Every MLB Team's Best Homegrown Player in 2026
Splashy signings in free agency and blockbuster trades grab headlines, but there is no substitute to the ability to identify and develop homegrown talent when it comes to assembling a successful MLB roster.
For small market teams unable to spend big, it's the lifeblood of the organization, while it's equally important for a major market team to have some foundational in-house pieces to build around.
With that in mind, we've highlighted each team's best homegrown player for the upcoming season, focusing on which player will provide the most value in 2026 and not on past track record and accolades.
AL East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: SS Gunnar Henderson
Acquired: 2019 draft (2nd round, No. 42 overall)
The same year the Orioles selected Adley Rutschman with the No. 1 overall pick, they also took Henderson with the first pick in the second round, and that tandem has combined for 36.5 WAR. With 2023 AL Rookie of the Year honors, two top-10 finishes in AL MVP balloting, an All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger over three full seasons, Henderson is one of the game's brightest young stars.
Boston Red Sox: OF Roman Anthony
Acquired: 2022 draft (2nd round, No. 79 overall)
Outfielder Jarren Duran and starter Brayan Bello might be safer picks based on their established track records of big league production, but all signs point to superstardom for Anthony. The 21-year-old racked up 3.1 WAR over 71 games in his debut last season, and the Red Sox went 44-27 in those games, as his impact on the team was obvious from the jump.
New York Yankees: OF Aaron Judge
Acquired: 2013 draft (1st round, No. 32 overall)
It's hard to believe Judge hit just 18 home runs in 169 games at Fresno State, and when the Yankees drafted him in the first round, it was more on upside than playable power. Now a three-time AL MVP with 368 home runs and 62.3 WAR through 10 seasons in the majors, he is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, though he is still searching for his first World Series ring.
Tampa Bay Rays: 1B Jonathan Aranda
Acquired: 2015 international free agency
Aranda checked in No. 96 on the Baseball America Top 100 prospect list prior to the 2023 season, but struggled to carve out a regular role in the big leagues during his first two seasons. The 27-year-old finally broke through last year, hitting .316/.393/.489 for a 146 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 14 home runs and 59 RBI to earn an All-Star selection. A healthy Shane McClanahan could give him a run for his money, but that's far from a foregone conclusion.
Toronto Blue Jays: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Acquired: 2015 international free agency
After signing a 14-year, $500 million extension and then leading Toronto to a World Series appearance while hitting .397/.494/.795 with eight home runs in 18 games during the postseason, Guerrero is on his way to being the greatest player in Blue Jays history. Catcher Alejandro Kirk and starter Trey Yesavage are also worth a mention.
AL Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: SS Colson Montgomery
Acquired: 2021 draft (1st round, No. 22 overall)
Only Kyle Schwarber (26), Shohei Ohtani (23), Cal Raleigh (22) and Junior Caminero (22) had more home runs after the All-Star break last season than the 21 hit by Montgomery. His climb through the minors had its ups and downs, but he now looks poised to be a cornerstone piece of their rebuilding efforts.
Cleveland Guardians: 3B José Ramírez
Acquired: 2009 international free agent
Ramírez received a modest $50,000 bonus when he was signed out of the Dominican Republic, and while he made his MLB debut at the age of 20, he hit just .239/.298/.346 with a 76 OPS+ over his first three years in the big leagues. He broke through in a big way in 2016, and since the start of that season, his 54.9 WAR trails only Mookie Betts (66.9) and Aaron Judge (62.3) among all players.
Detroit Tigers: SP Tarik Skubal
Acquired: 2018 draft (9th round, No. 255 overall)
With free agency looming and a Grand Canyon-sized gap in arbitration negotiations sure to lead to bad blood, it's fair to wonder how much longer Skubal will be wearing a Tigers uniform. For now, the back-to-back AL Cy Young winner is an easy choice as Detroit's best homegrown player, and it's still hard to believe there were 134 pitchers taken ahead of him in the 2018 draft.
Kansas City Royals: SS Bobby Witt Jr.
Acquired: 2019 draft (1st round, No. 2 overall)
Any team drafting at No. 1 or No. 2 overall is hoping to find a franchise cornerstone, and that's exactly what the Royals have in Witt, who has quickly risen to the ranks of the game's elite over four years in the big leagues. Catcher Salvador Perez deserves a mention as one of the best homegrown players in franchise history, but looking ahead to 2026, there is little doubt the top spot belongs to Witt.
