Three Dark Horse Candidates for the 2026 American League MVP Award
After a headline-grabbing MVP race between New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh last season, attention now turns to the 2026 American League season. Baseball fans were able to witness one of the greatest MVP races of all time last season between Judge and Raleigh during the 2025 season. Judge, who ultimately ended up winning the award, had another historic season in his already Hall of Fame-caliber career. He’ll have similar expectations again in 2026. Last season, the 33-year-old played in 152 games, mashed 53 homers, and had a 1.144 OPS, which was the best in the majors. Raleigh, who would have been very much considered to be a “dark-horse” candidate for the award before last season, had by far the best season of his career and possibly the best season ever for a catcher. His 60 home runs were the most in the majors and the most by a catcher in MLB history. Both the Yankees outfielder and Mariners catcher will be considered amongst the favorites to win the award in 2026.
There are a handful of other players that are also too good to fit in that “dark-horse” category that weren’t considered for this. Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez, who finished third in AL MVP voting last season, as well as Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who has finished in the top-four in consecutive seasons. Also, Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez, who’s already finished in the top-eight three times in his four-year career. On the pitching side, it’s difficult to consider Tarik Skubal for this list. Even though a pitcher hasn’t won the MVP award since 2014, when Clayton Kershaw did it with the Dodgers, Skubal still won the AL Cy Young last season and was fifth in MVP voting.
SS Corey Seager - Texas Rangers
Starting off this list with a veteran name in Corey Seager. The 31-year-old will be playing his fifth season in Texas this upcoming season. When the Rangers went all the way in 2023, Seager really came alive in the postseason, mashing three home runs in the World Series and winning the World Series MVP award. Since that season, the 11-year major league veteran has yet to really play a full season. He was limited to 123 games in 2024 when he finished 15th in MVP voting. Then he played in just 102 games last season and did not receive any MVP votes. It is a big “if,” but if Seager can stay healthy, there’s no reason for the five-time all-star not to be firmly involved in the race. When Seager was on the field last season, he played at an elite level, especially at the dish. The three-time Silver Slugger Award winner had an impressive slash line of .271/.373/.487 for the year. The two-time World Series winner does everything well at the plate; he’s got a great eye, only chasing pitches out of the zone 23 percent of the time last season. He also hits the ball hard. Seager’s 92.9 mph average exit velo was in the 93rd percentile of major league hitters.
SS Jeremy Peña - Houston Astros
Jeremy Peña had a really nice season but wasn’t quite at an MVP level for an Astros team that ultimately finished just short of a playoff spot. The 28-year old broke out last season despite missing over 35 games. Pena had always been an outstanding defender in his career. That's the main reason why the Astros were comfortable letting Carlos Correa walk in free agency just a few seasons ago. Correa is back now, but Pena is still the team's everyday shortstop. The 2022 World Series winner was great defensively last season; his +8 outs above average put him in the 94th percentile. The main reason why Pena’s 2025 season could be classified as a breakout was due to how much he improved at the plate from previous seasons. The 2025 all-star had been an average hitter during his first three seasons with an OPS in the low .700s. That number skyrocketed last season, after Pena finished the season with an .840 OPS. If the bat can take another step in 2026 over a full season, Pena could be firmly in the mix for the AL MVP Award.
Shea Langeliers - Athletics
Definitely the most under-the-radar player of the three on this list. Shea Langeliers has never received an MVP vote in his career, but if you’re looking for this season's version of Raleigh, Langeliers is the top candidate. The 28-year-old has outstanding power for a catcher, as he was tied for the second most at the position last year with 31 homers. One area where Langeliers is already better at than Raleigh is his contact ability. The former top ten overall pick hit .277 last season and was also above average at not striking out. Obviously, his power skills would have to improve a ton to get anywhere near where the Mariners catcher was last season, but he still finished with over 30 bombs and will be playing at a very hitter-friendly park in Sacramento. Langelier's profiles are pretty average overall behind the dish. He had a well-above-average pop time last season but was average in terms of throwing out baserunners. The 28-year-old would have to have quite the breakout, as he hasn’t really won any accolades in his career up until this point, but a catcher with 30+ home run power is still a very rare skill set.
