After taking a look at the MVP and Cy Young races earlier this week, it’s time to turn our attention to the Rookie of the Year award, and the remarkably deep group of young players thriving in the majors in their first full seasons as big leaguers.
Preseason top prospect lists tend to give us a good idea of which hitters and pitchers are likely to make an instant impact, but we don’t know for sure until the games begin and we find out how these talented players are handling the challenge of competing at the sport’s highest level. And this year, many of these top prospects have hit the ground running, becoming key members of the roster from the get-go.
That’s not to say there won’t be an upcoming hard adjustment period that could slow down these rookies’ dream starts. There is also still plenty of time for others in the class to emerge as contenders in the ROY race. After all, at this time last season, eventual unanimous AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz had yet to hit his first major-league home run, and NL winner Drake Baldwin had appeared in only 19 games for the Braves and had a .715 OPS.
But so far, the 2026 rookie class is shaping up to be special. Let’s take a closer look at the candidates in each league vying for the honor of top rookie in a year overflowing with first-year talent.
American League
Kevin McGonigle
One of the consensus top two prospects in baseball alongside Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin entering the season, McGonigle made his MLB debut on Opening Day batting sixth and playing third base. He quickly climbed to the top of Detroit’s lineup not long after. Now McGonigle is the Tigers’ preferred leadoff option, and with Javier Báez injured, he has also assumed the role of starting shortstop, further elevating his importance on the roster. The 21-year-old’s ultra-advanced hit tool has translated immediately, providing much-needed contact skills and plate discipline to the Tigers’ lineup. The over-the-fence power hasn’t quite come yet (2 HR), but his .392 OBP ranks first among rookies, and 10th among all qualified AL hitters. From a narrative perspective, the disappointing news of Tarik Skubal’s elbow injury may also enhance the attention given to the rookie. This may very well be McGonigle’s team while Skubal is out, and if he can help keep the Tigers in the postseason mix until their ace is back, that would bolster McGonigle’s ROY case even further beyond his stellar statistical achievements. But no matter where Detroit’s season goes from here, McGonigle’s numbers should have him squarely in the running to claim the award.
Munetaka Murakami
McGonigle may have the edge in terms of all-around impact and likelihood of sustaining his performance, but no rookie has seized the attention of the national audience more than Murakami. That the Japanese slugger with a legendary résumé in NPB had to settle for a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox illustrated how skeptical the industry was that he could access his epic raw power enough with his enormous swing-and-miss concerns. Murakami has thus far proven otherwise.
The strikeouts have indeed come in bunches — his 55 punchouts, with the Angels’ Zach Neto, lead all AL hitters entering Thursday — but so have the homers, as only Aaron Judge (15) has launched more over the fence this season than Murakami (14) across MLB. Perhaps even more crucial has been Murakami’s plate discipline, compensating for the whiffs and low batting average by drawing walks at a 17.5% clip and chasing just 22% of the pitches he’s seen outside the strike zone, both outstanding marks. Some cold streaks are surely coming — this is still a volatile profile — but if Murakami is still at or near the top of the home run leaderboard at season’s end, expect him to challenge McGonigle (among others) for Rookie of the Year.
Above all, Murakami has been a blast to watch, a fun-loving masher who seems to be enjoying his new teammates stateside and giving White Sox fans something to cheer about after several miserable seasons.
Chase DeLauter
DeLauter represents an interesting contrast to Murakami. Both rookie sluggers homered in each of their first three career games, but while Murakami has continued to clear the fences with regularity, DeLauter has homered just two more times in 31 games since that initial trio of contests. And yet, DeLauter’s OPS over that span (.857) is nearly identical to Murakami’s (.862), as the former first-round draft pick has been a much more balanced bat compared to the extreme power-and-patience profile of Murakami. As it turns out, DeLauter’s loud first impression of slugging may have been somewhat misleading to the kind of all-around hitter he is capable of being. While his hard-hit and barrel rates currently register as slightly below league-average, DeLauter has graded out as elite from a plate discipline standpoint. Not only is he drawing walks and laying off pitches outside of the strike zone, he’s also rarely whiffing, an uncommon trait for a hitter his size. After striking out three times in his third career game, DeLauter hasn’t struck out multiple times in any game since, and his 11% strikeout rate is one of the lowest marks in the AL. He has given the Guardians the boost they sought in their lineup, and should remain a factor in ROY conversations if he can stay healthy (always a big if throughout his career).
Parker Messick
DeLauter isn’t the only Guardians rookie pushing for some end-of-season hardware. Former No. 1 overall draft pick Travis Bazzana debuted recently and has plenty of time to hit himself into the mix as well. Meanwhile on the mound, Cleveland may have found another impact starting pitcher in Messick, the latest in a long line of quality homegrown rotation arms. Messick was a full-blown star in college as Florida State’s ace, but his more modest stuff did not necessarily scream frontline arm at the big-league level, leading to his second-round selection by Cleveland in 2022. That stuff has ticked up in pro ball, however, and though his velocity still registers as below-average, Messick’s excellent command of his six-pitch mix has enabled a brilliant start to his major-league career. He debuted last year with seven strong starts down the stretch and hasn’t slowed down at all in 2026, posting a 2.40 ERA across 41 1/3 innings, including taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Baltimore on April 16. Messick has a sizable head start among pitchers in the AL ROY race, but whether he can beat out the loaded crop of rookie bats — including his teammates — remains to be seen
Trey Yesavage
Remember him? The right-hander took the baseball world by storm last year with his meteoric rise through the minors setting the stage for high-end contributions to the Blue Jays during their magical run to the precipice of a championship. Because Yesavage barely pitched in the regular season, he retained rookie eligibility entering 2026, putting him in the unique circumstance of being compared to other first-year players making their first impressions despite already making such a big impact on the October stage. That made Yesavage a popular ROY pick entering the season. A shoulder injury during spring delayed the start to his campaign until recently, so he has made only two starts this season. But let’s not forget what this right-hander is capable of. It’ll be fascinating to see if he can pitch his way back into the conversation even with the late start to his season.
