It's almost a new year — a time to build on the positives of the previous one, flush away the negatives and start fresh. That's as true for MLB players as it is for the rest of us: While we've still got a couple months until spring training gets rolling, it's never too early to start dreaming on what 2026 might bring. And for certain players, it sure looks like it's going to be a great one. Here are eight names who could come out of nowhere for their teams in the new year and become household stars.
RHP Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers
As if transitioning to Major League life wasn't challenging enough on its own, Sasaki was doing it under the weight of massive expectation while trying to figure out how to recapture the elite velocity that had made him such a phenom in Japan. Oh, and then he suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for months.
A bit of a learning curve was to be expected, is what we're saying. But when Sasaki finally got healthy and got his feet under him, he looked like the prince who'd been promised, carrying the Dodgers' bullpen almost single-handedly to a second straight World Series title. Now he'll be back in the rotation, with a year of experience under his belt anad all the confidence in the world. As long as his fastball looks the way it did at the end of the year, the sky is truly the limit.
RHP Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates
It's been so long since we've seen Jones at full strength that it's easy to forget just how sensational he looked when he first burst onto the scene in 2024. So good, in fact, that for a while it was an open question as to just whether he or Paul Skenes was Pittsburgh's 1A moving forward.
And then an oblique issue struck, and an elbow injury sidelined him for the entirety of the 2025 campaign. With any luck, Jones should be back in the Pirates rotation before too long next year. And when he does return, expect him to remind everyone of what all the fuss was about. When healthy, Jones looks like a young Spencer Strider, with a crackling fastball and wipeout slider.
3B Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs
Maybe the Cubs are set to make another run at Alex Bregman that could render all of this moot. But while Shaw struggled so much to start his rookie season that he was eventually sent down to Triple-A, he quietly took off in the second half, posting a 130 wRC+ with his usual speed on the bases and solid defense at third.
Of course, he'll have to prove he can do that over the course of a full season before he fully establishes himself as part of Chicago's core. But it's worth noting just how much pressure Shaw was under as the Cubs threw him into the fire to start 2025. He took his lumps and came back stronger, and he's got all the tools he needs to be a very good player. He was one of the top infield prospects in the sport for a reason, after all.
OF Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals
Speaking of former top prospects: Crews was the No. 2 pick of the 2023 MLB Draft thanks to a spectacular career at LSU, and everyone assumed he'd achieve MLB stardom sooner rather than later. But he struggled mightily at the plate in his first full big-league season, posting a .632 OPS and a sub-.300 OPS.
It doesn't help that he was limited to just 85 games due to an oblique injury, and he was thrown directly into the fire after very little time in the Minors. It's worth exercising some patience here, is the point, given his pedigree as a prospect and how much was working against him in 2025. He still put up a 20-30 pace over a full season, after all, and he's locked into a starting job for the rebuilding Nationals. With a fresh start and a full runway this spring, he could take off and finally make good on all that hype.
1B/DH Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants
Eldridge, too, arrived in the Majors billed as the next big thing for his franchise, the crown jewel of the Giants' farm system. He, too, struggled over a limited sample, going 3-for-28 with 13 strikeouts across a 10-game cup of coffee in September.
He posted a sky-high hard-hit rate, though, hinting at the light-tower power that made him so enticing in the first place. There will always be swing and miss in his game, but he showcased excellent plate discipline, and everyone would do well not to read too much into just 10 games at a new level. When he makes contact, he's a special, special player, and he could have a Nick Kurtz-like impact behind Rafael Devers if he makes a tweak or two.
RHP Cody Ponce, Toronto Blue Jays
The last time we saw Ponce Stateside, he was putting up a 7.04 ERA across 15 appearances for the Pirates. So what's all the fuss about? After washing out in the Majors, he bounced between Japan and Korea, and he eventually remade himself into arguably the best pitcher in the KBO in 2025.
Ponce posted a 1.89 ERA with a 12.6 K/9 last season, adding a splitter to his arsenal and looking like a totally different player. The Blue Jays believed in that transformation enough to guarantee him three years and $30 million, and even those numbers could look like a steal before long.
INF Luke Keaschall, Minnesota Twins
It looked as though this breakout was set to happen last year, as Keaschall posted a 1.065 OPS over his first week in the Majors. Multiple injuries limited him to just 49 games, though, and the Twins' late-season collapse took him off most people's radars entirely.
It's worth tuning back in now. When healthy, Keaschall was an electric player, free-wheeling on the bases and with more pop at the plate than you'd expect from someone of his stature. He sure looks like an all-around stud, and he'll have every chance to prove as much for Minnesota in 2026. You know, assuming he can stay on the field.
RHP Luis Morales, Athletics
Already armed with one of the most entertaining homegrown lineups in baseball, the A's are one viable pitching staff away from Wild Card contention. What they get from Morales in 2026 will go a long way in determining whether they reach that goal or not.
The righty started the year at Double-A but forced his way to the Majors by August posting a 3.14 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 18 walks in 48.2 innings across 10 appearances (nine starts). The fastball/slider combination is just about as good as it gets, and he sure looks the part physically. If he can harness his command, he could blossom as a true frontline guy.