The 2026 season is quickly approaching. As we enter Spring Training (and, I suppose, the World Baseball Classic), fans are starting to dive deeper into their rosters. With that comes expectations, criticism, etc.
These are nine players that I am keeping my eyes on in 2026.
Luis Robert Jr. (Mets)
Luis Robert Jr.’s 2025 was about as frustrating as any star season could be without being flat-out bad. In 110 games, he hit .223/.297/.364 with a .661 OPS, 14 home runs, 33 steals, and an 85 OPS+. Injury once again limited him for a second year in a row.
The tools remained present: elite bat speed, plus speed, and great range in the outfield. But those percentiles don’t mean anything if he isn’t putting it together consistently.
The Mets are banking on him replacing some of the power they lost when Pete Alonso signed with Baltimore. By sending Luisangel Acuña and Truman Pauley to Chicago, New York signaled they are ready to gamble on Robert’s elite ceiling to fill the middle-of-the-order void.
It’s a calculated risk: they are betting that a change of scenery and a more competitive environment will help Robert turn that top-tier exit velocity back into elite home run production.
Jasson Domínguez (Yankees)
Domínguez entered 2025 with sky-high expectations. Instead, he delivered a mixed major league debut that left a lot of Yankee fans frustrated and questioning the future foundation of this team.
Across 123 games, he slashed .257/.331/.388 with 10 homers, 23 steals, and a 103 wRC+.
For a player with absurd bat speed and elite exit velocity ceilings, the production felt… restrained.
The metrics tell the story. His overall numbers were about league average, but his platoon splits were stark: much stronger against right-handed pitching than left.
Vs. RHP (as a Lefty): .768 OPS
Vs. LHP (as a Righty): .569 OPS
Defensively, -9 Outs Above Average will most likely result in a move to RF eventually.
At this point, Dominguez is no longer an “exciting prospect” or “The Martian”. He is a struggling prospect who played at barely league-average. For a Yankees team that is trying to win a ring within Aaron Judge’s prime, they need Dominguez to show some sort of spark in 2026.
Spencer Strider (Braves)
Strider’s 2025 was, well, complicated. He was able to come in and pitch over 100 innings after elbow surgery. However, he was far from the pitcher who dominated with a 36.8% strikeout rate at his peak.
In 125.1 innings, his K% dipped to 24.3%, and his fastball velocity sat closer to average. He was still getting plenty of guys to Whiff, but his Chase % dropped a full 40 points.
If he returns to a K-rate north of 30% with ride on his heater? 2026 will be seen as his comeback year. If not, the Braves need to start looking elsewhere for an ace.
Gerrit Cole (Yankees)
Cole’s 2025 was all rehab after Tommy John surgery in March. Now 35 and still owed a big contractual number, the Yankees are hoping to get at least a taste of 2023 Cole after a disappointing 2024, where his velocity dipped to 95.9 MPH.
The key metric to watch is his K-BB%. In 2023, he was an elite 21.2%; in his limited 2024, that fell to 18.0%. If surgery fixed the elbow inflammation that plagued him, we should see his fastball whiff rate climb back toward that 25-30% range. If he’s sitting 94-95 mph with diminished ride, the Yankees are paying for a mid-rotation starter at ace prices.
Jackson Holliday (Orioles)
If Jackson Holliday was one thing in 2025, it was available. That won’t be the case to start 2026, as he is expected to start the year on the IL after he fractured his hamate bone. But in 2025, he showed some improvements. Across 149 games, he hit .242/.314/.375 with 17 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a .690 OPS.
Those counting stats aren’t eye-popping, but they are better than what Orioles fans saw in 2024. When you dive a little deeper, you see that Jackson struggles in the same way as Dominguez, he can’t hit lefties. Here are his splits.
Vs. RHP: .735 OPS
Vs. LHP: .572 OPS
2025 saw progression from 2024, if 2026 shows the same growth, then Orioles fans will start to feel better about their teams foundation. Let’s not forget that Holliday is still only 22 years old. If he can have a mid .700 OPS in 2026, Orioles fans should be ecstatic.
Adley Rutschman (Orioles)
Rutschman’s 2025 was defined by dual oblique injuries that limited him to just 90 games. While his .220/.307/.366 slash line and 90 OPS+ are career lows; the real pressure in 2026 comes from the rise of Basallo. Now, the Orioles have made it clear that whoever isn’t catching will go to DH or 1B. However, Rutschman is 28 years old now and under team control until the end of 2027. A 30-year-old maybe DH with a 90 OPS+ is not going to get a big contract.
The metrics show a hitter who hasn’t lost his eye; his 15.6% strikeout rate is still elite, but he isn’t producing anything in his slash line. His average exit velocity (89.4 mph) plummeted, suggesting the oblique issues sapped the torque from his swing, but in reality, he has never hit the ball hard.
I had Adley as one of my most overrated players entering 2025, and I was crucified for it. But when you zoom out and look at the big picture, the Orioles are desperate for someone to lead this team, and it was supposed to be Adley.
Of all the players on this list, I think Adley has the most to prove.
Oneil Cruz (Pirates)
Cruz was the purest chaos player in 2025: elite pop meets box score volatility. He made history as the first player ever to pair 20 home runs and 38 steals with a .200 average. His power is indisputable—he set a Statcast record with a 122.9 mph moonshot—but his floor is dangerously low.
The missing piece is the approach against southpaws. In 2025, Cruz hit a staggering .102 against lefties, a hole in his game that pitchers exploited all season. Defensively, the move to center field was a work in progress; despite his speed, his -14 Defensive Runs Saved and league-leading 11 errors at the position proved that raw athleticism isn’t a substitute for instincts.
2026 isn’t about whether he can be a superstar; it’s about whether he can even be a starter. If he trims that 32.0% strikeout rate and continues his off-season training with Gold Glovers like Kevin Kiermaier, he has a 6-WAR ceiling. If not, the ‘chaos’ label might start to feel more like a liability than an asset.
Bryce Harper (Phillies)
Harper’s 2025 wasn’t bad, it was very good by almost any standard. Across 132 games, he posted a 131 wRC+ and a .368 xwOBA, which still rank in the top 6% of the league.
However, the counting stats felt slightly “less elite”. His 27 homers were his fewest in a healthy season since 2016, and his .261 average was a significant dip from his career average of .280. But the real scrutiny stems from October. After a quiet .200 AVG / .600 OPS in the NLDS.
He doesn’t have to prove he’s elite; just go look at all the red on his Savant page. He has to prove he can be elite in October.
Triston Casas (Red Sox)
I know what you are thinking. ‘Dean has been against Triston Casas for three years now.’ And while you are correct, he is still a member of the Red Sox, so he deserves attention. But after the Red Sox traded for Willson Contreras to man first base, the writing is on the wall.
Casas’ 2025 was a nightmare: a ruptured patellar tendon in May limited him to just 29 games and a dismal .182 average. The recovery for that injury is a full year, meaning Casas likely won’t even see a major league pitch until May 2026.
If Casas can show even a glimpse of his 2023 form—where he boasted a .857 OPS and elite 92nd percentile xwOBA—the Red Sox should flip him immediately. He still has the discipline (13.9% career walk rate), but with a 44.4% Hard-Hit rate that was trending down before the injury, he has to prove the power hasn’t evaporated. In 2026, he isn’t playing for a spot in Boston; he’s auditioning for the rest of the league.
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