Night

That first home run came after a rough 0-2 start to the at bat. The second homer was a golf chip shot off the fair pole that came in a count that was 0-2 for a very long time.

4. August 16th vs. Colorado: 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI

There’s already a recurring theme in these highlights: at bats that don’t seem to be going very well. In this one, he has the miraculous “foul Splash/homer that becomes real” that we don’t see very much.

3. July 24th vs. Angels: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI

Not a home run highlight, but this was his first walk-off as a Giant.

2. May 11th at Dodgers: 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI

Always a great highlight when it’s against the Dodgers.

1. June 24th vs. Athletics: 1-for-4, HR

This is probably an underrated candidate for top games of the season. Even though it was against the lowly Athletics, what a comeback!

Joe Ariola was drafted in the seventh round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, and though he didn’t make his professional debut until 2026, he rocketed up the Diamondbacks’ system.

Ariola was originally assigned to Low-A Visalia, pitching two scoreless innings in his first game with three strikeouts, but an elbow injury took him out until early July.

“I had a couple loose bodies – some bone spurs broke off in the back of my elbow,” he said. “It wasn’t really all that fun. But kind of unfortunate. Really, no speedy recovery for that. You’ve kind of just got to sit and wait till they reattach or you take them out. So we chose to sit and wait. Ultimately, it took a little bit out of the season, but I was able to make up for it in the back half. [I] got a lot of innings plus the Fall League now, so coming up on a full year. So I didn’t get to miss out on much, just missed the first half.”

Ariola returned to action on July 4 in a rehab assignment with the ACL Diamondbacks. In three appearances (two starts), Ariola pitched 3.1 total innings and allowed two hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts and one walk. He then made his way back to Visalia, where he stayed for just five games before being promoted to High-A Hillsboro. In 10 appearances for the Hops, Ariola allowed eight runs (five earned) across 16.1 innings. He allowed seven walks, but struck out 30.

That was enough to earn him a late-season cameo with the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles, where he made his final two appearances. That proved to be the highlight of his year (and enough for him to win AZ SnakePit’s Minor League Reliever of the Year).

“It’s got to be winning the Texas League Championship,” he said. “I mean, joining those boys at the end of the year and doing that run with them – just seeing their camaraderie and being able to join them, it was awesome. We had a great run. I mean, I don’t think any of our expectations on the team were what it was like for their season, and then rolling into the playoffs. I think we were just happy playing still and continuing ball, but it was an awesome ride (for) those two weeks for the playoffs.”

In his two appearances, Ariola allowed just two hits across three innings with four strikeouts. In total, Ariola pitched 34.2 innings across 21 appearances and posted a 1.56 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.

2026 offered him a lot of lessons, too. The biggest one was, “Keep it simple.”

“I feel like oftentimes we’ll make things more complicated and think a little bit too much out there on the mound or hitting or whatever it may be,” he continued. “I feel like we’ve played this game for 20-plus years —or since we were born, basically, most of us now at this point. I mean, we know how to play. Keep it simple. Let your talent do it. Understand what you do well, and just do what you do well. (You’ve) been doing it your whole life.”

Heading into the Arizona Fall League, Ariola had one main goal in mind: Limit the running game.

“I talked with our coach, [Javier] Colina, in Double-A, and that was basically an area of improvement for myself,” he said, “being able to manage guys when they do get on, don’t give up free 90’s (feet) and stuff, don’t let them get into scoring position super easily. I’ve been trying to work on it (and) mix it in when I can.”

But Ariola, like the other prospects, is also taking advantage of the different perspectives afforded to him in the Salt River Rafters bullpen.

“It’s awesome, honestly,” he said. “We talk it up all the time in the bullpen with the guys, and you get to pick some brains on what different orgs are like – how some of the big orgs do it, how some of the small orgs do it. Some guys have been traded into stuff, how that looks, and it’s a lot of perspectives and a lot of different journeys all mixed together in the bullpen.

Even on the team in general, like coming down here with the hitters,” he continued, “so I feel like that’s some of the biggest stuff you can get from one another. And then, along with the coaches, everybody’s got a different philosophy from the different orgs. So (you) pick a little bit from each guy, and you see what works for you.”

One of the best things, though, has been reuniting with his former college teammate — Rockies LHP Sean Sullivan.

“It was awesome, honestly. I was looking forward to it when I saw that our teams were kind of mashed up,” Ariola said. “I didn’t know he was going to be on it, but I was like, ‘Alright, cool. I’m going to be in the Fall League playing.’ And then I saw his name on the list, and I was like, ‘Damn, I haven’t seen him in three years. This is going to be awesome.’ We had a good run in college together. I was good friends with him in college, and I love him. So it was awesome to come back here and be able to be on the same team again.”

Ariola is known for his curveball, which breaks in a traditional 12-6 fashion and hovers around 78-81 mph. But what makes it so good?

“Maybe because I throw a really high slot, and maybe it looks like another pitch,” he said. “I can’t really tell you. When I learned how to throw it, it was when I was a kid. I haven’t changed it since. I mean, it’s always been my pitch that I was really good at. I don’t try to tinker with it all that much. I just try to believe in it every time I throw it.”

But it plays really well against his fastball, which hovers around 93-95 mph. And that fastball is the pitch that Ariola identified as his favorite in his arsenal.

“[I’m] really consistent with that one,” he said with a slight smirk. “I feel like I could throw that at any point right now.

“But the curveball is definitely the go-to out pitch,” he continued. “If I’ve got to get a guy to swing and miss, it’s going there. But I like the heater.”

Heading into the offseason, Ariola is looking forward to “understanding exactly what I need to work on, and then taking it into the offseason, figuring those things out and then coming back in the spring and seeing how much I’ve adjusted, gotten better, and improved. I think that’s some of the stuff I’m really looking forward to this offseason. Just tinkering a little bit on small things. What can I get better at?”

And what does he want fans know about him? Like teammate Demetrio Crisantes, Ariola is “pretty easygoing and laid back.

“If you want to come up and talk, I’m down to talk,” he said. “I’m a friendly person. I don’t mind if you come and introduce yourself to me. Go for it — I’m down to meet new people.”