Athletics top MLB awards candidate projection shows how depressing 2026 has been for A's originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Athletics are in a transitional phase in their franchise's history, but that doesn't mean there can't be some excitement with the franchise.
Last year, Nick Kurtz exploded onto the scene as one of the best power hitters in the sport. He looked incredible, and he continued his hot streak to begin the 2026 season. Shea Langeliers was also great to begin the year, and both earned All-Star bids.
But heading towards the season's end, Joel Reuter of The Athletic didn't name a single player who is their most likely top candidate for any MLB award. Such a projection shows just how depressing the year has been.
Athletics have had depressing season with MLB awards projection
"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."
This projection from Reuter is incredibly depressing for the Athletics, as they don't have a single player worthy of winning any end-of-season award.
The 47-74 Athletics are the worst team in baseball this season, and they don't have anyone likely, or even close to winning an end-of-season award.
Langeliers and Kurtz are out for a while, and even though Kurtz could return before the end of the year, it's not looking good for his award chances.
The Silver Slugger is likely to go to Willson Contreras, with plenty of other names likely ahead of Kurtz on the list of potential award winners.
MORE:Yankees ‘dabbled’ in trade talks for Tarik Skubal despite not willing to deal George Lombard Jr.
The A's don't have another player close to winning a Silver Slugger, and the same goes for a Gold Glove award. Jacob Wilson has the error-free record, but the Gold Glove will likely go to Bobby Witt Jr. or some other shortstop.
Their pitching staff hasn't done enough to warrant any awards consideration either. They don't have a Reliever of the Year candidate, nor a Cy Young contender.
Plus, the A's don't have any rookies who've made their debuts, and they're unlikely to win the award either.
Looking over their whole roster, there's likely not a single player poised to have a good chance to win an MLB award this season.
This projection from Reuter shows how depressing this season has been, as there's not even a bold award-winning projection worth making from this roster.
More MLB news:
- Phillies receive slightly worrying 65% playoff odds projection from ESPN
- Red Sox get 8.2% chance to win World Series, which is more than Yankees’ odds
- Dodgers prospect Kendall George to undergo knee surgery months after viral bat dog incident
- Dave Dombrowski reveals why Phillies didn't trade for a righty-hitting outfielder
- Brewers ‘toyed’ with idea of trading for Padres closer Mason Miller