Top 10 Best Players in the NL East for the 2026 MLB Season
Who are the best of the best in one of the most talented divisions in baseball? Just Baseball breaks down the top 10 players in the NL East.
The National League East is one of, if not the deepest division in baseball entering the 2026 season.
Realistically, there’s a pathway for three teams to once again make it to October, barring injuries. Additionally, a fourth, the Miami Marlins, became one of the most exciting teams to watch in the second half a season ago.
These rosters only got deeper as the winter wore on, as well. The Atlanta Braves added another elite reliever, and the Philadelphia Phillies did the same. Perhaps 2025’s biggest disappointment, the New York Mets, made a flurry of moves this winter that elevated the ceiling of their lineup, rotation, and bullpen.
Even the Marlins, who traded two starting pitchers this offseason, got more intriguing, thanks to the acquisition of outfielder Owen Caissie from the Chicago Cubs.
It’s a division rife with great talent and should make for a fascinating postseason race in 2026. But with all that in mind, who are truly the best of the best?
Who Just Missed the Top 10?
Atlanta Braves – Drake Baldwin, Michael Harris II, Austin Riley
It speaks volumes to the talent in the division that the reigning National League Rookie of the Year is merely an honorable mention on the top 10 list. However, Baldwin ends up falling just short.
Last season, the catcher slashed .274/.341/.469, good for a 124 wRC+, and hit 18 home runs in 124 games. His 3.1 fWAR ranked ninth among catchers with at least 250 plate appearances.
He’s not the only Brave coming up just short, as Michael Harris II rode a tremendous second half into the proverbial sunset last season. He’s always been someone with tremendous talent, especially as a defender, but his offense had consistently gone down every season of his career thus far.
Then, something clicked for him in the second half of 2025, as he posted a 130 wRC+ with 14 home runs and a .299 batting average over his final 273 plate appearances. If you can pair comfortably above-average offense to his defense, you’ve got a perennial five-win player patrolling Atlanta’s center field. If you can pencil him in for a 130 wRC+, you’re talking MVP race from at least a value standpoint.
As for Riley, it really boils down to health. In his three fully healthy seasons in MLB, he posted 5.1, 5.9, and 5.2 fWAR, respectively. He’s seen his production take a hit since 2024, but that’s coupled with injury struggles that undoubtedly contributed to his merely mortal production.
This is a guy, when healthy, capable of hitting over 30 homers and challenging the 100-RBI plateau. For the Braves to return to October, they’ll need a return to that form of Riley at the hot corner.
Washington Nationals – CJ Abrams
The Nationals are wisely hitting a hard reset going into 2026. Sure, they’ve been rebuilding for several years, but it somewhat felt like they were still going nowhere fast.
One of the lone remaining pieces of what looked like their post-Juan Soto core is Abrams, who saw himself in many trade rumors this winter. Last year was a career year for him, but it still feels like there’s more in there for the young shortstop — including perhaps a position change in the future.
In 2025, Abrams posted career highs in fWAR, batting average, wRC+, and hits. The downside, however, was that he did the bulk of his damage through the All-Star break, then collapsed in the second half. Now, he wasn’t alone as far as second-half tailspins for the Nationals, but he’s way too talented for that kind of prolonged poor play.
Does he finish the 2026 campaign in the nation’s capital? Only time will tell. But he does enter 2026 as the first guy off the top 10 players in the division.
10. Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins
2025 Stats: 117 G, 457 PA, .288/.368/.544, 25 HR, 73 RBI, 149 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR
After struggling across 50 games with Miami in 2024, the outfielder exploded in what was an All-Star campaign in 2025.
Among all players with at least 450 plate appearances, Stowers was eighth in baseball with a 149 wRC+. He also posted 4.0 fWAR, which ranked tied for 34th among that contingent, but while playing the 172nd-most games.
As far as bang-for-your-buck players go, he’s up there as far as the best are concerned. As Trevor Rogers dazzled in Baltimore last year, so did Stowers in Miami. Pairing Stowers with Caissie, the Marlins have one of the most exciting young outfields in baseball.
9. Bo Bichette, New York Mets
2025 Stats: 139 G, 628 PA, .311/.357/.483, 18 HR, 94 RBI, 134 wRC+, 3.8 fWAR
While it’ll be fascinating to monitor how Bichette takes to third base, there’s no doubting the man can hit.
After 2024, a lot of eyes were on him entering his walk year with the Toronto Blue Jays. He dealt with injuries all the previous season, but his approach is one conducive to up-and-down results. He not only rebounded, he tore the cover off the ball to the tune of a career-best 134 wRC+.
Bichette missed several weeks due to a knee injury and came back clearly hampered in the World Series. However, he was awesome against the Los Angeles Dodgers, slashing .348/.444/.478 with a homer and six runs batted in. His three-run shot off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7, with a little more luck on his side, would be one of the most iconic swings in playoff history.
Alas, he joins a Mets team looking to rebound after missing the postseason last year. Offensively, he should more than adequately improve the lineup. The only questions surrounding him are about his defense.
8. James Wood, Washington Nationals
2025 Stats: 157 G, 689 PA, .256/.350/.475, 31 HR, 94 RBI, 127 wRC+, 3.3 fWAR
It’s weird to look at Wood’s 2025 and come away feeling disappointed, but here we are.
