Predicting Each MLB Team's Biggest Breakout Hitter in 2026
Francisco Alvarez, Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
Joel Reuter, Feb 17, 2026
Offseason wheeling and dealing grabs headlines, but in-house improvement can often have an even bigger impact on an MLB organization's outlook as a new season unfolds.
Breakout performances come in many shapes and sizes, from a touted prospect solidifying his status as an impact contributor to an established role player taking the next step and emerging as an All-Star.
Ahead, we've highlighted one breakout candidate for each MLB team, focusing solely on position players. The pitchers will get their own article next week, so stay tuned.
The only requirements for inclusion were that a player had to have already made his MLB debut, and he must not have been previously selected to an All-Star team at any point in his career.
AL East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: C/DH Samuel Basallo
Age: 21
2025 Stats: 31 G, 56 OPS+, .165/.229/.330, 10 XBH (4 HR), -0.2 WAR
2026 Role: Starting DH/backup catcher
The Orioles signed Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension just a few days after he made his MLB debut, and while his MLB numbers don't jump off the page, his minor league track record is a different story. He logged a .966 OPS with 23 home runs in 76 games at Triple-A before debuting, and elite bat speed gives him middle-of-the-order run producer potential.
Boston Red Sox: OF Roman Anthony
Age: 21
2025 Stats: 71 G, 140 OPS+, .292/.396/.463, 27 XBH (8 HR), 3.1 WAR
2026 Role: Starting left fielder
It's not a coincidence that the Red Sox went 44-27 (.620) in the 71 games Anthony played, compared to 45-46 (.494) without him in the lineup, and the postseason might have gone differently if he was not sidelined with an oblique strain. He checks all the boxes to be a future superstar, and his first All-Star selection would be the next step in that trajectory.
New York Yankees: IF José Caballero
Age: 29
2025 Stats: 126 G, 94 OPS+, .236/.339/.347, 24 XBH (5 HR), 2.9 WAR
2026 Role: Starting shortstop/utility infielder
With Anthony Volpe sidelined to start the year, Caballero has a runway to prove he deserves a bigger role. Despite tallying just 370 plate appearances last year, he led the AL with 49 steals, and he had a 131 OPS+ with nine extra-base hits in 95 trips to the plate after joining the Yankees at the deadline.
Tampa Bay Rays: OF Justyn-Henry Malloy
Age: 25
2025 Stats: 52 G, 85 OPS+, .221/.346/.308, 7 XBH (1 HR), -0.2 WAR
2026 Role: Platoon outfielder
The Rays could have a revolving door at both corner outfield spots to open the year, with Malloy joined by Chandler Simpson, Jake Fraley, Jonny DeLuca and prospect Jacob Melton in the push for playing time. A .286/.416/.467 hitter across 1,914 plate appearances in the minors, Malloy has yet to carve out a regular role in the majors, but he has sleeper potential thanks to his on-base ability and untapped power.
Toronto Blue Jays: 2B Ernie Clement
Age: 29
2025 Stats: 157 G, 95 OPS+, .277/.313/.398, 46 XBH (9 HR), 4.3 WAR
2026 Role: Starting second baseman
Clement enters the 2026 season as one of baseball's most underappreciated players after tallying 3.4 and 4.3 WAR the past two seasons in a super-utility role for the Blue Jays. With Bo Bichette gone and Andrés Giménez shifting to shortstop, he now has a clear path to the everyday second base job, and he'll look to build on a terrific postseason where he hit .411 with 30 hits in 18 games.
AL Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: C Kyle Teel
Age: 24
2025 Stats: 78 G, 121 OPS+, .273/.375/.411, 19 XBH (8 HR), 1.9 WAR
2026 Role: Starting catcher
The White Sox kicked their youth movement into full swing last year, and while Colson Montgomery stole the show during the second half, Teel quietly put together an excellent debut season that left him looking like the catcher of the present and future. He posted a .794 OPS with six home runs and 26 RBI in 46 games over the final two months of the season.