Kazuma Okamoto
Perhaps joining Yesavage in the push for Rookie of the Year could be his new teammate Okamoto, who has caught fire as of late after making an adjustment to his stance in the batter’s box that has seemingly unlocked the potent bat Toronto paid a hefty sum for in free agency this past winter. After a slow start that saw his OPS sink to .553 through 18 games, Okamoto has hit .308/.400/.708 with eight homers in his last 18 games. A longtime superstar for the Yomiuri Giants in NPB, the 29-year-old Okamoto could be held to a higher standard by ROY voters because of his age, but as long as players with foreign experience remain eligible for such awards, they must be evaluated as viable candidates. A similar dynamic unfolded with Kodai Senga in 2023, and his outstanding debut season with the Mets at age-30 earned him a runner-up finish to Corbin Carroll in NL Rookie of the Year voting. As evidenced above, Okamoto’s competition in the AL is stiff, but if he can emerge as a legitimate co-star for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the new-look Toronto lineup that is still looking to find its groove, his ROY case will warrant serious consideration.
National League
Nolan McLean
Before we get to the bats, let’s highlight the arm who might not just be the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, but a dark-horse candidate to push for the Cy Young award. McLean has lived up to the hype garnered from his impressive debut stint late last season, demonstrating that his initial sample of excellence was no fluke. No, McLean is not quite on Paul Skenes’ level in terms of historic, unprecedented dominance, but his raw stuff is similarly eye-popping, and the effectiveness has followed. McLean’s 33.3% strikeout rate ranks third among all qualified starters behind only Jacob Misiorowski and Dylan Cease, and his 85.1 mph average exit velocity allowed is the lowest of any starting pitcher. He’s the real deal, and an obvious bright spot amid an otherwise discouraging start to the Mets’ season.
JJ Wetherholt
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Wetherholt was likely MLB-ready by the end of last season, but St. Louis preferred to exercise patience with its top prospect and delay his debut until Opening Day 2026. Wetherholt didn’t take long to make his presence felt, homering in his second career at-bat, setting the tone for a Cardinals offense that has surprisingly proven to be one of the more fun units to watch league-wide. He has batted leadoff and started at second base in all but one of St. Louis’ 37 games this season, and despite hitting .239, Wetherholt leads all rookie hitters in fWAR due to his on-base ability, somewhat surprising slugging output and fantastic glovework. A shortstop by nature, Wetherholt’s move to the keystone in deference to Masyn Winn has gone swimmingly, as he rates as one of the best infielders in MLB by Statcast’s Outs Above Average. Whether St. Louis remains relevant in the standings or not, Wetherholt promises to play a major role in the ROY conversation all yearlong.
Moisés Ballesteros
Nearly all of his production has come against right-handed pitching, and Ballesteros has played just 10 innings of defense all season, almost exclusively serving as Chicago’s designated hitter beyond a few cameos at catcher. But the 22-year-old is an absolute joy to watch swing the bat, and he has added a fresh new flavor to a Cubs lineup that was already well-stocked with above-average bats. Though questions about his viability as a defender have followed him throughout his professional career, Ballesteros has raked at every level along the way, forcing the Cubs to find a spot for him in the lineup regardless of the readiness of his glove. Now Chicago is reaping the rewards of that trust, with Ballesteros hitting his way all the way up to the No. 2 spot in the batting order against right-handed pitching, a remarkable achievement considering the other accomplished names littered throughout the lineup. Few teams are having more fun than the Cubs right now, and Ballesteros has been a huge part of it.
Sal Stewart
Stewart has hit a bit of a cold spell since the calendar flipped to May, but his April was outstanding, banking a ton of production that will help keep him relevant in the ROY discussion even if his numbers tail off for a bit. Cincinnati’s cleanup hitter in all 38 games this season, Stewart was a run-producing machine in the early going, driving in 29 runs across the first 27 games of the season, including nine homers to score himself. Defense may never be Stewart’s headlining trait, but his versatility also provides value to his team as the 22-year-old made starts at first, second and third base, ensuring that his bat can stay in the lineup regardless of the maneuvering manager Terry Francona wants to do with the rest of his position player group. Stewart has not been shy about his goal of winning Rookie of the Year — let’s see if he can mash enough to make it a reality.
Konnor Griffin
The first big leaguer born in 2006, Griffin took some time to settle into his rare role as a teenage starting shortstop in the big leagues, but he has started to flash his exciting potential and should not be disregarded too quickly when it comes to the ROY race. Griffin is hitting .395/458/.651 over his last 12 games entering Thursday, and is already up to eight stolen bases this year without having been caught once. If the Pirates can make a push to end the National League’s longest playoff drought and Griffin emerges as one of their best all-around hitters — especially as the youngest player in the majors — his status as the co-face of the franchise alongside Skenes could give his ROY case the boost it needs if his statline lags slightly behind the competition.