He’s clearly a freak, with light-tower power to all fields and a knack for driving in runs. However, the 23-year-old saw his wRC+ jump just seven points from rookie to sophomore campaign. His slugging soared, but his on-base dipped. Not to mention his defense yielded -7 outs above average, calling into question his ability to stay out there going forward.
He’s still a freak at the plate, though. Last year, he was 95th percentile for bat speed, 94th percentile for barrel rate, 98th percentile for hard hit rate, and 88th percentile for xwOBA. He unfortunately has major whiff concerns, but he offsets that by being very good at commanding the strike zone.
If he’s able to combat some of those whiffs without tanking his batted ball profile, there’s MVP potential in this youngster’s bat.
7. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
2025 Stats: 162 G, .240/.365/.563, 56 HR, 132 RBI, 152 wRC+, 4.9 fWAR
Schwarber being a designated hitter really limits his ceiling as far as being one of the best players in his division. Is that ironic coming off an MVP-finalist campaign? Sure. But ultimately, a man entirely reliant on his offense will see his value limited with any sort of regression.
But last year, boy, was Schwarber some kind of elite.
His 56 home runs led the National League and were four off Cal Raleigh’s pace for the top spot in the majors. Not only did he hit a ton of home runs, but he also drove in the most runs in all of baseball with 132.
It feels right that he returned to Philadelphia this offseason, though there were definitely more signs than expected that might not be the case. He’s one of the most feared bats in the sport for good reason, and the Phillies are much better off knowing they can count on him to post for the next several years.
6. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
2025 Stats: 162 G, .272/.366/.484, 29 HR, 95 RBI, 136 wRC+, 4.7 fWAR
It feels underappreciated that Olson has played every single game for the Braves since getting there in 2022.
Quite literally, he’s not missed a single regular-season contest in four years. Sure, he’s not the same kind of franchise icon as Freddie Freeman became for over a decade, but he’s done a tremendous job endearing himself to that fan base.
Last year was another steady campaign for the lefty slugger. He played every game, slashed .272/.366/.484, hit 29 bombs, and drove in almost 100 runs. Truly another day at the office for Olson.
5. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
2025 Stats: 132 G, .261/.357/.487, 27 HR, 75 RBI, 131 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR
To call the Harper relationship with Philadelphia right now a little weird would be an understatement, but there’s no doubting this man’s talent.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski described Harper’s performance in 2025 as less than elite this winter, which caused a major kerfuffle on social media, and even some soft speculation that he could be moved. Of course, Opening Day is approaching, and he’s still with the Phillies.
Even if he’s not “elite” anymore, he’s still a terrifying hitter to face. Last year, he posted a 131 wRC+ and hit 27 home runs. He saw a pretty sizable jump in his whiff rate, but he still hit the ball hard, in the air, and with serious authority overall.
4. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies
2025 Stats: 141 G, .304/.355/.457, 15 HR, 36 SB, 69 RBI, 125 wRC+, 6.7 fWAR
It’s wild to think back on how Turner’s career with the Phillies was looking for a while. Now, he’s among the best players in the NL once again.
Last year, Turner’s batted ball profile faded a bit more into the average range, but because he’s so fast, he still yields plenty of optimal outcomes. He was 86th percentile for batting run value last year, to go with 99th percentile baserunning and 93rd percentile fielding.
His speed ranked in the 100th percentile, and he continued to be one of baseball’s best hitters against fastballs. If he’s able to lean back into the power a bit more in 2026, he should have another year pushing seven wins. However, even if he can’t, he’s still comfortably a top-five player in the National League East.
3. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
2025 Stats: 95 G, 412 PA, .290/.417/.518, 21 HR, 42 RBI, 161 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR
Dear Baseball Gods,
Please let Ronald Acuña Jr. stay healthy in 2026.
Sincerely,
Baseball Fans
We’ve seen way too much Atlanta Braves baseball in recent years without this man. It’s just so much better for the game when he’s out there, much less better for the Braves in general.
2. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
2025 Stats: 160 G, .267/.346/.466, 31 HR, 31 SB, 86 RBI, 129 wRC+, 6.3 fWAR
Another wildly under-appreciated superstar, Lindor enters 2026 as the No. 2 player in the NL East.
Being a switch-hitter makes him a platoon disadvantage for opposing managers to game plan for, but he’s also someone with plus power and a knack for swiping bases. If ever there was somebody who could dethrone Ohtani as the NL MVP, it’d have to be someone with 30/30 potential that plays elite defense at a premier position.
That’s Francisco Lindor.
1. Juan Soto, New York Mets
2025 Stats: 160 G, 715 PA, .263/.396/.525, 43 HR, 105 RBI, 156 wRC+, 5.8 fWAR
As if there was any doubt, Soto enters the 2026 season as the top player in the NL East.
It was a silly narrative entering last year that Soto would really miss hitting in the same lineup as Aaron Judge. Sure, Soto’s production dipped slightly, but let’s not act like 43 homers, 105 runs batted in, and a 156 wRC+ is bad.
Not only did Soto have another elite year at the plate, he also led the National League with 38 stolen bases in 2025. Moreover, he led the league in on-base percentage and walks, while finishing third in MVP voting.
It’s crazy to think this man is still just 27 years old, and there’s a world where he’s still ascending heading into 2026. If the Mets are to make it as far as they hope, there’s no doubt he’ll have his fingerprints all over that success.
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