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#FutureStars#2026Forecast
Link:https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/top-projected-players-every-mlb-team-2026
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#FutureStars#2026Forecast
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hey Tigers fans, welcome back to the channel. Spring training games are officially scheduled
00:06to begin this Friday, which means the biggest stars in baseball are about to be back in action
00:11on the field. With so much incredible talent across the league today, it really makes you
00:15wonder, who will be every team's top player heading into the 2026 season? To help answer
00:20that question, we need to dive into the latest projections from Fangraph's depth charts.
00:24For those who don't know, this is a combination of the Steamer and XIPS projection systems,
00:31with the expected playing time carefully allocated by the staff at Fangraph's, so, using Wins
00:38Above Replacement, or WAR, as our guide, here is a look at the top projected player for every
00:44club. As we get ready for the 2026 season, let's start our tour around the league in the
00:48American League East. For the Blue Jays, it's a tie at the top between Alejandro Kirk and
00:53Vladimir Guerrero Jr., both projected for 4.9.
00:57W.A.R. Kirk's value behind the plate gave him a higher F.W.A.R. in 2025 at 4
01:04.7 compared
01:05to Guerrero's 3.9, but you simply can't overlook Guerrero's offensive ceiling, even after another
01:11inconsistent year. Kirk is projected not just for the best W.A.R. season of his career, but
01:17for the second highest among all catchers, trailing only Cal Raleigh's 6.4.
01:21Meanwhile, Guerrero's projected numbers split the difference between his last two seasons,
01:27with a line of .295, 34 home runs, and 95 RBIs. Moving across the division to Baltimore,
01:38the Orioles' top projected player is Gunnar Henderson with a solid 6.0 WR. The big question
01:44surrounding Henderson is what we should expect. After he followed up an MVP-caliber 2024 season with a much
01:51less eye-catching performance in 2025. However, considering he's still just 24 years old on
01:57opening day and played through a shoulder injury last year, it's safe to assume we haven't seen his
02:03peak yet. Fangraph seems to agree that last year wasn't a true reflection of his abilities,
02:08projecting 29 home runs and a Pavarour 90 slugging percentage for him in 2026.
02:14Right below him, the Orioles, have a strong core, projected in the 3.5-4.00 WR range,
02:21including Adley Rutschman at 4.0, Jordan Westberg at 3.9, and Pete Alonso at 3.6.
02:28Down in Tampa Bay, the Rays' top projected player is Junior Caminero at 4.8 WR.
02:34Caminero hit 45 home runs in his age-21 season, which can be a blessing or a curse in terms
02:40of future
02:41expectations. But Fangraphs is optimistic, placing him among just 5 hitters projected to hit the 40
02:47homer mark right up there, with names like Shohei Otani and Aaron Judge. His projected 4.8 WR ties him
02:55with perennial MVP candidate Jose Ramirez at the top of the leaderboard for third baseman. Among his
03:01teammates, only Shane McClanahan at 3.0-WAR is projected to reach or exceed the 3-WAR mark.
03:10In 2026, over in Boston, the Red Sox are led by their ace, Garrett Crochet, with a 5.8-WAR
03:17projection.
03:18The theme of Crochet's 2025 season was being second only to Tarek Skubal. He finished the year with a
03:245.8-WAR, a 2.59-ERA, and led MLB with 255 strikeouts over 205 in one-third innings.
03:34If things pan out as projected, we're in for more of the same in 2026, a slightly elevated ERA but
03:40still a 5.8-WAR, and about 11.2 strikeouts per nine, new acquisitions Sonny Gray at 3.7-WAR,
03:48and Ranger Suarez at 3.4 lag behind by a considerable margin, while Roman Anthony leads
03:55Boston's position players with a projected 3-5-WAR. And finally, in the Bronx, the Yankees' top man is,
04:02unsurprisingly, Aaron Judge with a massive 7.3-WAR. Since the start of the 2024 season,
04:09Judge is hitting .326 with a 1.152 OPS. He hit 58 home runs in 2024 and followed it up
04:16with 53 in
04:172025. Coming off back-to-back, 10-plus-WAR seasons, projection models are almost built for him.
04:25So, while he does have the highest projected position player FWAR in baseball, a projection
04:31of 43 homers and 7.8-WAR might actually be underestimating him. Even in his age-34 campaign,
04:39other Yankees projected over 3.0-WAR include Max Fried at 3.9, Cody Bellinger at 3.3, Austin Wells
04:48at 3.2,
04:49and Jazz Chisholm Jr. at 3.1. Now let's shift our focus to the American League Central for the
04:55Cleveland Guardians. It's the ever-reliable Jose Ramirez at 4.8-WAR, one of the most consistent
05:02stars in the game. Ramirez was recently rewarded with a seven-year, $175 million extension through
05:092032. He's coming off a 30-homer campaign with a career-high 44 steals, posting up 282-360-503-slash
05:18-line
05:18and racking up 6.3-WAR, while also being one of MLB's best defenders at third base. In Kansas City,
05:26the Royals are led by the phenomenal Bobby Witt Jr., projected for 6.7-WAR. Witt's 8.0-WAR in
05:352025
05:35trailed only Judge and Raleigh among all hitters, and he's still just 25 years old. He finished top
05:425 in AL MVP voting for the second straight season, batting .295 with 23 homers and 38 steals, while
05:50claiming both the gold glove and silver slugger at shortstop, plus the AL platinum glove.
