Max Muncy's injury couldn't stop him from beating out ex-Dodgers rival for Silver Slugger shot

Max Muncy is on the brink of winning his third World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers after sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers to win the National League Pennant. That might not be the only hardware the slugging third baseman takes home.

FanSided exclusively unveiled the 2025 National League Silver Slugger finalists on Wednesday and, to the surprise of even the most optimistic Dodgers fans, MLB coaches and players voted for Muncy to be a finalist. Muncy joins Matt Chapman, Manny Machado, and Austin Riley as the finalists at third base. He's one of four Dodgers to be named a finalist.

The surprise around Muncy's inclusion isn't because of lackluster performance. After all, he posted the third-highest OPS+ of his career in 2025. The surprise centers around Muncy's availability, as the two-time All-Star only played 100 games as he battled various injuries.

More notably, the surprise is centered around who didn't get the nod in place of Muncy. There is a very strong case to be made that former Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez should be a finalist over Muncy, even though he was traded midseason.

Eugenio Suarez's Silver Slugger snub opens door for Max Muncy's first-ever award

Suarez was traded to the Seattle Mariners, who just came painfully close to playing the Dodgers in the World Series, ahead of July's trade deadline. Suarez switching leagues explains why he didn't get the nod, although by the numbers, he should have.

Despite the trade, Suarez actually played more games in the National Lague than Muncy played all season with 106. His numbers were more impressive as well. He slugged 36 home runs, drove in 87 RBIs and posted a 145 OPS+ in his 106 games. That's what made him the prize gem of the deadline.

Sure, Suarez crashed back down to Earth hard after being traded to the Mariners, which likely influenced the voting. But this is the National League Silver Slugger we are talking about. Suarez was one of the best hitters in the NL this season, regardless of how long he spent with the D-Backs.

Heck, Muncy isn't even the most egregious addition over Suarez, as voted on by the NL's managers and coaches. Riley also played fewer games than Suarez (102) and was a painfully average hitter this season. His OPS of .737 checked in 162 points lower than Suarez.

But therein lies the opportunity. With Suarez not involved, Muncy goes from a suprising finalist to someone who may actually take home some hardware.

This Suarez snub puts Muncy in an interesting position. While he had fewer games played than Chapman and Machado, he has far better offensive numbers than either player. Muncy is the only finalist at third base who posted an OPS over .800.

Machado posted a .795 OPS with a 118 OPS+. Chapman wound up with a .770 OPS and a 120 OPS+ (primarily because of ballpark factors). With a .846 OPS and 136 OPS+ Muncy isn't just better than his NL West foes; he clears them by a comfortable margin.

Is that good enough for Muncy to win his first-ever Silver Slugger despite missing 62 games? We'll have our answer on Nov. 6 when The Baseball Insiders exclusively reveal the National League winners on YouTube.

For now, though, Dodgers fans can thank the Diamondbacks for trading Suarez to take him out of the NL Silver Slugger running — even though he should still be a finalist.