The Athletics’ 2026 season has reached the point where even the award conversation has gone flat.
That’s the message buried in Joel Reuter of The Athletic’s latest top MLB awards candidate projection, which didn’t include a single A’s player as a serious end-of-season contender. For a club that opened the year with real early buzz from Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers, it’s a brutal turn.
Kurtz burst onto the scene last season as one of the sport’s most dangerous power bats, and he kept it rolling to start 2026. Langeliers was just as strong early, and both players earned All-Star selections. But as the season winds down, the picture around the Athletics looks a lot different.
“Athletics: No viable candidate,” Reuter writes. “Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz were both candidates to take home AL Silver Slugger honors at their respective positions, but the former underwent season-ending meniscus surgery at the end of July, and the latter could also be done for the year with a thumb injury. There's no sense pretending there's another viable award candidate on one of baseball's worst teams.”
That’s the harsh reality for a 47-74 team that has stumbled into the bottom of the standings. Langeliers is done for the year after meniscus surgery, and Kurtz’s thumb injury could also keep him out the rest of the way. Even if Kurtz does return before the season ends, the award race has probably already moved on.
At Silver Slugger, Willson Contreras looks like the front-runner, and Kurtz would still have several names ahead of him. The A’s don’t have another bat close to that conversation.
The same goes for the glove side. Jacob Wilson has the error-free record, but the Gold Glove is expected to land with Bobby Witt Jr. or another shortstop. There isn’t a real A’s challenger there, either.
Pitching hasn’t given Oakland any award lifeline. The staff has no Reliever of the Year candidate and no Cy Young contender. And in the rookie races, the A’s don’t have a debutant making noise, much less someone positioned to win.
Tyler Soderstrom could still work his way into the AL Silver Slugger mix, but even that comes with plenty of competition from names like Mike Trout, Byron Buxton and Randy Arozarena.
When you step back and look at the roster as a whole, there just isn’t much award momentum anywhere. For a team already buried in a transitional phase, Reuter’s projection is another reminder of how bleak this season has become.
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