Minnesota Twins: OF Byron Buxton
Acquired: 2012 draft (1st round, No. 2 overall)
Injuries have plagued Buxton throughout his career, and he has played in more than 100 games just three times in 11 seasons, but when healthy he has been one of the game's most dynamic five-tool talents. He has averaged 5.4 WAR per 162 games for his career, and he slugged a career-high 35 home runs in 2025. Will he be overtaken by Walker Jenkins in the near future?
AL West
3 of 6
Athletics: 1B Nick Kurtz
Acquired: 2024 draft (1st round, No. 4 overall)
In 164 games at Wake Forest—roughly the equivalent of one full MLB season—Kurtz hit .333/.510/.725 with 61 home runs and 182 RBI, and he played a grand total of 32 games in the minors before making his MLB debut. After putting up an absurd 173 OPS+ with 36 home runs in 117 games as a rookie, he is poised to anchor a stacked Athletics lineup.
Houston Astros: SP Hunter Brown
Acquired: 2019 draft (5th round, No. 166 overall)
Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa are franchise legends, while Jeremy Peña is coming off a 5-WAR season, but Brown has firmly established himself as one of baseball's top-tier starting pitchers. The 27-year-old posted a 2.43 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 206 strikeouts in 185.1 innings to finish third in 2025 AL Cy Young voting, and there is nothing in his underlying metrics to suggest it won't be more of the same in 2026.
Los Angeles Angels: SS Zach Neto
Acquired: 2022 draft (1st round, No. 13 overall)
Mike Trout is no longer the transcendent superstar he was in his prime, as he stayed healthy enough to play 130 games last season, but hit just .232/.359/.439 with 26 home runs and 1.5 WAR. On the flip side, Neto is coming off back-to-back 5-WAR seasons and has quickly developed into one of the game's most promising young shortstops.
Seattle Mariners: C Cal Raleigh
Acquired: 2018 draft (3rd round, No. 90 overall)
The debate between Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez is one of the most compelling of this entire exercise, but we'll give the nod to the guy coming off arguably the best season in MLB history by a catcher. Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryce Miller are also part of the conversation, giving Seattle perhaps the best collection of homegrown talent in baseball.
Texas Rangers: OF Wyatt Langford
Acquired: 2023 draft (1st round, No. 4 overall)
Langford does everything well, coming off a 2025 season where he logged 22 home runs, 22 steals and 5.6 WAR while finishing as a Gold Glove finalist in left field. Still only 24 years old, there is still room for him to take another step forward as he continues to establish himself as one of the best five-tool talents in the sport.
NL East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: OF Ronald Acuña Jr.
Acquired: 2014 international free agency
Ongoing recovery from his torn ACL and a second-half calf strain limited Acuña to 95 games, and his elite production when healthy largely flew under the radar as a result. His 163 OPS+ was not far off the 171 OPS+ he logged during his MVP campaign, and a fully healthy 2026 could put him right back in the running for the hardware.
Miami Marlins: SP Eury Pérez
Acquired: 2019 international free agency
After missing all of the 2024 season and the first two months of the 2025 season, Pérez steadily shook off the rust and looked more and more like the potential Cy Young contender he was as a rookie. The towering 6'8" right-hander struck out 11 batters in 5.1 innings against a Mets team desperately trying to make the playoffs in his final start on Sept. 27, and that could be the springboard to a huge 2026 season.
New York Mets: SP Nolan McLean
Acquired: 2023 draft (3rd round, No. 91 overall)
The Mets have a few potential choices, including left-hander David Peterson, catcher Francisco Alvarez and infielder Brett Baty, but we'll go with the up-and-coming ace who took the league by storm last September. McLean actually still has rookie eligibility after logging just 48 innings over eight starts, and he posted a 2.06 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 57-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Philadelphia Phillies: 2B Bryson Stott
Acquired: 2019 draft (1st round, No. 14 overall)
Unless you're optimistic about bounce-back seasons from Alec Bohm and Aaron Nola, or expect Justin Crawford or Andrew Painter to debut with a bang, Stott is the de facto choice for the Phillies. The 28-year-old is not a star, but he has developed into a rock solid everyday second baseman who provides a nice mix of power (13 HR), down-lineup run production (66 RBI), speed (24 SB) and defense (7 OAA).
