2026 Major League Baseball A field of pea was placedand the ultimate baseball playoff stake is upon us. To help set the stage for the long months that will determine both the belt and the title, we are here to rank the top players who will participate in these playoffs. Specifically, starting with a total of 26 players selected from 12 teams in 2026. So that’s ’26 in ’26, you see.
Rules, excellence at the present time and whether said excellence seems to be sustainable or not, are the main considerations in the near term. It is also about present value at this point in time. Effectively, that means players whose “stats count” may have taken a hit due to injury earlier in the season, but are now healthy and in prime form here despite some cumulative deficits. As such, there are many about him who are knowledgeable and experienced enough to make big numbers in October (and maybe November).
2026 MLB playoff bracket: Schedule, scores with the full field set
Kate Feldman
At this point, it’s worth noting that a few elite players on these 12 teams aren’t here because of injury woes. Most notably, Yankees shortstop and back-to-back American League MVP Aaron Judge will not be inducted. Under normal circumstances, you’d want to be near the top of the pile, but you’re on the injured list with a calf injury and unable to play in the Yankees’ Wild Card Series, when they take on the rival Red Sox. As such, the Judge will have to come to another place.
Now to nothing. Given that we’re talking about only 20 players from the 12 best teams, the bar was pretty high, and painful omissions were plentiful. Furthermore…
2026 MLB playoff predictions: Expert reads for the entire bracket, including the World Series champion
Mike Axis
26. Matt Olson, Braves
It’s a 40-homer season, and another high-profile round for a long-standing first baseman. Olson has been one of the most consistent power producers in the game over the last decade, and his place here is well-deserved.
25. Willson Contreras, Red Sox
The 34-year-old Contreras, now a first baseman, set a career high in his first season with the Red Sox. He leads the team in homers, has a high OBP, and sports an OPS+ north of 150. That force is the true medium.
24. Logan Henderson, Brewers
Henderson spent most of the first week of the season in Triple-A and then missed significant time with a back strain. Since early July, though, he’s been a force in Milwaukee’s rotation. He is living in a career of prevention and command and control through his 2026 debut, and at the age of 24, there is more to come.
23. Payton Tolle, Red Sox
The affable rookie lefty has a strong body of work overall through 26 starts, and the carrier is entering on a solid roll. Since the start of August, Tolle has posted a 2.52 ERA and even more FIP, and has struck out a hefty 31.8% of opposing batters. The form is in the ace season.
22. Seiya Suzuki, Cubs
As a pending free agent, Suzuki picked up the right time of the year’s career. 5.0 War is the first time in MLB and in related matters on the field and at the plate. At this point, Suzuki leads the NCAA with 26 home runs and 81 walks.
21. Ben Rice Yankees
Part of the brilliance came from Rice in the middle, but overall the All-Star season of 2026. The 27-year-old All-Star mashed the right-handed hitter, and is third in American League home runs and 10th in on-base hits. Rice has been a vital presence in the Yankee lineup with Aaron Judge missing for much of the season.
20. Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Wheeler, who has been on Philly’s watch for years, came up big in winning 162 games, which he accomplished all-time. In 162 innings, he allowed 55 runs with 193 strikeouts and 47 walks. This is a heck of a time for a 36-year-old to undergo surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome.
19. Alex Bregman, Cubs
Creditably, Bregman made it back to the Cubs’ lineup in mere days after suffering a facial fracture. Now he is once again at the plate and in the field, a key part of the best defensive team in all of baseball. This season, the veteran infielder boasts 26 hits and 75 walks.
18. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
A full-time DH with a batting average? Schwarber has to look at it differently. Another way is to be the MLB home run leader who walks more than 100 in a season. Here’s the list of features that matter most, so consider him one of the best “get the racquet” hitters around.
17. Drew Rasmussen, Rays
Rasmussen was an overlooked and overlooked star in the age 30 campaign. He set personal bests in innings, strikeouts, ERA, FIP, and ERA. He’s been on fire in each of the last two seasons, and in 2026 he’s been one of the best starting pitchers around.