Cleveland Guardians: OF George Valera
Age: 25
2025 Stats: 16 G, 107 OPS+, .220/.333/.415, 4 XBH (2 HR), -0.1 WAR
2026 Role: Starting right fielder
A Baseball America Top 100 prospect in 2022 (No. 68) and 2023 (No. 72), Valera saw his climb through the minors derailed by injuries, and he spent the beginning of the 2025 season sidelined as he continued his recovery from patellar tendon surgery. He made his MLB debut as a September call-up, and started in right field and batted second in Game 2 and 3 of the ALWC against the Tigers, paving the way for a bigger role in 2026.
Detroit Tigers: 3B Colt Keith
Age: 24
2025 Stats: 137 G, 107 OPS+, .256/.333/.413, 37 XBH (13 HR), 1.5 WAR
2026 Role: Starting third baseman
After starting double-digit games at first base, second base, third base and designated hitter last year, Keith should have a regular spot to call his own as the primary third baseman in 2026. A spike in his walk rate from 6.5 to 10.3 percent last year was a good sign of growth, and he ended the year as the club's primary leadoff hitter.
Kansas City Royals: OF Jac Caglianone
Age: 23
2025 Stats: 62 G, 49 OPS+, .157/.237/.295, 14 XBH (7 HR), -1.3 WAR
2026 Role: Starting right fielder
Following back-to-back 30-homer seasons at the University of Florida, Caglianone was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 draft. He hit .337/.408/.617 with 20 home runs and 72 RBI in 66 games between Double-A and Triple-A last year to force his way into the MLB picture. After taking his lumps at the plate while learning to play right field on the fly, he has the offensive tools to take a massive step forward in 2026.
Minnesota Twins: OF Matt Wallner
Age: 28
2025 Stats: 104 G, 110 OPS+, .202/.311/.464, 41 XBH (22 HR), 0.6 WAR
2026 Role: Starting right fielder
Wallner is always going to strike out a decent amount, but he has some of the best raw power in baseball thanks to his elite bat speed. He hit 22 home runs in just 392 plate appearances last year, and has averaged 30 home runs per 162 games during his four years in the majors. If the Twins give him more exposure against left-handed pitching and he stays healthy, a 30-homer season might be a lay-up.
AL West
3 of 6
Athletics: OF Denzel Clarke
Age: 25
2025 Stats: 47 G, 78 OPS+, .230/.274/.372, 13 XBH (3 HR), 1.0 WAR
2026 Role: Starting center fielder
Clarke provided Gold Glove-caliber defense (383.2 innings, 7 DRS, 13 OAA) in center field last season before an adductor strain cut his season short at the end of July, but he has a clean bill of health entering camp. His glove work in center field will likely always be his strongest asset, but an .828 OPS over 1,332 plate appearances in the minors also shows he's capable of more at the plate.
Houston Astros: OF Joey Loperfido
Age: 26
2025 Stats: 41 G, 140 OPS+, .333/.379/.500, 8 XBH (4 HR), 0.6 WAR
2026 Role: Starting left fielder candidate
The Astros traded Loperfido to the Blue Jays at the 2025 deadline in the Yusei Kikuchi deal, and he hit well in limited chances for the AL pennant winners last season while spending the bulk of the year at Triple-A. Now he's back in Houston after a one-for-one swap that sent Jesús Sánchez the other way, and he could be in line for everyday playing time if he edges out Cam Smith and Zach Cole for playing time.
Los Angeles Angels: 1B Nolan Schanuel
Age: 24
2025 Stats: 132 G, 107 OPS+, .264/.353/.389, 36 XBH (12 HR), 1.3 WAR
2026 Role: Starting first baseman
Schanuel flew through the minors on the strength of his elite on-base ability, but so far that's really all he has shown offensively, with a 104 OPS+ and 14 home runs per 162 games less-than-ideal production at first base. His launch angle (10.3 to 13.2 degrees) moved in the right direction last year, and new hitting coach Brady Anderson will look to keep things moving toward more over-the-fence production.
Seattle Mariners: 2B Cole Young
Age: 22
2025 Stats: 77 G, 78 OPS+, .211/.302/.305, 12 XBH (4 HR), 0.5 WAR
2026 Role: Starting second baseman
With a polished hit tool coming out of high school and a .279/.388/.432 line in 1,473 plate appearances while being pushed aggressively through the minors, Young is more than capable of improving on last year's punchless slash line. He enters spring in a pseudo-battle with prospect Colt Emerson, with Brendan Donovan likely to shift from third base to second base if Emerson forces his way onto the roster, but Young deserves a longer look.
