The 2026 leaderboard has a little of everything: established sluggers in new uniforms, a catcher who turned his season around after April trouble, a pair of dominant young arms, and a Cubs center fielder whose all-around year belongs in the franchise record book. By the time the regular season closed, Yordan Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong had separated themselves as the game’s most complete hitters, while Jacob Misiorowski owned the mound.
Alvarez powers Houston’s offense
Alvarez delivered the American League’s best batting average at .316 and led all of Major League Baseball with a 1.033 OPS. It was a season that put him near the top of nearly every major offensive category and made him a central figure in the MVP conversation.
Houston had not produced a batting champion through 2013, but Alvarez became the club’s fifth since 2014. Jose Altuve won three batting crowns in 2014, 2016 and 2017, Yuli Gurriel added one in 2021, and Alvarez has now joined that group. His OPS title was the Astros’ first league-leading OPS season since Jeff Bagwell paced the National League in 1994. Alvarez owns a .975 career OPS, but his 2026 mark rose well above that standard.
Alvarez also finished one homer behind the American League lead, hitting 42, and shared the AL WAR lead at 6.8 with Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Witt’s case rested on his broad game: standout defense at short, productive offense and game-changing speed.
Crow-Armstrong headlines the National League
Crow-Armstrong put together the kind of season that changes the way a franchise measures its modern stars. The Cubs outfielder tied Kyle Schwarber for the Major League home run lead with 45, claimed the National League OPS crown at .942, and led the sport in WAR at 10.6.
His offensive jump was dramatic. After posting a .768 OPS in 2025, Crow-Armstrong added nearly 200 points in 2026 while also producing a 40-40 season and playing elite defense in the outfield. No National League player had exceeded 10.0 fWAR in a season since Barry Bonds reached 11.9 in 2004.
Crow-Armstrong became the first Cub to lead or share the league home run lead since Sammy Sosa in 2002, and the club’s first NL OPS leader since Derek Lee in 2005. His regular season left him positioned as the leading National League MVP candidate.
Schwarber, meanwhile, followed his career-best 56-homer campaign in 2025 by again clearing the fence 45 times for Philadelphia.
Batting crowns, run production and speed
Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno captured the National League batting title with a .311 average after an uneven beginning. A left oblique strain kept him on the injured list for most of April, and he entered June hitting below .250. From June 7 forward, however, Moreno batted .332 and carried Arizona’s offense through the final months.
Moreno is the first Diamondback to win a batting title. He is also the first catcher serving primarily behind the plate to lead his league in average since Buster Posey did it for the Giants in 2012.
Pete Alonso made immediate history in his first Baltimore season. The Orioles first baseman led the AL with 43 home runs and 113 RBIs, edging Junior Caminero and Alvarez by one homer. Alonso previously led the National League with 131 RBIs for the Mets in 2022, making him the first player to top both leagues in RBIs since the statistic became official in 1920.
His 43 homers marked only the second time Alonso has led a league in long balls. The other came as a rookie in 2019, when he hit 53. Since that debut season, his 307 homers rank second in baseball behind Schwarber’s 313.
St. Louis first baseman Alec Burleson led the National League and the Majors with 116 RBIs, smashing his prior career high of 78 from 2024. The 2025 NL Silver Slugger as a utility player spent far more time at first base in 2026 and became a steady source of production for the Cardinals.
| Category | American League leader | National League leader |
|---|---|---|
| Batting average | Yordan Alvarez, Astros — .316 | Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks — .311 |
| Home runs | Pete Alonso, Orioles — 43 | Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs — 45 |
| RBIs | Pete Alonso, Orioles — 113 | Alec Burleson, Cardinals — 116 |
| OPS | Yordan Alvarez, Astros — 1.033 | Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs — .942 |
| Stolen bases | Chandler Simpson — 46 | Nasim Nuñez, Nationals — 49 |
| WAR | Yordan Alvarez, Astros; Bobby Witt Jr., Royals — 6.8 | Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs — 10.6 |
Chandler Simpson led the American League with 46 steals while creating an unusual line at the plate: he became the first qualified hitter since Luis Castillo in 1999 to finish a season batting .300 without hitting a home run. His speed extended Tampa Bay’s streak to three straight seasons with an AL stolen-base leader. José Caballero led the league for the Rays in 2024, then for Tampa Bay and the Yankees in 2025.
Washington’s Nasim Nuñez stole 49 bases to lead the Majors despite falling short of batting-title qualification with 493 plate appearances. Nuñez joined Trea Turner as the only Nationals to win a stolen-base title since the franchise arrived in Washington in 2005. Turner led in 2018 with the Nationals and again in 2021 while splitting time between the Nationals and Dodgers.
Misiorowski owns the pitching leaderboard
Milwaukee right-hander Jacob Misiorowski led the Majors with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts, a breakout that placed him at the front of the National League Cy Young race. His fastball averaged 100.6 mph, the foundation for a strikeout season that no Brewers pitcher had previously matched on a Major League-wide scale.
Misiorowski joined Corbin Burnes, who led the National League in ERA in 2021, as the only Brewers pitchers to take that league ERA title. Burnes had been the first Milwaukee pitcher to lead his league in strikeouts; Misiorowski became the first Brewer to lead all of MLB in that category.
Cam Schlittler gave the Yankees an ace-level season of his own, posting a 1.95 ERA to top the American League. Among Yankees pitchers with at least 150 innings, it stands as the club’s third-lowest ERA since earned runs became an official AL statistic in 1913. His work put him in strong position for AL Cy Young honors.
Boston’s Sonny Gray led the AL with 18 wins in his first Red Sox season, pairing them with a 2.72 ERA at age 37. It was the first league lead in victories of Gray’s 14-year career. He headed a Boston rotation that also featured Ranger Suarez and Payton Tolle.
Cristopher Sánchez also won 18 games, leading the National League for Philadelphia. The left-hander finished second in 2025 NL Cy Young voting and again put himself in the award picture while fronting a formidable Phillies rotation. He became the first Philadelphia pitcher to lead the league in wins since Roy Halladay in 2010.
| Category | American League leader | National League leader |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | Sonny Gray, Red Sox — 18 | Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies — 18 |
| ERA | Cam Schlittler, Yankees — 1.95 | Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers — 1.80 |
| Strikeouts | Gavin Williams, Guardians — 248 | Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers — 252 |
| Saves | Cade Smith, Guardians; Bryan Baker, Rays — 41 | Mason Miller, Padres; Riley O’Brien, Cardinals — 38 |
Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams struck out 248 hitters to lead the American League. Cleveland teammate Parker Messick drew plenty of attention in the rotation, but Williams established himself as one of the league’s premier swing-and-miss starters.
Closers finish the job
Cade Smith and Bryan Baker shared the AL saves lead with 41 apiece. Smith, in his first full season as Cleveland’s closer, helped the Guardians capture the AL Central and continued the rise he began after debuting in 2024.
Baker’s year came from a less expected place. Acquired by Tampa Bay from Baltimore at the 2025 Trade Deadline, he developed into the Rays’ top late-inning option, finishing with a 1.44 ERA alongside his 41 saves.
San Diego’s Mason Miller and St. Louis’ Riley O’Brien tied for the National League lead with 38 saves. Miller posted a 1.67 ERA and struck out 129 hitters in 70 innings, making a strong argument as baseball’s best reliever with his overpowering fastball-slider mix.
O’Brien made his first All-Star team and delivered 38 saves despite a 4.08 ERA. Together, the four save leaders gave the 2026 season a fitting late-inning finish: established names, emerging closers and no shortage of pressure when the bullpen door opened.
