MLB · 12 hours ago

Top 10 American League Breakout Players to Watch in the 2026 MLB Season

SportsGrid Contributor Just Baseball

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Dominic Canzone, Seattle Mariners
Dominic Canzone, who has appeared in the big leagues in each of the last three seasons, showed flashes of brilliance during his 82-game stint in 2025. During this span, the 27-year-old slashed .300/.358/.481 with 11 homers and a 141 wRC+, setting career-highs in virtually every statistic possible.

What stood out the most about Canzone’s impressive showing was his underlying batted-ball data, which all point towards this being a sustainable pace. For starters, Canzone posted a 14.4% barrel rate and an average exit velocity north of 92 MPH. He also crushed both heaters and breaking balls, which means that shouldn’t be a weakness for him either.

Overall, Canzone has quite an interesting breakout case heading into the 2026 season. If things go as planned, the Seattle Mariners may have another legitimate offensive weapon in their lineup.
Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles
For the past couple of seasons, Orioles power-hitting catcher Samuel Basallo has been a staple on our top 100 prospects lists. In 2026, we finally saw Basallo get the opportunity to take his talents to the big leagues, and the result was less than stellar. In light of this, 2026 could be the year Basallo breaks through in the majors.

In 31 big league games, Basallo registered a wRC+ of just 55, while striking out over 25% of the time along the way. Even though this is far from what the Orioles had hoped to see, Basallo’s 70-grade game power is too exciting to look away from. Throughout the minors, he rarely struggled at the dish, which inspires confidence that he’ll figure it out with more reps.

In Aram Leighton’s write-up on our top 100, he hailed him as having a “Devers-like offensive skill set,” which is something to be quite excited about. With the Orioles already inking him to an eight-year deal, he’ll have plenty of runway to get comfortable.
Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox
Last season, the Chicago White Sox experienced their third-straight season with 100 or more losses. Fortunately, unlike past seasons, the White Sox saw multiple young stars take strides forward, suddenly building the foundation for a positive future core of White Sox baseball. One of these players was third baseman Miguel Vargas.

After posting an abysmal 46 wRC+ between two teams in 2024, Vargas looked a lot more comfortable in 2025. He slugged a career-high 16 homers, slashed .234/.316/.401 with a 101 wRC+. Most importantly, Vargas cut his strikeout rate from 24.1% to 17.6%, an improvement that will have a huge impact on his game moving forward.

Vargas saw his barrel rate, average exit velocity, and hard-hit rate undergo a very noticeable improvement, which helps build his breakout case for 2026. With Vargas already posting a 156 wRC+ this spring, it looks like these improvements won’t be a one-season occurrence.
Mike Burrows, Houston Astros
After pitching to a 3.94 ERA across 23 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, RHP Mike Burrows looked like he could be yet another bright arm as a mainstay in their rotation. However, the Pirates were looking for an offensive upgrade during the offseason, and he quickly became an expendable asset for the club.

Now with the Houston Astros, Burrows has a very intriguing breakout case in 2026.

Although his underlying numbers aren’t exactly positive as a whole, Burrows’ arsenal is quite interesting. For starters, his changeup generated whiff and strikeout rates over 42% last season, which is a tremendous mark. Especially with Burrows joining another team that excels at developing arms, this puts him in a good spot.

If he wants to truly break out, Burrows will need to develop a better fastball, as his four-seamer produced a hard-hit rate near 50% last season. This is something the Astros could certainly improve upon, which would help strengthen his breakout case even more.
Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals
After flying through the minor leagues at a lightning pace in the early part of last season, Jac Caglianone’s first major league experience was disappointing to say the least. However, his raw tools are too strong to fail much longer, especially considering that there were some positive takeaways from this span.

Caglianone’s raw pop is some of the best the sport has to offer, and it’s only a matter of time before it breaks through more consistently. He surpassed the 114 MPH mark last season, and he’s already hit a ball 120 MPH this spring. Especially with the Royals moving in their outfield wall, his power could easily begin to regularly shine through.

There aren’t many left-handed power bats in the minor leagues that are as exciting as Jac Caglianone, and if everything goes as planned, he’s primed to put on a show during his first full major league campaign.
Kristian Campbell, Boston Red Sox
The last two years have been a whirlwind full of highs and lows for Red Sox infielder Kristian Campbell. From bursting onto the prospect scene as one of the better hitters in the minors to struggling in the big leagues, it’s been an interesting path for him. With all of this in mind, Campbell still possesses a strong case to break out this year.

For starters, this offseason Campbell fully overhauled his swing to create a cleaner path, cover the full strike zone more effectively, and drive the ball to the pull side with more authority. Although it’s early, these changes have already been helping Campbell look much more comfortable this spring.