Washington Nationals: OF Daylen Lile
Acquired: 2021 draft (2nd round, No. 47 overall)
Former top prospects Dylan Crews, Brady House and Cade Cavalli are worth keeping an eye on as potential breakout candidates heading into 2026, but Lile earned this spot with a terrific second half. The rookie outfielder hit .333/.380/.576 with 27 extra-base hits in 230 plate appearances after the All-Star break.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: 2B Nico Hoerner
Acquired: 2018 draft (1st round, No. 24 overall)
Ian Happ is the longest-tenured Cubs player and a stalwart in left field, while Cade Horton is a rising ace who could establish himself as the clear No. 1 starter with a healthy 2026 season. Either would be a fine choice for the Cubs, but Hoerner has quietly produced 19.6 WAR over the past four seasons, and he had an excellent second half last year when he hit .317/.365/.418 after the break.
Cincinnati Reds: RHP Hunter Greene
Acquired: 2017 draft (1st round, No. 2 overall)
The obvious pick is Elly De La Cruz, but he is coming off a disappointing second half and his strikeout rate and defensive shortcomings remain glaring holes in his game. Greene is the unquestioned ace of the staff and coming off a 2025 campaign where he logged a 2.76 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 107.2 innings, while quietly trimming his walk rate from 9.3 to 6.2 percent.
Milwaukee Brewers: OF Jackson Chourio
Acquired: 2021 international free agency
Chourio does not turn 22 years old until March 11, and he already has 279 games, a pair of 20/20 seasons and 6.0 WAR under his belt in the big leagues. He has a chance to be the face of the franchise for the next decade-plus, and has still just scratched the surface of his peak potential.
Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Paul Skenes
Acquired: 2023 draft (1st round, No. 1 overall)
Who else? Skenes has gone from No. 1 overall pick to arguably the best pitcher in baseball in the blink of an eye, and his 2025 NL Cy Young win could be the first of many in the coming years. With a 1.96 ERA and 386 strikeouts in 320.2 innings over his first 55 games, he is off to an all-time great start to his MLB career.
St. Louis Cardinals: SS Masyn Winn
Acquired: 2020 draft (2nd round, No. 54 overall)
After a 4.9-WAR rookie season, Winn was slightly less productive at the plate last year, but he did win NL Gold Glove honors while still hitting .253/.310/.363 with 36 extra-base hits. As the Cardinals begin what could be a multi-year rebuild, homegrown players like Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Alec Burleson could be on the move.
NL West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Corbin Carroll
Acquired: 2019 draft (1st round, No. 19 overall)
After something of a sophomore slump relative to his terrific rookie campaign, Carroll bounced back with a 140 OPS+ and 80 extra-base hits to post a career-high 5.8 WAR in 2025. The eight-year, $111 million extension he signed ahead of his rookie campaign has rapidly developed into one the most team-friendly deals in baseball.
Colorado Rockies: C Hunter Goodman
Acquired: 2021 draft (4th round, No. 109 overall)
Despite a pair of 30-homer seasons in the minors, Goodman was never a leaguewide Top 100 prospect, but he broke through to earn an All-Star selection and win NL Silver Slugger honors in 2025. The 26-year-old posted a 120 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 31 home runs and 91 RBI playing for a 119-loss team, and his batted-ball metrics don't suggest any major regression on the horizon.
Los Angeles Dodgers: C Will Smith
Acquired: 2016 draft (1st round, No. 32 overall)
A three-time All-Star with a 128 OPS+ and 23.0 WAR over seven seasons in the big leagues, Smith is the Dodgers best homegrown catcher since Mike Piazza. Unlike his Hall of Fame counterpart, he also does a great job controlling the running game and handling the pitching staff, and he was rewarded with a 10-year, $140 million extension prior to the 2024 season.
San Diego Padres: OF Jackson Merrill
Acquired: 2021 draft (1st round, No. 27 overall)
Merrill made three separate trips to the injured list in 2025, but still managed to log a 112 OPS+ with 25 doubles, 16 home runs, 67 RBI and 2.7 WAR in the 115 games he did play. The 22-year-old was widely regarded as one of the best pure hitters in the minors throughout his time as a prospect, and he has backed it up early in his MLB career.
San Francisco Giants: SP Logan Webb
Acquired: 2014 draft (4th round, No. 118 overall)
With four straight seasons of at least 32 starts and three consecutive 200-inning campaigns, Webb is the closest thing baseball has to a workhorse in the modern bullpen age. He has a 3.22 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 820 innings during that four-year span, making him an easy choice over Heliot Ramos, Patrick Bailey and others.
