There was stiff competition at practically every position for MLB Network’s 2026 Top 10 Right Now lists, but that meant a lot of talented players didn’t make the cut.
From top prospects and young players on the rise to stars in need of a rebound to flat-out snubs, plenty of big names were not among the top 10 at their positions entering the 2026 campaign. But a lot can change in a year: How different might these lists look come 2027?
Here is one player per position who was not featured on this year’s Top 10 Right Now lists who could make the cut next season.
Based on FanGraphs WAR, Dingler wasn’t just a borderline top-10 catcher in 2025 but one of the best in the Major Leagues. His 4.1 fWAR for 2025 was tied with the Dodgers’ Will Smith for third at his position, behind only Seattle’s Cal Raleigh (9.1) and Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk (4.7). If Dingler can keep up his stellar defense and tap into a little more power, he could be widely considered one of MLB’s top backstops.
Rice underperformed his expected metrics a bit in 2025, but he still slugged 26 home runs and put up a .255/.337/.499 slash line. His offensive firepower is considerably less valuable as an everyday first baseman than as a full-time catcher, but Rice still put up 3.0 fWAR in 2025, tied for 10th among first basemen. His Statcast performance suggests he could be even better in 2026 and could join a group of elite players at his position.
2B: Travis Bazzana, Guardians
This pick is contingent on a 2026 debut for Bazzana, the top overall pick of the 2024 Draft, who was invited to Spring Training and has a chance to compete for a spot on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster. Thanks to an elite hit tool, the former Oregon State standout could crack the top 10 at a relatively weak position if he can produce as a rookie in ’26.
Bazzana spent time at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, batting .245 with nine home runs, 12 steals and an .813 OPS in 84 games. His best numbers, in fact, came at the highest of those levels: Bazzana had an .858 OPS in 26 games for Triple-A Columbus. If he can meet the moment at the MLB level — no easy task for a player getting used to the big leagues — he could immediately be one of the best hitters at his position.
Another season of that caliber would elevate Garcia toward the top of next year’s third-base rankings, let alone merely in the top 10. That might be a lot to ask from a player with just a .645 OPS prior to 2025, but Statcast metrics (such as elite squared-up, chase and whiff rates) indicate Garcia’s offensive improvement is for real. If so, he should have no trouble cracking this list come 2027.
SS: Willy Adames, Giants
Entering his ninth MLB season in 2026, Adames has been a consistent producer year in and year out. He has accrued at least 3.0 fWAR in each of the past five seasons, including 4.0 in 2025 (tied for eighth among primary shortstops). In his first year with San Francisco, Adames became the first Giants player with a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds in 2004. In 2024, he turned in a 32-homer, 112-RBI campaign for the Brewers.
With power, a good eye at the plate and a solid glove (he was tied for 10th among 37 primary shortstops with +5 Outs Above Average in 2025), Adames is as steady a player as any. He doesn’t have truly elite power or speed nor much flash to his game, but he’s as good a bet as any shortstop currently ranked outside the top 10 to make the listcome 2027.
LF: Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics
Soderstrom cooled off after a scorching start to 2025 in which he hit nine home runs in the season’s first 19 games, but he still put together an impressive breakout season for the A’s. After a strong second half of 2024, the lefty slugger finished ’25 with a .276/.346/.474 batting line, 25 homers and 93 RBIs. Part of a talented young core including first baseman Nick Kurtz and shortstop Jacob Wilson, Soderstrom — only 24 — is already one of the best hitters among MLB left fielders.
Moved to left from first base upon Kurtz’s callup in May, Soderstrom also graded out as a plus defender despite no prior professional experience at the position. He accounted for +5 Outs Above Average and was an AL Gold Glove finalist in left field, acclimating well to the switch. Soderstrom finished fifth among primary left fielders in 2025 with 3.4 fWAR, a number that could only grow if he can make strides in 2026.
CF: Michael Harris II, Braves
After a disappointing 2025 at the plate, It will take a considerable rebound from Harris to reach the top 10 on the 2027 list. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year posted career lows in batting average (.249), on-base percentage (.268, worst among qualifying hitters) and slugging percentage (.409) despite reaching 20 homers and 20 steals for the first time in his career.
Harris’ speed and defensive value (+8 OAA) still netted him 1.4 fWAR in 2025, but he’ll have to be much better with the bat to regain a place among the league’s best center fielders. The massive improvement he showed from the first to the second half of last season (.551 OPS before the All-Star break, .845 after) is a good sign Harris is poised to bounce back in ’26. The size of that bounce could determine whether he ends up at the bottom end of the top 10 or, perhaps, toward the top.
Lile’s youth, relative inexperience and defensive deficiencies (-8 OAA and a poor throwing arm) have him understandably outside the top 10 at his position, but his offensive talent cannot be denied. Right field is an absolutely stacked position around the league — Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuña Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. and Corbin Carroll are some of the superstars who man that spot — but Lile could still find his way onto the list if things go right in 2026.
SP: Bryan Woo, Mariners
Staying healthy has been Woo’s biggest issue since his June 2023 debut for Seattle. The right-hander landed on the injured list once in his debut campaign and twice in 2024 before being sidelined by pectoral tightness late in 2025, keeping him to two relief outings during the Mariners’ postseason run. Still, he was healthy enough to make 30 starts in 2025, pitching to an impressive 2.94 ERA in 186 2/3 innings and fanning 198.
In 2025, Woo held opposing hitters to a .153 average in at-bats ending on his four-seam fastball. His sinker was also excellent: In fact, no hurler had a higher pitcher run value against fastballs in 2025 than Woo’s +30 mark. Only 26 years old heading into the 2026 campaign, Woo is already one of MLB’s best starters, and he should crack the top 10 with another healthy season — although that’s never a given for Woo.
RP: Jhoan Duran, Phillies
Duran’s arsenal is downright nasty: He throws a four-seam fastball that averages a scorching 100.6 mph and has elite horizontal break. He has a knuckle curve with sharp downward bite and a sweeper he uses against right-handed hitters. And he throws his “splinker” — a splitter averaging 97.8 mph — more than any other offering. In 2025, hitters slugged no better than .300 against any of Duran’s pitches.
Dealt to the Phillies at the 2025 Trade Deadline, Duran not only has elite stuff but possesses a closer’s mentality and the ability to miss barrels and roll ground balls at a high rate. He’s been one of MLB’s best relievers ever since his 2022 debut for the Twins, and there’s no reason he should find himself out of the top 10 entering 2027. For a Phillies team with championship hopes, having a full season of Duran in the closer role should be a treat.
