Who will be the top hitters on the Cleveland Guardians' roster during the 2026 season?
There’s been a lot of discourse this offseason about the Cleveland Guardians’ lineup, primarily what its holes are and where the team must improve before the 2026 season.
While all of those concerns are valid, it’s also important to take a look at the opposite end of the range and see which players on the team will be the most productive at the plate.
Taking a look at FanGraphs’ famous ZiPS projection model, there are three players in particular who stand out as being potentially the top hitters on Cleveland’s roster in terms of OPS+ heading into the 2026 season.
Here are the players and what ZiPS predicts their stats will be next year:
- Jose Ramirez: .271/.345/.475, 125 OPS+
- Kyle Manzardo: .243/.324/.445, 111 OPS+
- C.J. Kayfus: .249/.328/.418, 106 OPS+
Jose Ramirez, once again putting up superstar-esque numbers, is an easy prediction for next year. Kyle Manzardo taking a jump, especially with his OBP, in his second full MLB season, would be a nice progression, too. With the way C.J. Kayfus ended 2025, it’s reasonable to think he has the potential to be an above-average hitter in his sophomore season.
Sep 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman C.J. Kayfus (63) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesThe surprising piece with this prediction is that, going off of FanGraphs’ projections, Kwan may not be one of the top hitters on the Guardians in terms of OPS+. The two-time All-Star is predicted to finish the 2026 campaign with an OPS+ of 104, so he’s not too far behind this trio.
Ramirez and Manzardo potentially having more productive seasons than Kwan isn’t too controversial a prediction. On the other hand, Kayfus, who only has 123 big-league at-bats under his belt, to have a better year than Kwan is quite a prediction.
Perhaps one of the reasons ZiPS is slightly low on Kwan heading into the 2026 season is that the 28-year-old did struggle in the second half of the season, logging a .655 OPS after the All-Star Break. That said, Kwan was nursing a wrist injury throughout the year.
The big question, looking at all of these projections, is: Can the Guardians win the American League Central and get back to the playoffs with Ramirez, Manzardo, and Kayfus as their top-three hitters in the lineup?
Only time will provide the answer, especially if Cleveland doesn’t opt to add another bat before Opening Day.