Players I'm Excited to Watch in 2026 (NL West)

Diamondbacks

Geraldo Perdomo

Coming off of a 4th place MVP finish, Perdomo delivered one of the more notable breakouts in recent memory, perhaps comparable to Justin Turner’s 2014 emergence with the Dodgers or José Bautista’s 2010 breakout with the Blue Jays.

After essentially profiling as a league average bat across his first 4 seasons with Arizona, Perdomo looked like a completely different hitter in 2025. From 2021-2024, he hit .235 with an 84 OPS+. In 2025, he surged to a .290 average with a 136 OPS+, accumulating 7.1fWAR, 5th among MLB hitters and 2nd in the NL. His power took a significant leap, as he hit 20 home runs, more than the 14 he totaled across the previous 4 seasons combined.

Perdomo’s greatest strength remains his elite command of the strike zone. In 2025, his chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate, and walk rate ranked in the 96th, 98th, 95th, and 93rd percentiles, respectively. Remarkably, he walked more times (94) than he struck out (83).

What makes 2026 both intriguing and promising is how his underlying metrics compare to his overall production. Perdomo ranked in just the 16th percentile in average exit velocity, 25th percentile in barrel rate, 11th percentile in hard-hit rate, and 7th percentile in bat speed. Despite those modest numbers, he posted a strong .462 slugging percentage. However, his expected metrics supported his 2025 performance, including a .278 xBA and a reasonable .303 BABIP, suggesting the breakout was not purely luck driven.

Another encouraging sign is his productivity from both sides of the plate. As a left-handed hitter, he posted a .267 average with an .829 OPS and 14 home runs. As a right-handed hitter, he slashed .341 with a .902 OPS and 6 home runs.

Rockies

Hunter Goodman 

Goodman established himself as one of the top offensive catchers in baseball in 2025. He finished with a .278/.323/.520 slash line and ranked 1st in hits, T-2nd in home runs, 3rd in RBI, and 4th in OPS among catchers with at least 150 plate appearances.

Elite bat speed (74.4 mph) paired with a heavy pull-side approach allowed Goodman to launch 31 home runs in his breakout campaign. He also excelled in high-leverage situations, slashing .295/.359/.512 with runners in scoring position and ranking 1st in the MLB in hits in the 9th inning or later.

With any Rockies player, the Coors Field conversation inevitably arises. While park effects are real, Goodman performed well both at home (.882 OPS) and on the road (.803 OPS). His 18 road home runs in 2025 were the most by a Rockies player since 2005 not named Nolan Arenado, who surpassed that total twice and matched it once during his tenure in Colorado.

Dodgers

Emmet Sheehan

Ranked as the Dodgers' number 15 prospect in 2023, Sheehan debuted that June and made 11 starts, posting a 4.92 ERA. After undergoing elbow surgery and missing all of 2024, he returned in 2025 as a new pitcher, recording a 2.82 ERA across 12 starts including 3 relief appearances.

The most notable change was his arm angle, which increased from 30 degrees to 35 degrees. That adjustment altered his pitch shapes and movement profiles, transitioning from a more east-west attack to a north-south repertoire with better separation.

His four-seam fastball’s induced vertical break jumped from 15.6 inches to 17.9 inches, while horizontal movement decreased by 1.8 inches arm side. The biggest transformation came his changeup. Previously, from a lower arm slot, the pitch featured heavy arm-side run (16.9 inches of horizontal break) and 4.3 inches of induced vertical break. After the arm slot adjustment, induced vertical movement dropped to just 0.7 inches and horizontal movement decreased to 12.8 inches arm side. He also added 4 mph to the pitch, throwing it harder with more depth.

The shift in movement profiles coincided with Sheehan replacing his lateral sweeper with a power curveball that features -13.8 of induced vertical break and 11.5 inches of horizontal movement glove side.

His slider remained relatively unchanged. Thrown 30.4% of the time, his slider limited opponents to a .162 average and a .188 wOBA while generating a 43.6% whiff rate. Overall, Sheehan ranked above the 90th percentile in chase rate, whiff rate, and strikeout rate. With a 3.00 xERA and a 2.93 FIP, Sheehan appears poised to strengthen an already elite Dodgers rotation. Another year removed from elbow surgery could allow his fastball to take yet another step forward in velocity and production. 

Padres

Ramón Laureano

After a standout 2019 season with the Oakland A’s (.280 average, 24 home runs), Laureano re-established himself in 2025 with the Orioles and Padres. Through the first 82 games, he hit .290 with an .884 OPS, quietly emerging as one of the more productive outfielders in the league.

After being traded to San Diego at the deadline, questions remained about whether he could sustain that production in a new environment following several years of subpar performance. While his numbers dipped slightly, he still posted a strong .269 average with an .812 OPS.

A major driver of his resurgence was his pull air rate. In 2019, that figure sat at 21.6%, but he failed to eclipse 21% in subsequent seasons, dipping as low as 14.8% in 2020 and 17.3% in 2023. In 2025, his pull air rate rebounded to 21.8%, coinciding with a meaningful increase in power output.

He also made notable stance adjustments. In 2025, Laureano backed off the plate slightly, brought his feet closer together, and closed off his stance. In 2024, he stood an average of 27.3 inches off the plate and 27.7 inches in 2023, in 2025 he stood 31.6 inches off the plate. The 27.0 inches between his feet in 2023 was reduced to 21.2 inches in 2024 and then again to only 17.6 inches in 2025. Lastly, his stance was neutral in 2023 at 0 degrees, moving to 1 degree open in 2024, reversing to 5 degrees closed in 2025.

It seems Laureano will be the starting left fielder in San Diego, and with the arm talent he possesses alongside a healthy Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr., that outfield has the potential to be one of the best in baseball. 

Giants

Bryce Eldridge

Few young hitter generate as much intrigue as Bryce Eldridge. The Giants' number 1 prospect, ranked as high as 12th on MLB's Top 100 list, made his debut in September.

While he recorded just 3 hits across 10 games, he showed the immense power he holds in his 6’7” 240 pound frame. In 37 plate appearances, Eldridge posted a 95.6 mph average exit velocity and an extraordinary 68.8% hard-hit rate. For reference, the MLB leader in hard-hit rate (minimum of 400 plate appearances) was Kyle Schwarber at 59.6%. His quality of contact was so strong that his Statcast xSLG sat at .506, higher than his actual OPS (.476) in that brief sample.

It will be interesting to see how new manager Tony Vitello deploys him, primarily at DH or first base. According to MLB's current depth chart, Eldridge is listed as the DH with Rafael Devers at first base. While Devers showed steadiness at first in limited action, Eldridge was drafted as and is currently a first baseman despite a below average 40-grade field tool. His bat, however, is the primary tool, and one that could make immediate impact in Oracle Park.