10 Bold Predictions for the 2026 MLB Season
The 2026 MLB season is officially underway, but there is still time for a round of bold predictions as we venture down the six-month road that is a 162-game schedule.
The idea here was to predict something that could plausibly happen but is a bit outside the box relative to expectations.
That could be a surprise stat line from a breakout player, a rising prospect reaching elite status, a team exceeding expectations in a major way or something else entirely.
Let's get weird!
Francisco Alvarez Starts All-Star Game
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Francisco Alvarez has teased elite offensive potential since his days as a prospect, fueled by an age-20 season in 2022 where he logged an .885 OPS and 27 home runs in the upper minors.
Since slugging 25 home runs as a rookie in 2023, he has yet to fully realize his significant offensive potential. He has appeared to turn a significant corner during the second half of last season with a .921 OPS in 139 plate appearances.
With Will Smith (LAD), William Contreras (MIL), Drake Baldwin (ATL), Hunter Goodman (COL) and J.T. Realmuto (PHI) among the other catchers vying for NL All-Star recognition, starting the Midsummer Classic would be the embodiment of him realizing his massive potential.
Dodgers Have Baseball's No. 1 Bullpen
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If there was a hole to be poked in a Los Angeles Dodgers juggernaut at the start of last postseason, it was a shaky relief corps that lacked a true shutdown option in the ninth inning.
They ranked 21st in the majors with a 4.27 ERA from their relief corps, and converted just 46 of 73 save opportunities, but the emergence of starter-turned-reliever Roki Sasaki as a lights-out option in October helped erase those concerns.
With Sasaki shifting back to the rotation, the Dodgers shelled out a three-year, $69 million deal to sign Edwin Díaz during the offseason. That move anchors their bullpen with arguably the best closer in baseball.
With a bounce-back season from electric lefty Tanner Scott, a healthy campaign from Blake Treinen and returnees like Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Ben Casparius, the Dodgers relief corps is deep. Add to that the eventual returns of Brusdar Graterol and Brock Stewart, and this looks an awful lot like a No. 1-caliber bullpen.
Kevin Alvarez Emerges as a Top 25 MLB Prospect
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There were 12 prospects who received a larger bonus during the 2025 international signing period than the $2 million that Kevin Alvarez received from the Houston Astros, but the early returns suggest he could be the best of the bunch.
The 6'3", 184-pound outfielder put together one of the loudest seasons in the Dominican Summer League last season, hitting .301/.419/.455 with 17 extra-base hits and more walks (23) than strikeouts (19) in 48 games.
With a 60-hit, 55-power offensive profile, a highly projectable frame and a smooth left-handed swing, he has drawn comparisons to Kyle Tucker. He has just scratched the surface of his vast potential.
Leo De Vries (ATH), Jesús Made (MIL) and Luis Peña (MIL) have already emerged as top 25 prospects on leaguewide lists as standouts from the 2024 international class. Alvarez is the best bet to follow a similar trajectory from the 2025 class.
Nico Hoerner Wins NL Batting Title
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Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner has quietly racked up 19.6 WAR over the past four seasons, a total that ranks 15th among all position players during that span. His elite defense has been the driving force in that value.
However, he is also a solid contributor offensively. After a strong second half led to a career-high 114 OPS+ last season, he looks poised for a career year offensively.
The 28-year-old hit .317 after the All-Star break, including a .333/.375/.467 line in 112 plate appearances over the final month. His .297 average overall trailed only Trea Turner (.304) in the NL batting title race.
With his speed, contact skills and good lineup protection, Hoerner is one of the few solid bets in the sport to push for a .300 batting average. Picking up where he left off last September would propel him to the top of the NL leaderboard.
For the record, the Cubs' last batting title winner was Derrek Lee (.335) back in 2005.
Logan Webb Has MLB's 1st 20-Win Season Since 2023
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Only 12 times in the last three seasons has a pitcher eclipsed 200 innings of work. Three of those campaigns belong to Logan Webb, who has firmly established himself as baseball's biggest workhorse.
Last season, he finished fourth in NL Cy Young balloting, going 15-11 with a 3.22 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 224 strikeouts in 207 innings. He also looked sharp in two starts for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
The perceived value of pitcher wins as a statistic has steadily declined in recent years, but a 20-win season remains a milestone accomplishment. It's a mark no pitcher has reached since Spencer Strider went 20-5 in 2023.
