As the White Sox keep pushing through 2026 with their offense doing the heavy lifting, a few of their bats are starting to look like legitimate Silver Slugger candidates.
Entering Wednesday, Chicago led the American League in runs scored and sat second in home runs and slugging percentage, while ranking fourth in OPS. The pitching has had its rough patches, but the lineup has kept answering, with production coming from top to bottom. That kind of team-wide lift has created a few individual standouts, and three White Sox names belong in the award conversation.
The clearest case belongs to second baseman Chase Meidroth.
A lot of fans would probably start with Miguel Vargas when talking about the club’s biggest improvement this season, but Meidroth has put together an even stronger leap. After finishing 2025 with five home runs, he has more than doubled that total and arrived at Wednesday with 12. His OPS has climbed by more than 100 points, and he’s done it at a position that isn’t especially deep across the American League.
Meidroth sits fourth among AL second basemen in home runs and RBIs, third in batting average and slugging percentage, second in on-base percentage and OPS, and first in walks. One player ahead of him in some of those categories is Twins utilityman Luke Keaschall, who has played only 76 games at second base and 49 in the outfield, which could push him toward the utility discussion instead.
That only strengthens Meidroth’s case. No AL second baseman has matched his blend of contact, patience and power, and he looks like the favorite for the award.
Vargas, meanwhile, should still be in the mix at third base even if the path to the hardware looks steep.
The AL third-base race has settled into a clear two-player fight between Vargas and Rays third baseman Junior Caminero. They’re the only qualified third basemen in the league with an OPS above .800, but Caminero has the edge in most of the key numbers, including home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Vargas has been a major piece for the White Sox and earned an All-Star nod for his work, but unless something dramatic changes over the final month, it’s hard to see him jumping Caminero. Even so, Vargas should have no trouble landing among the finalists.
Another White Sox name worth watching is center fielder Tristan Peters.
Peters has been one of the biggest surprises on the roster, going from fringe depth to All-Star in a matter of months. He started to cool off in late July, but he’s answered that stretch with a strong August.
The 26-year-old has mostly been used against right-handers and enters Wednesday hitting .277 with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs. He’s also added 26 doubles, three triples and seven stolen bases.
His 354 at-bats leave him just short of qualification, but if he were qualified, he’d rank second among AL center fielders in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS, and first in slugging. It’s been a remarkable run for Peters, and he’s done enough to deserve recognition in the Silver Slugger picture.
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For the White Sox, the appeal is obvious. If Bonemer can handle a premium defensive spot, he becomes even more useful as a future option, much like Sam Antonacci earlier this season when added flexibility helped shape his path forward. The move does not guarantee anything on its own, but it does show the club is thinking about ways to make Bonemers rise smoother, faster and more valuable when the time comes. [Read more 🡒]