When you peruse the 2026 Top 100 Right Now list, which was unveiled fully on Thursday, you probably notice that there are a bunch of players who took huge leaps up from their 2025 rank.
There is an even greater number of players -- 37 to be exact -- who are among this year's 100 after not making the cut in '25. And many of those stars made it with room to spare.
Let's take a moment to recognize the 18 players who fall into one of these two groups: the players who increased their rank by at least 40 spots from last year, and those who came from off the list and landed inside the top 50.
One thing they have in common: They are all looking to build upon their success in the season ahead.
BIGGEST GAINS IN THE TOP 100
Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners (No. 4)
2025 rank: No. 59 (+55 spots)
Raleigh is the highest-ranking catcher on the Top 100 Right Now since Joe Mauer came in at No. 3 way back in 2011, which was the first edition of this annual series. Since then, no other catcher had ranked higher than seventh. Raleigh earned a 55-spot boost on this list after becoming just the seventh player and first catcher in MLB history to belt 60 home runs in a season. And he did all that damage while providing plus defense behind the plate (+7 fielding run value) for a team that won its division for the first time in 24 years.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Dodgers (No. 13)
2025 rank: No. 63 (+50 spots)
Yamamoto still would have improved significantly upon his 2025 rank without any postseason action last year. But what he accomplished in the playoffs put him on another level. Following a regular season that made him a Cy Young finalist, Yamamoto allowed just six earned runs over 37 1/3 postseason innings. He threw two complete games and secured World Series MVP honors -- as well as back-to-back championships for the Dodgers -- by recording 2 2/3 scoreless innings on zero days' rest in Game 7.
Jacob deGrom, SP, Rangers (No. 50)
2025 rank: No. 99 (+49 spots)
deGrom finally experienced a healthy season and qualified for the ERA title for the first time since 2020. His results reminded us why deGrom ranked inside the top 10 of the Top 100 Right Now from 2019-22. After throwing a total of 197 1/3 innings over the past four seasons, the two-time Cy Young Award winner made it through 172 2/3 frames, had a 2.97 ERA, struck out 185 batters and finished among the top five in WHIP (0.92, second) and opponents' batting average (.196, fifth).
Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies (No. 17)
2025 rank: No. 65 (+48 spots)
No qualified hitter made hard contact more frequently last season than Schwarber, and many of those balls vanished out of sight. Schwarber's 56 homers were the most in the National League and the second-most in Phillies history, behind only Ryan Howard's 58 dingers in 2006. Howard was named National League MVP that season while Schwarber had to settle for a runner-up finish behind unanimous winner Shohei Ohtani.
James Wood, LF, Nationals (No. 53)
2025 rank: No. 98 (+45 spots)
Wood cracked the Top 100 Right Now last year after an impressive 79-game debut in 2024. In 2025, we got to see what he could do over a full season, and he ended up being only the third player in franchise history to clear the 30-homer plateau in his age-22 season or younger. The only other Nationals/Expos players to achieve that were Bryce Harper (2015) and Juan Soto (2019). Wood paired that power with some speed, stealing 15 bases. Only four other players in franchise history have produced a 30-15 season: Alfonso Soriano (2006), Vladimir Guerrero Sr. (2001 and 2002) and Andre Dawson (1983).
Garrett Crochet, SP, Red Sox (No. 12)
2025 rank: No. 56 (+44 spots)
Who would have thought two years ago that Crochet would soon be the American League leader in innings pitched? He entered 2024 with a total of 73 innings under his belt across four injury-interrupted seasons. But after a breakout year with the White Sox, Crochet was acquired last winter by the Red Sox to be their No. 1 starter. Turns out he would have fit as the No. 1 starter on just about every other club, too. The AL Cy Young runner-up paced the Junior Circuit with 205 1/3 dominant innings. He recorded the most strikeouts (255) and the second-best strikeout-minus-walk rate in MLB (25.7%).
Will Smith, C, Dodgers (No. 20)
2025 rank: No. 60 (+40 spots)
Smith had one of the best offensive campaigns by a National League catcher in recent memory. His 153 wRC+ tied for sixth among primary NL catchers over the past 30 years (minimum 400 plate appearances). Thanks to his tremendous feel for the strike zone (96th percentile chase rate), Smith logged a .404 on-base percentage, which ranked third among all hitters with that many PAs last season. It was the highest OBP by any catcher since Mauer equaled that number in 2013.
BIGGEST LEAPS INTO THE TOP 100
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics (No. 23)
The highest-ranked 2025 rookie on this year's list didn't debut until April 23 and didn't really start hitting with authority until May 20. Kurtz entered that day with just one home run and a .558 OPS through his first 23 games. From there, however, he was the Major League leader in slugging percentage (.691) and OPS (1.100). He was the unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year and is the highest-ranking A's player on the Top 100 Right Now since third baseman Matt Chapman also slotted in at No. 23 before the 2021 season.