With a full season of Rafael Devers and offseason additions Luis Arraez, Harrison Bader, Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser, the Giants look like an improved team over the one that finished 81-81 a year ago.
If anyone is going to snap that drought, Webb in the role of workhorse for a contending Giants team is the smart money bet.
Royals Have a Top 10 Offense
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Despite an offense that ranked 26th in the majors in runs scored last season, the Kansas City Royals still finished with an 82-80 record and hung around in the AL wild-card race.
The only notable outside additions to the offense were outfielders Isaac Collins, Lane Thomas and Starling Marte to bolster an underperforming outfield, but rising sluggers Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen have the potential to reshape the lineup.
Caglianone had back-to-back 30-homer seasons at the University of Florida. He hit .337/.408/.617 with 20 home runs and 72 RBI in 66 games in the upper levels of the minors last season. He struggled in his first MLB action, but raked for Team Italy in the WBC. The tools are there to be a 30-homer, 100-RBI slugger.
Jensen logged a 161 OPS+ with six doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI over 69 plate appearances as a September call-up. He is now penciled in as the backup catcher and primary DH.
With those two up-and-comers moving into more prominent roles alongside Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Maikel García, the Royals have the upside to go from one of baseball's worst offenses to a top 10 group.
Ben Rice Has a 40-HR, 100-RBI Season
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Ben Rice was one of the breakout offensive players of the 2025 season, posting a 131 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 26 home runs, 65 RBI and 2.3 WAR in 530 plate appearances while splitting his time between catcher and first base.
The 27-year-old put up those numbers despite limited production against left-handed pitching, batting .208 with seven home runs in 119 plate appearances against southpaws, so there is room for more with improvement in that area.
His elite batted-ball metrics, including hard-hit rate (97th percentile), barrel rate (92nd percentile) and average exit velocity (95th percentile), make his breakout performance look more like his production floor.
Playing his home games in a ballpark that is friendly to lefty sluggers further elevates his power profile. A 40-homer, 100-RBI season out of the cleanup spot between Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton would take the Yankees offense to another level.
Roman Anthony Finishes Top 3 in AL MVP Voting
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For one last time before we shift focus to 2026, it's worth repeating that the Boston Red Sox were 44-27 (.620) in the 71 games that Roman Anthony played last season, compared to 45-46 (.494) without him.
That's what MVP-caliber impact looks like.
Still only 21 years old, Anthony immediately delivered on his No. 1 prospect status when he debuted last season, posting a 140 OPS+ and 3.1 WAR while showcasing elite plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills.
A left oblique strain ended his season prematurely and left him on the sidelines in the postseason, but he now stands on the doorstep of superstardom after a terrific run as the youngest player on Team USA in the WBC.
The Red Sox finished 89-73 a year ago and have significantly improved this offseason. Assuming they are in the thick of the AL East race, Anthony could be equally entrenched in the AL MVP race.
Both Cy Young Winners Repeat
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It's been a while since there was such a clear consensus for the title of top pitcher in each league.
Tarik Skubal has won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards for the Detroit Tigers. He finished 13-8 with a 2.21 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings last season. Pitching for a potential record-setting contract, he is the ace to beat on the AL ballot once again.
Sketchy Opening Day performance aside, Paul Skenes has looked the part of a generational talent to begin his big league career, logging a 1.96 ERA and 386 strikeouts in 320.2 innings and winning the NL Cy Young unanimously last year.
So how is predicting that they will both repeat a bold prediction?
Simple as it sounds, it's an extremely rare occurrence.
It has actually only happened once since the Cy Young Award was split into one award for each league in 1967, with Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson taking home the hardware in 1999 and 2000.
Tigers Win AL Pennant
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After a nine-year playoff drought, the Detroit Tigers have reached Game 5 of the ALDS in back-to-back years, and they looked poised to take the next step toward title contention after a busy offseason.
With Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander and Kenley Jansen added in free agency, a pitching staff that finished 16th with a 3.95 ERA looks vastly improved, and a rotation of Tarik Skubal, Valdez, Verlander and Jack Flaherty has a chance to be lethal in October.
No major outside additions were made to the starting lineup, but they have welcomed top prospect Kevin McGonigle to the big leagues. The No. 1 prospect on the B/R Top 100 list should make an immediate impact thanks to his 70-hit, 60-power offensive profile, joining Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres as part of a strong core.
The Blue Jays and Mariners look tough once again after battling it out in a seven-game ALCS a year ago, but the Tigers have the talent to sprint past those contenders and right into the World Series in 2026.
