There are snubs, and then there are head-scratchers that make you pull up Fangraphs just to make sure your eyes still work. This one lives in the second bucket. The San Diego Padres’ star right fielder just authored a season that checked both boxes we pretend not to weigh at the same time, impact and aesthetics.
He piled up value in ways that show up in spreadsheets and in moments that feel loud in real time. And yet, when Fansided revealed the Silver Slugger finalists, his name wasn’t there. In an outfield class loaded with shiny new toys and established headliners, that omission reads less like a quiet year and more like voters trying to solve a traffic jam by ignoring one of the cars.