These swing changes are what truly give me confidence in his breakout case in 2026. Although he’ll still have to prove that these changes will actually impact his game in the way they should, he’s in a good position to take a big leap.
Jacob Melton, Tampa Bay Rays
This offseason, the Tampa Bay Rays were involved in multiple three-team deals, and they always seemed to pick up value regardless of the situation. When the club dealt Brandon Lowe alongside a few others to the Pirates, they managed to pick up a former top prospect in Jacob Melton.

Despite struggling significantly in the big leagues last season, Melton’s Triple-A metrics are really what support this breakout case. He posted eye-popping power numbers — such as a 17.9% barrel rate — and registered a 141 wRC+. Not only this, but he displayed a plus run tool.

Especially with Melton now getting to work with the Rays’ excellent player development, his odds to break out in 2026 are very good. He’s a strong candidate to fully transform his offensive game during what should be his first full big league season.
Ryan Weathers, New York Yankees
Ahead of the 2025 season, Ryan Weathers looked like he could finally break out and become the pitcher he was once expected to be. With his fastball gaining significant velocity, his changeup drastically improving, alongside his already effective secondaries, things looked bright for him.

Unfortunately, injuries held him to under 40 innings, and the long-awaited breakout would have to wait another year. In 2026, Weathers could be primed for the best year of his career.

In his debut with the Yankees this spring, Weathers’ heater sat at 98.5 MPH, and the rest of his arsenal looked fantastic. For example, his secondaries led him to rack up 11 whiffs, which is a great sign for this season. If he can stay healthy, Weathers seems like a surefire pick to break out.
Troy Melton, Detroit Tigers
When it comes to the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff, the immediate focus usually surrounds back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Despite this, the Tigers have consistently turned out very solid young arms, and another one of those successes shone through last year in RHP Troy Melton.

In 16 appearances during the 2025 season, Melton looked like a seasoned veteran on the mound. He pitched to a 2.76 ERA, struck out 36 batters, while keeping free passes to a minimum. Melton also showcased an electric fastball-slider mix, which saw both pitches generate an opponent batting average under .162.

Melton even showed flashes of brilliance on the biggest stage, as he started multiple pivotal Postseason games for the Tigers in 2025. With his arsenal and raw stuff looking quite encouraging, he should be an interesting potential breakout candidate heading into 2026.
Austin Martin, Minnesota Twins
After winning a National Championship during his stellar career at Vanderbilt, Austin Martin quickly became one of the biggest prized possessions of the 2020 MLB Draft, where he was selected by the Blue Jays fifth overall. However, after a slow start to his career, Martin is finally looking like he could be a very solid everyday player for the Minnesota Twins.

Last season, Martin appeared in 50 games, where he showed flashes of putting things together offensively. He slashed .282/.374/.365 and posted a career-high 113 wRC+. Not only this, but Martin chased under 19% of the time, and barely whiffed, which allowed him to put together elite plate discipline.

With Martin’s plate discipline potentially creating a strong foundation for a 2026 breakout, he’ll be a name to watch this season. Also, he should get consistent playing time for the first time in his career, which will be another huge key to his success across a full season.
Dominic Canzone, Seattle Mariners
Dominic Canzone, who has appeared in the big leagues in each of the last three seasons, showed flashes of brilliance during his 82-game stint in 2025. During this span, the 27-year-old slashed .300/.358/.481 with 11 homers and a 141 wRC+, setting career-highs in virtually every statistic possible.

What stood out the most about Canzone’s impressive showing was his underlying batted-ball data, which all point towards this being a sustainable pace. For starters, Canzone posted a 14.4% barrel rate and an average exit velocity north of 92 MPH. He also crushed both heaters and breaking balls, which means that shouldn’t be a weakness for him either.

Overall, Canzone has quite an interesting breakout case heading into the 2026 season. If things go as planned, the Seattle Mariners may have another legitimate offensive weapon in their lineup.
Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles
For the past couple of seasons, Orioles power-hitting catcher Samuel Basallo has been a staple on our top 100 prospects lists. In 2026, we finally saw Basallo get the opportunity to take his talents to the big leagues, and the result was less than stellar. In light of this, 2026 could be the year Basallo breaks through in the majors.

In 31 big league games, Basallo registered a wRC+ of just 55, while striking out over 25% of the time along the way. Even though this is far from what the Orioles had hoped to see, Basallo’s 70-grade game power is too exciting to look away from. Throughout the minors, he rarely struggled at the dish, which inspires confidence that he’ll figure it out with more reps.

In Aram Leighton’s write-up on our top 100, he hailed him as having a “Devers-like offensive skill set,” which is something to be quite excited about. With the Orioles already inking him to an eight-year deal, he’ll have plenty of runway to get comfortable.

Top 10 American League Breakout Players to Watch in the 2026 MLB Season

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