05:55He's projected to lead the Royals by a considerable margin, with pitcher Cole Reagans at 4.1-WAR being
06:02his nearest teammate. Of course for us, the real story is right here in Detroit. The Tigers' top
06:07projected player is our ace, Tarek Skubal, with a 6.3-WAR. Skubal is coming off back-to-back
06:14Cy Young seasons, posting a 2.21-ERA in 20,000.
06:25He led all pitchers with 6.6-WAR in 2025 after leading the AL with 6.0-WAR in 2024,
06:33and his 20-26
06:34projection puts him right in between those two stellar seasons. He's the ace of a talented rotation
06:39that also features Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and the big free agent additions Frambois Valdez and
06:46Justin Verlander. Over in Minnesota, the Twins are projected to be led by Byron Buxton at 3.6-WAR.
06:54Buxton's 2025 was arguably his best season to date with a 2-6-4, 3-2-7, 5-5-51
07:01slash line,
07:0235 homers, 24 steals, and a career-high 5.0-WAR. It's no coincidence that he played in 126 games,
07:09his healthiest season since 2017, an elite hitter and base runner with above-average range in center
07:16field. Buxton has finally been staying on the field and living up to his immense potential.
07:21If he can do it again, he has every chance to be the best player on that young squad.
07:25And for the Chicago White Sox, their top projected player is Colson Montgomery at 2.5-WAR.
07:32Montgomery absolutely mashed after his call-up on July 4th,
07:35socking 21 home runs in just 71 games down the stretch. He also flashed an impressive glove,
07:42totaling plucked six outs above average at shortstop. He racked up 2.7-WAR as a rookie and
07:48is projected for a similar total in 2026. Now we head to the American League West.
07:54For the Angels, it's Zach Neto at 4.3-WAR. Neto has been the Angels' top player for the last
08:01two
08:01seasons, leading the club with 3.5-WAR in 2024 and 3.1-WAR in 2025. He's been well above
08:11average
08:11with the bat, played solid defense at shortstop, and has been a member of the 2020 club in each
08:16of those seasons. The projections see him taking another step forward. In Houston, the Astros are
08:21led by Jordan Alvarez at 4.4-WAR. Last season was a lost one for Alvarez who played in only
08:3248 games
08:33due to injury. The good news is he's still only 28 and posted an excellent expected WOBA with his
08:39usual elite contact quality. The fact that he'll likely be the everyday designated hitter should
08:44help keep him on the field more often. Out in Oakland, the Athletics' top player is Nick Kurtz at
08:493.6-WAR. Kurtz wasted no time acclimating to the majors, going from the fourth overall pick
08:55in 2004. He is a rookie of the year in 2025. In 117 games, he posted a 1.0 Zoujo
09:072 OPS with
09:0836 home runs, one of which travelled an MLB-best 493 feet. The projections have him
09:13taking a slight step back, but he's still expected to be a top power threat.
09:18For the Mariners, it's Cal Raleigh with a massive 6.4 war. What more can you say about his 2025
09:24season, he elevated his game to another level, bashing 60 home runs with a .948 OPS and racking
09:31up 9.1 WAR, finishing second in MVP voting behind Judge. While a repeat might be unfair to expect,
09:39the projections are still incredibly strong, and in Texas, the Rangers are projected to be led by
09:44Wyatt Langford at 4.4 WAR. By war, Langford was the Rangers' top player in 2025, barely edging out
09:55Corey Seager. At just 24 years old, he's projected to lead the club again, which is no small feat on
10:01a team featuring Seager, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi. Switching gears to the National League
10:08East, for the Braves, it's Ronald Acuna Jr. at 5.4 WAR. He hasn't had a fully healthy year since
10:16his
10:16historic 40-70 season, but even limited to 95 games last year, he was the Braves' second most valuable
10:23position player. We're yet to establish what an average Acuna season is, but Fangraphs has him
10:29projected for 31 homers and 26 steals. In Miami, the Marlins are led by Xavier Edwards at 2.8.
10:38WAAR. There's potential on this roster but the track record isn't quite there yet.
10:42Fangraphs projects 6 Marlins above 2.0.
10:46ZOWER. But Edwards for his contribution at shortstop, just barely leads the pack after a
10:52respectable year hitting 283 with 27 steals. For the Mets, it's the reliable Juan Soto at 6.1 WAR.