Geraldo Perdomo, SS, D-backs (No. 24)
A defense-first player through his first four Major League seasons, Perdomo transformed into the total package for the D-backs last year. He powered up for 20 home runs after entering 2025 with a total of 14 through 1,206 at-bats. He led all qualified shortstops with a 138 wRC+, finished fourth in the NL MVP vote and had the fifth-most FanGraphs WAR (7.1), which trailed only Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Ohtani and Raleigh.
Cristopher Sánchez, SP, Phillies (No. 29)
While Paul Skenes was the unanimous choice for the 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner, there was also no doubt among the voters that Sánchez was the second-best starter in the league. No Senior Circuit pitcher had more starts of at least seven innings with fewer than two earned runs allowed (12), and Sánchez ranked behind only Skenes and AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in FIP (2.55) and FanGraphs WAR (6.4).
Hunter Brown, SP, Astros (No. 30)
Brown started out red hot last year and rarely stumbled from there. His April included a 28-inning scoreless streak, and his final ERA (2.43) ranked third in the Majors. It was also the second-lowest ERA by a qualified Astros starter over the past 15 years, behind only Justin Verlander's 1.75 mark in 2022. The 27-year-old generated a lot of soft contact (97th percentile hard-hit rate, 85th percentile barrel rate) and held opposing hitters to a skinny .589 OPS, fifth best among qualified starting pitchers.
Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays (No. 39)
The next three players in this story -- who are right next to each other on the Top 100 Right Now -- demonstrate how the future of this game is in really good hands. Caminero, with his top-tier bat speed, slugged 45 homers during his age-21 season. It was the sixth-most dingers in MLB and the second most in franchise history, one shy of Carlos Pena's record from 2007.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Cubs (No. 40)
PCA, at just 23 years old, looked like an MVP frontrunner during the first half of the 2025 season. He already had 20 homers and 20 steals by the middle of June and was playing superb defense in center field for a first-place team. Even though he and the Cubs would fall back during the second half of the year, Crow-Armstrong did earn his first of what will likely be many Gold Gloves. He also joined Soto and Julio Rodríguez as the only players to tally at least 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases, 90 runs scored and 90 RBIs last year.
Roman Anthony, RF, Red Sox (No. 41)
Anthony was a Rookie of the Year finalist despite not debuting until June 9 and playing in just 71 games before a right oblique strain effectively ended his season in early September. He arrived in The Show as the No. 1 prospect in the game and met all expectations by putting up a .292/.396/.463 slash line with 27 extra-base hits, a 13.2% walk rate and a 60.3% hard-hit rate, which was the highest in MLB among players with a minimum of 100 batted balls.
Bryan Woo, SP, Mariners (No. 44)
You knew what Woo was going to do just about every time he took the mound last year: At least six quality innings with a strong strikeout total and very few free passes. Woo logged at least six innings in each of his first 25 starts to the season, a Mariners franchise record. He also issued no more than two walks in those games. The only other pitcher to have that many such starts to begin a season was Cy Young. Woo, possessing one of baseball's most valuable fastballs, struck out 198 batters and had MLB's third-best K/BB rate (5.50).
George Springer, RF, Blue Jays (No. 47)
Our final three players are all Top 100 Right Now veterans who made their way back onto the list after a rebound season. Springer, who was a top-50 player from 2017-23, attained numerous personal bests in his 12th MLB season, including a .309 average, a .399 OBP and a 166 wRC+. He finished seventh in the AL MVP voting, but by Statcast’s run value metric, Springer was the fifth-most valuable hitter in the Majors.
Bo Bichette, SS, Mets (No. 48)
Bichette has already led his league in hits twice, and he almost did it for a third time in 2025, with his 181 knocks trailing Witt Jr.'s 184. Bichette also registered the second-most doubles (44) and tied for second in the AL in batting average (.311). It was a solid bounce back by the 27-year-old after an injury-marred 2024, and it was a season that culminated with him and Springer celebrating the Blue Jays' first pennant since 1993. Of course, they are teammates no longer, as Bichette reached free agency this offseason and finalized a three-year contract with the Mets on Tuesday.
Jeremy Peña, SS, Astros (No. 49)
Peña checked in at No. 64 on the 2023 list following a stellar rookie season that he capped with a historic postseason. His production over the next two seasons was pretty pedestrian, but Peña, 28, is back among the Top 100 Right Now after slashing .304/.363/.477 over 543 plate appearances. He finished inside the top 20 in wRC+ (135, tied for 17th) and FanGraphs WAR (5.7, tied for 12th).