Yordan Alvarez - American League
Alvarez, 29, is also the American League MVP favorite after winning the league's Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. He finished the season with the AL Batting Title after leading all of baseball with a .316 batting average.
The Astros slugger also led the entire league in on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.601), OPS (1.033), and walks (109). His 42 home runs were tied for fourth-most with Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays), just one short of Pete Alonso (Baltimore Orioles) for the most in the AL and three short of Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs) for the most in baseball.
Alvarez's 106 RBI also ranked sixth in baseball (second in AL), tied with Washington Nationals' CJ Abrams.
He earned the award after playing in just 48 games in 2025 due to suffering a right-hand fracture that forced him to miss 100 games and a left ankle sprain that forced him to miss more time.
The former 2019 AL Rookie of the Year earned his fourth All-Star nomination this past season and will be eyeing his second Silver Slugger Award as well.
Zack Wheeler - National League
Wheeler, 36, had an ace-worthy season after finishing with a 3.00 earned run average and 193 strikeouts through 28 starts (14-5 record). The Phillies' three-time All-Star starting pitcher pitched in 25 games in 2025, but was later diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome that caused a blood clot near his right throwing shoulder.
He underwent decompression surgery that removed his first rib, ultimately giving him a return timeline of six to eight months. Instead, Wheeler was ready to go by season start and picked up where he left off in 2025.
Wheeler joins Brad Lidge (2008) as the only two players in Phillies history to win the award.