11:00He threw the Mets a curveball last year by stealing 27 bases in the second half alone. Fangraphs has him
11:05leading the Mets with 38 homers and 23 steals. Francisco Lindor, coming off another 30-30 season,
11:13is projected just behind at 5.0 WAR. In Washington, the Nationals are led by James Wood at 3.1
11:21WAR.
11:22For the second straight year, Wood is projected to lead the team with that number and it proved a
11:27solid prediction for 2025 when he hit 31 homers. Fangraphs has him just short of another 30 homer season
11:33with 27, and for the Phillies their top projected player is Christopher Sanchez at 4.8 WOAR.
11:41Three pitchers exceeded 6.0, Bobby OR last year. The two Cy Young winners and Sanchez,
11:48with Ranger Suarez now in Boston and Zach Wheeler recovering from surgery, Fangraphs' projections
11:53have Sanchez stepping into the ace role. Let's move to the NL Central for the Brewers,
11:58it's William Contreras at 4.5 WOAR. He had surgery on a fractured finger in November but should be ready
12:05for opening day. While his 2025 was a step back, he's been an integral part of a Brewers team
12:11that had MLB's best record last year. In St. Louis, the Cardinals are led by Mason Wynn at 3.6
12:18WOAR.
12:19Wynn is a sensational defender whose plus on 21 outs above average were tied for third most in MLB in
12:252025,
12:26earning him a gold glove. His fielding at shortstop is good enough to overcome his marginal offensive
12:31value. For the Cubs, it's Pete Crow Armstrong at 4.7 WOAR. In 2025, he put it all together with
12:39an
12:39incredible first half, hitting 25 homers and stealing 27 bases with fantastic defense.
12:45A poor second half put a damper on his season, but he still put up 5.4 WOAR and is
12:51projected to lead
12:51a talented Cubs club. In Pittsburgh, it's the phenomenal Paul Skeens at 5.4 WOAR. He followed
12:58up his Rookie of the Year campaign with an NL Cy Young-winning season in 2025, posting a 1.97
13:05ERA
13:06with 216 strikeouts. Fangraphs projects his ERA to rise a bit, but he's still expected to accrue twice
13:13as much W.A.R. as any other Pirate, and for the Reds, it's Eli De La Cruz at 4
13:18.7 W.A.R.
13:20He didn't take the leap many hoped for in 20,000 cents. EINZAZEN SALZER DEN 25 BIRD BENDY,
13:27SEINZAZEN 45, but he did play through a left quad strain for much of the year and still hit 22
13:32homers
13:33and stole 37 bases. His power speed potential and strong arm give him a chance to be among the best
13:38in
13:38the game. Finally, we wrap up, in the NL West, for the Diamondbacks, it's Corbin Carroll at 4.8 W
13:46.A.R.
13:47He had his best season in the majors in 2025, posting 6.5 WOAR and becoming the first 30-30
13:54player in franchise history. He recently underwent surgery, on a broken hemat bone, but could be
14:00back by opening day. For the Dodgers, it's Shohei Otani with a staggering 8.4 WOAR. For the first time
14:07in Dodger Blue, he was a fully operational two-way star, worth 7.5 W.A.R. as a hitter
14:14and 1.9 W.A.R. as a pitcher. If he keeps this up, he could be on his way
14:19to a fourth straight
14:20MVP award. In San Francisco, the Giants are led by Patrick Bailey at 4.6 W.A.R. Despite posting
14:27of 6.02 OPS last season, he was still worth 3.22 W.A.R. Thanks to his elite defense,
14:38he'll have
14:39plenty of company competing for the W.R. lead with Logan Webb and Matt Chapman. For the Padres,
14:43it's Fernando Tatis Jr. at 5.4 W.A.R. He's only entering his age 27 season and has already
14:50put
14:50together quite a career. With 152 home runs and 124 steals, he does everything well and it feels
14:57like there could be another level to his game as he enters his prime. And finally, for the Rockies,
15:02it's Ezekiel Tavar at 3.00 W.A.R. Injuries limited him in 2025 and his offense dipped, but his
15:11excellent
15:11shortstop defense always gives him a high floor. If he reverts back to his 2024 level, he profiles as
15:18one of the better shortstops in baseball. So there you have it, a full league-wide look at
15:23who the projections say will be the top player for every team in 2026. Coming back to our Detroit
15:28Tigers, seeing Tarek Skubal projected for another monster season at 6.3 W.A.R. is incredibly exciting,
15:36especially with the added depth in our rotation. My question to you is this, with Skubal leading the
15:41way and all these new arms in the rotation, do you think the pitching staff alone can carry us
15:47deep into the postseason? Or are you hoping for a bigger offensive breakout to really make some noise
15:53this year?
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