16. Parker Messick, Guardians
The top rookie pitcher in all of baseball this season, Messick has been an essential presence for the AL Central field. Through a hefty 186 innings this season, the Mexican had a 2.56 ERA with 193 strikeouts and a 6.0 WAR. That is what I would do, P-Mess. That is what I would do.
15. Michael Harris II, Braves
Harris, who is still only 25 years old, has been a defensive midfielder this season. He also thrived at the plate, as he batted .491 with 63 extra-base hits and gets on the bases well.
14. Miguel Vargas, White Sox
The first pitch for the new White Sox broke out in a big way this season. Across more than 700 plate appearances, the 26-year-old corner infielder has posted a 5.0 ERA and 100 walks while also snagging 33 home runs and stealing 22 bases in 24 starts.
13. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
Tatis suffered a tremendous amount of luck on the balls in the first period, but the quality of the contact was always there. In the second half, the Padres have found their superstar hopes in a bigger way, which means they are on top of the playoffs.
12. Max Fried, Yankees
We all think a lot of Frieda as a pitcher, but is she still unemployed? He boasts a stellar career ERA+ of 142, and this season has been better for sure. He’s backed him up with a 2.65 FIP over 20 starts. Elbow issues hampered his innings load in 2026, but he was generally at his peak in September.
11. Jackson Chourio, Brewers
The 22-year-old phenom has put together his strongest season yet. He sports excellent defense on the left side, and posted a 20-20 plate OPS+ of 127 on the campaign. They were all good at almost 5.0.
10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
When he arrived in the MLB before the 2024 season, Yamamoto did nothing but pitch as an acc. This year, the 28-year-old right-hander is better than he was in 2025, finishing third in the National Cy Young League voting. The tour was in LA.
9. Brice Turang, Brewers
Turang has been one of the top defensive second basemen around for a while, and over the last two seasons, he’s stepped up his game at the plate in a big way. All of that plus on-base speed make Turang one of the fastest players in the MLB today. But in these ranks he is not idle.
8. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Ohtani made it back into the Dodgers lineup before the end of the regular season, but his persistent knee issues cast some doubt on his outlook. He said late in the year that he would not be coming for the rest of the season, which of course includes the games, and it is possible that he will be disappointed in some way at the plate. That said, an easy Ohtani who doesn’t pitch at all is still better than, oh, almost every other player around.
7. Christopher Sale, Braves
In an age when most pitchers are declining in depth or out of the league altogether, Sale just keeps getting better. Throwing the best fastball velocity of his career, Sale posted an ERA+ of 195 in 2026 and led the majors in K/BB ratio.
6. Christopher Sanchez, Phillies
In a Jacob Misiorowski-less universe, Sánchez would be the NL Cy Young winner thanks to his across-the-board excellence this season. He has pitched 200 innings for the second straight season, has a sub-3.00 ERA (and better FIP), and has a K/BB ratio of over 5.00. It’s vinegar, and it doesn’t tend to look like the first time.
5. Junior Caminero, Rays
The 23-year-old rising star finished one run shy of an AL home run crown in his 22nd season, and claimed a high finish in AL MVP voting. Yes, he hits into a lot of double plays, but this time Caminero added patience to his tool at the plate.
4. James Misiorowski, Brewers
The hardest hitting pitcher the game has ever seen, he put it all in his 24th season. In 2026, Misiorowski perfected the number of innings pitched, passed the 200 strikeout mark, posted a sub-2.00 ERA and a sub-2.00 FIP. This was all dominated by Brewer’s workload.
3. Cam Schlittler, Yankees
The Yankees’ 25-year-old right-hander is the runaway favorite for AL Cy Young honors. Schlittler led the AL in innings pitched this season and has done so in great volume with a sub-2.00 ERA and one of the highest strikeouts in the league.
2. Yordan Alvarez Astros
The best chili pepper in baseball this season? It was Alvarez, who hit .316/.432/.601. Alvarez led all of MLB in each of those three categories, and he also had 42 home runs, 109 walks, and 341 total bases. What is the year?
1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs
Because of his power display, baserunning, and mega-elite defense in center field, PCA has been the best player in baseball this season, and he’s not really a tight end. There is no easy way to get sad.