One award down, one award to go for Texas Rangers utility man Ezequiel Duran.

On Thursday, MLB announced Duran was a finalist for the American League Silver Slugger award at utility player. This is the same award that former Rangers utility man Josh Smith won in 2024.

Duran is facing two rookies, one of which may be named the AL rookie of the year next week. That would be Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle. The other finalist is Chicago White Sox rookie Sam Antonacci.

Duran has already claimed the AL Gold Glove at utility and was named the Rangers player of the year by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America earlier this week.

How Ezequiel Duran Stacks Up

Duran had a brilliant campaign in 2026. He was one of the few players in baseball that played seven different positions, managing to avoid playing pitcher or catcher. He had a career season at the plate with a slash of .260/.320/.419 with 17 home runs and 83 RBI. He also had 27 doubles, four triples, 46 walks against 141 strikeouts and 12 stolen bases on 16 attempts.

On the field, he played three games at first base, 37 games at second base, 57 games at third base, 53 games at shortstop, 21 games at left field, 18 games at center field and 14 games at right field. Center and right field were new positions. He started playing center field against left-handed pitching as Evan Carter proved incapable of hitting left-handed pitching.

McGonigle was one of the fastest-rising stars in the game in 2026 and quickly earned a long-term extension from the Tigers, a cost-control measure that locks up their shortstop for the next several years. While he was primarily a shortstop, he also played enough games at third base to qualify, and he had a great offensive season.

He slashed .278/.376/.430 with five home runs and 18 RBI. He also had 28 doubles, five triples, 95 walks against 100 strikeouts and 12 stolen bases on 16 attempts.

Antonacci displayed a bit more power as an outfielder for the White Sox, who made the playoffs two years after having the worst record in baseball history. He slashed .277/.370/.396 with eight home runs and 48 RBI. He also had 25 doubles, four triples, 43 walks against 82 strikeouts with 20 stolen bases on 28 attempts.

The award is an offensive award and given that criteria, Duran should claim the award when it ia announced on Nov. 17.