Every season, we see players take a jump and become the players they had the potential to be as a prospect, or prove everyone wrong based on the players they 

The Cleveland Guardians have a couple of candidates who could take a jump and truly break out during the 2026 season. 

Joey Cantillo has had some ups and downs throughout his career so far, but he really found himself in the final month of the 2025 season, which could set him up for a breakout 2026 campaign.

In September of last year, the left-hander logged a 1.55 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. This was on top of his season strikeout rate of 26.9 percent and whiff rate of 29.7 percent. Imagine what the impact the southpaw could have if he puts that together over a 162-game season. 

What could really help Cantillo have a breakout season is a consistent role, whether that’s in the rotation or in the bullpen. 

Erik Sabrowski already has some pretty impressive numbers at the big league level. Since making his debut in 2024, the left-hander owns a 1.29 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Last season, Sabrowski logged a strikeout rate of 34.7 percent to go on top of his run prevention.

How does a pitcher have a breakout season after that?

Well, 2026 could finally be the year where Sabrowski breaks out and proves that he can pitch in high-leverage situations and be another setup man reliever for the Guardians in the seventh or eighth innings. 

If these numbers continue to transfer over to big moments, Sabrowski might just be an option for Cleveland in save situations on days Cade Smith is down. 

Fans have been waiting for Bo Naylor to break out at the plate ever since he took over full-time catching duties in 2023. Time may be running out for the 25-year-old, but there is a lot of hope that Naylor can put it all together in 2026.

Bo made an adjustment to his batting stance last July, which proved successful throughout the rest of the season. After the All-Star Break, Naylor logged a .717 OPS and had a massive impact in Cleveland’s lineup in September

If Bo can use that adjustment, work more at it this winter, and come into spring training with an even more revamped approach, Naylor could be in store for a big season. 

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