Why the Orioles will have the American League Rookie of the Year in 2026

After losing in the 2016 Wildcard round to the Toronto Blue Jays in devastating fashion, GM Dan Duquette decided to tear it all down the become sellers. 

Baltimore traded away fan favorites Manny Machado, Johnathan Schoop, Nick Markakis and others nearly a decade ago, resulting in one of the more successful rebuilds in recent memory. 

Mike Elias became the new Orioles GM in 2018 and has done a remarkable job bringing the franchise back to relevance. 

Since the start of 2023, Baltimore is 6th in wins with 267.

A lot of that successes attributed to Baltimore's elite farm system and player development. One prime example of this is Gunnar Henderson. 

Henderson won the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year award, after hitting 28 home runs and driving in 82 RBI's. 

Baltimore nearly had consecutive rookie of the year award winners in 2023-24 with Colton Cowser, as he finished 2nd behind only Luis Gil of the New York Yankees. 

However, I believe that the American League Rookie of the Year award will come back to Baltimore in 2026. 

Baltimore has two elite rookie of the year candidates in catcher Samuel Basallo and outfielder Dylan Beavers. 

Basallo is the flashier of the two, as he was the 8th overall prospect in all of baseball last season. 

Basallo got called up to the major leagues on August 17, 2025 and he did not disappoint in his debut. Basallo went 1-for-4 with two RBI's, leading Baltimore to victory over the Houston Astros.

Although Basallo ended the season poorly with a .559 OPS, the potential and advanced metrics point towards a huge year from Basallo in 2026. 

The 20 year-old had his signature moment in September, where he walked off the Los Angeles Dodgers at home for his first ever home run at Camden Yards. 

Basallo was one of, if not, the best player in the minor leagues last season. 

Basallo is projected to have a .240/.308/.436 slash-line with a 1.6 WAR in 2026. 

Dylan Beavers had a much different path than Basallo, as he was never regarded as a top prospect at the time he was drafted. Beavers was drafted with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

He was the 11th ranked prospect for Baltimore in 2023, 8th in 2024, but shot up to 2nd in 2025 due to his elite hitting profile. 

Beavers made his MLB debut one day before Basallo, on August 16, 2025. 

Beavers took the MLB by storm in the month of August, going 14-for-44 with an on base percentage off .434 and a .911 OPS. 

Beavers is expected to have a significant role for Baltimore in 2026, as right now he's slotted in to be Baltimore's starting right fielder. 

According to FanGraphs, Beavers is projected to have a .243/.339/.399 slash-line in 2026 with a 1.6 WAR. 

Basallo and Beavers are going to have to beat out the likes of Trey Yesavage, Tatsuya Imai, Munetaka Murakami and others for the award. 

I believe that with the proper opportunities and training, one of Basallo and Beavers will bring the American League Rookie of the Year award back to the city of Baltimore.