Mariners losing Silver Slugger finalist nod captures key challenge for Jason Kanzler

The finalists for the 2026 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger awards were revealed on Thursday, and the Seattle Mariners are not up for the team award in the American League. I know, right? Please try to contain your surprise.

Even a few weeks later, the sheer displeasure of watching the Mariners try and fail to score runs this year is still liable to elicit a cringe. They ranked third from the bottom of MLB in runs per game and in slugging percentage, and second from the bottom in batting average.

This matters in the context of this year's Silver Slugger finalists only because the Mariners were nominated for the AL team award in 2025. Ah, better days. Cal Raleigh hit 60 home runs. Julio…