Texas Rangers: OF Evan Carter
Age: 23
2025 Stats: 63 G, 114 OPS+, .247/.336/.392, 16 XBH (5 HR), 1.9 WAR
2026 Role: Starting center fielder
A postseason hero for the Rangers in 2023 when he entered the playoffs with just 23 career games under his belt, Carter did not make the immediate jump to stardom many were anticipating, due in large part to injuries. Still, in 131 games over the last three seasons, he has a 116 OPS+ with 39 extra-base hits, 19 steals and 4.1 WAR. That level of production over a full season would make him one of the best center fielders in baseball.
NL East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: SS Nacho Alvarez Jr.
Age: 22
2025 Stats: 58 G, 77 OPS+, .234/.296/.330, 14 XBH (2 HR), 0.8 WAR
2026 Role: Starting shortstop candidate
The Braves have veterans Mauricio Dubón and Jorge Mateo to help bridge the gap at shortstop until Ha-Seong Kim returns from a torn tendon in his finger, but Alvarez remains the closest thing the organization has to a shortstop of the future. He hit .324/.457/.486 with nine extra-base hits in 20 games in the Arizona Fall League, and also has the defensive chops to be a plus with the glove.
Miami Marlins: OF Owen Caissie
Age: 23
2025 Stats: 12 G, 62 OPS+, .192/.222/.346, 2 XBH (1 HR), -0.1 WAR
2026 Role: Starting right fielder
Caissie spent the bulk of the past two seasons at Triple-A, where he hit .281/.380/.507 with 41 home runs and 130 RBI in 226 games. Kyle Tucker's departure seemingly gave him a path to the right field job for the Cubs, but instead he was traded to the offense-starved Marlins in the Edward Cabrera blockbuster. He should slot immediately into a run production role, with the potential to be this year's Kyle Stowers.
New York Mets: C Francisco Alvarez
Age: 24
2025 Stats: 76 G, 122 OPS+, .256/.339/.447, 24 XBH (11 HR), 1.9 WAR
2026 Role: Starting catcher
'Tis the season for guys to show up to camp in the best shape of their lives, and Alvarez is one of the more intriguing candidates who has fit that narrative this spring. A consensus top-10 prospect in baseball at his minor league peak, he has yet to fully realize his vast offensive potential, but a .921 OPS after the All-Star break and his offseason conditioning has him well-positioned for an offensive breakthrough.
Philadelphia Phillies: 2B Bryson Stott
Age: 28
2025 Stats: 147 G, 96 OPS+, .257/.328/.391, 38 XBH (13 HR), 2.2 WAR
2026 Role: Starting second baseman
Stott doesn't fit into the same obvious breakout boxes as the other guys on this list, but with a 4.3-WAR season on his resume and free agency on the horizon next offseason, the stakes are high for his 2026 campaign. His OPS climbed from .637 during the first half to .855 after the All-Star break last season, and that could be the springboard to a career year.
Washington Nationals: 3B Brady House
Age: 22
2025 Stats: 73 G, 62 OPS+, .234/.252/.322, 15 XBH (4 HR), -0.6 WAR
2026 Role: Starting third baseman
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 draft and a consensus top 100 prospect during his time in the minors, House has a pedigree that suggests he is capable of far more than he showed during his debut. It took him 22 games to hit his first MLB home run, but he slugged 19 home runs in 129 games in the upper levels of the minors in 2024, and his power potential has been the driving force behind his top prospect status.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: C/DH Moisés Ballesteros
Age: 22
2025 Stats: 20 G, 151 OPS+, .298/.394/.474, 5 XBH (2 HR), 0.5 WAR
2026 Role: Starting DH/occasional catcher
After a forgettable five-game cup of coffee in May and a one-off promotion in July, Ballesteros was called up for good in mid-September, and he hit .333/.435/.564 with four extra-base hits and five RBI in 46 plate appearances. The Owen Caissie trade makes him the clear beneficiary of Kyle Tucker's departure, with all signs pointing to Seiya Suzuki shifting back to right field and Ballesteros slotting in as the primary DH.
Cincinnati Reds: OF Noelvi Marte
Age: 24
2025 Stats: 9
