Chicago Cubs: OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Age: 23)
Crow-Armstrong is still searching for consistency at the plate, but it’s hard to poke holes in a 23-year-old posting a 118 OPS+ with 37 doubles, 31 home runs, 95 RBI, 91 runs scored and 35 steals in a 6.0-WAR season. He is also a lock to take home his first Gold Glove in center field, and could be the NL Platinum Glove winner.
Honorable Mentions:SP Cade Horton (24), 3B Matt Shaw (23)
Cincinnati Reds: SS Elly De La Cruz (Age: 23)
Whether it was the grind of playing every day, pitchers making adjustments or something else entirely, De La Cruz went from an All-Star in the first half (.854 OPS, 39 XBH, 18 HR, 25 SB) to a non-factor in the second half (.666 OPS, 21 XBH, 4 HR, 12 SB). The tools are there for him to be a face of the franchise player, but the 2026 season will be an important one in his development.
Honorable Mentions:OF Noelvi Marté (23)
Milwaukee Brewers: OF Jackson Chourio (Age: 21)
Chourio was the youngest player to make an Opening Day roster in 2025, and only four younger players appeared in the big leagues this year, yet he already has two 20/20 seasons under his belt. At an age when most prospects are still in the lower levels of the minors or playing college ball, he was one of the best players on a team that finished with 97 wins and a division title.
Honorable Mentions:SP Jacob Misiorowski (23)
Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Paul Skenes (Age: 23)
The term “generational talent” gets thrown around a lot when talking about young stars, but Skenes truly is that on the mound. Over his first 55 starts in the big leagues, he has a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 386 strikeouts in 320.2 innings, and he is the favorite to take home NL Cy Young honors after leading the NL in ERA (1.97) and WHIP (0.95) while racking up 216 strikeouts in 187.2 innings.
Honorable Mentions:SP Bubba Chandler (23)
St. Louis Cardinals: SS Masyn Winn (Age: 23)
The Cardinals are at a crossroads, looking to get younger this offseason and expected to aggressively shop veterans such as Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and others, which leaves Winn as the foundational piece of their upcoming rebuilding efforts. The slick-fielding shortstop provides a valuable mix of defense, speed, extra-base pop and contact skills, and he is still capable of taking his game to another level.
Honorable Mentions:OF Victor Scott II (24)
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