Padres’ Manny Machado has one unlikely path to a third straight Silver Slugger in 2026

Manny Machado has spent most of 2026 digging out of a hole deep enough to swallow any resemblance of an awards campaign. Somehow, he can still see daylight. But reaching it will require the kind of September “hitherto undreamt of.”

Let’s put the dream aside before this gets out of hand. Through Aug. 25, Machado is slashing .213/.301/.404 with a .705 OPS. He has 24 home runs and 72 RBI which makes his profile look respectable. Pretty much everything else is a disqualifier.

Max Muncy is sitting on an .855 OPS with 26 homers. He has accumulated 202 total bases in 97 fewer plate appearances than Machado, who has 195. To put it simply, Muncy has been the better hitter by a wide margin.

Machado also sits behind Nick Gonzales, Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado in OPS among qualified NL third basemen. This isn’t a simple chase between him and Muncy. He needs to run the gauntlet.

A monster September could keep Machado’s Silver Slugger three-peat alive

Here is where we leave the door cracked. The Silver Slugger is decided by managers and coaches, it’s not a simply equation. Machado also enters the conversation as the reigning winner after claiming the NL third-base award in 2024 and 2025. Voters already know what his name looks like on the ballot. Now he needs to give them a reason to circle it again.

That means reaching 30 home runs and making a hard charge toward 90 RBI. Machado needs six homers and 18 RBI to hit those marks. More importantly, he needs to become the engine of a Padres playoff push by accelerating his BA and OBP. 

San Diego would happily take the production and let the award debate handle itself. A scorching month from Machado would strengthen the lineup, keep the Padres barreling toward October and create the late-season image that sticks in voters’ minds.

Machado has already shown that this season can turn. Since June 20, he owns a .261/.358/.468 line and an .826 OPS. Muncy has an .811 OPS during that same period. Manny’s dreadful opening months still count, but a big September down the stretch could make recency bias work in his favor.

It’s probably fair to say if they were handing out the award today, Muncy owns it. Machado’s counting numbers, history and recent improvement merely give him a pulse, but that’s it.

How does Machado get it done? He must pulverize pitching throughout September, carry the Padres with him and hope Muncy — and Bregman, for that matter — fall off.

We’ve seen Machado takeover months in the past. Unsure if he still has it in him. But he needs one now.

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