Brandon Lowe is battling Pirates division rival for 2026 Silver Slugger as race comes down to wire

Brandon Lowe has spent his first season with the Pittsburgh Pirates doing exactly what they acquired him to do: provide the kind of left-handed power their lineup had been missing. Now, he has a chance to add some hardware to an already successful debut in Pittsburgh.

With September underway, Lowe has emerged as one of the strongest candidates for the National League Silver Slugger Award at second base. His biggest competition happens to come from inside the NL Central, where Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang has constructed a very different but equally compelling case.

Lowe enters Monday batting .256/.324/.479 with 29 home runs, 83 RBI and 84 runs scored in 134 games. Turang is hitting .256/.351/.425 with 17 homers, 85 RBI and 86 runs in 133 games.

If voters prioritize power, Lowe has the obvious advantage. His 29 homers lead NL second basemen by a comfortable margin, with the Atlanta Braves' Ozzie Albies sitting second at 21 and Turang at 17. Lowe also owns the best slugging percentage and OPS of the three leading candidates.

Turang's argument requires looking beyond home runs. He has reached base at a significantly higher clip, with a .351 OBP compared to Lowe's .324. He has drawn 76 walks to Lowe's 54, stolen 18 bases and struck out 18 fewer times. Turang also owns a sizable overall WAR advantage, although that number incorporates his excellent defense — something that shouldn't carry nearly as much weight for an award specifically designed to recognize offense.

Brandon Lowe is putting real pressure on division rival Brice Turang for 2026 Silver Slugger

The Silver Slugger award recognizes the best offensive player at each position, with MLB managers and coaches determining the winners. Under that definition, Lowe might have the cleaner case. He's been asked to supply middle-of-the-order damage for a Pirates lineup that desperately needed it, and he's delivered. Even as Pittsburgh's offense has cratered during the second half, Lowe remains the team leader in home runs and RBI.

If Lowe reaches 30-plus home runs, pushes toward 90 RBI and maintains the sizable power gap between himself and Turang during September, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue that another NL second baseman produced more offensively.

Turang can counter by continuing to pile up hits, walks, runs and stolen bases. His offensive profile is broader, but Lowe's is louder.

The Pirates finally found the impact bat they had spent years searching for. Now Lowe could spend the final month proving he was the best-hitting second baseman in the National League, too.

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