The 11 Most Surprising Statistical Leaders of the 2026 MLB Season

These surprise performers, both good and bad, unexpectedly led MLB in various statistical categories this season.

Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno led the National League in batting average. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2026 MLB season has run its course, and with the postseason set to get started Tuesday, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the marathon campaign teams just went through.

We’re going to focus on the individual achievements of certain players, and take a look at some of the biggest surprise performances we saw from players across the league. In particular, we’ll look at some of the surprise statistical leaders in various key categories, highlighting some players who unexpectedly took home a statistical crown, both good and bad.

Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks –– NL batting title

Moreno became the Diamondbacks’ first-ever batting title winner after leading the National League with a .311 batting average. He’s also the first catcher to win a batting title since Buster Posey in 2012. It was a breakout year for Moreno, who set career highs in home runs (16), RBIs (83), OPS (.874), and walks (61). Put the ball in play, and good things will happen. Moreno struck out in just 14.6% of his plate appearances, and although he doesn’t hit the ball extremely hard, he makes regularly makes solid contact and doesn’t chase many pitches out of the zone.

Colson Montgomery, White Sox –– MLB single-season strikeout record

Colson Montgomery made some unfortunate MLB history this year after shattering the single-season strikeout record. The old mark was held by Mark Reynolds, who struck out 223 times during the 2009 season. Montgomery, thanks to a brutal late slump, managed to best that with 225 punchouts in ‘26. The 24-year-old struck out in a whopping 35.5% of his plate appearances this season. He endured a rough second half, during which he struck out 104 times in his final 61 games.

Nasim Nuñez, Nationals –– MLB leader in stolen bases

Nasim Nuñez didn’t get on base a whole lot this season, but when he did, he was a nuisance on the base paths. Nuñez led the league with 49 stolen bases, despite only recording 89 hits. Nuñez was successful on 49 of 59 stolen base attempts this season. He had a woeful .533 OPS on the year, but he made the most of his opportunities on the bases, never hesitating to take off and get himself into scoring position.

Nasim Nunez just broke the Nationals' record for stolen bases in a season with his 48th. He swiped third moments later for his 49th bag of the year.

Nunez leads the major leagues. pic.twitter.com/Gtr4PwwYLo

— Grant Paulsen (@GrantPaulsen) September 23, 2026

Randy Arozarena, Mariners –– AL leader in runs scored

The Mariners’ offense was dreadful for most of the 2026 season, yet Randy Arozarena still managed to lead the American League with 113 runs scored. Only Pete Crow-Armstrong scored more runs this season, and he played for MLB’s most potent offense. Arozarena was Seattle’s best offensive player this year, logging a .865 OPS with 26 home runs and 26 stolen bases. He regularly got on base, logging a .381 on-base percentage, and his combination of speed and aggression on the base paths enabled him to get into scoring position frequently. The Mariners scored a total of 664 runs, meaning Arozarena was the one touching home plate on more than 17% of the team’s runs.

Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez led the majors with 191 hits. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Otto Lopez, Marlins –– MLB leader in hits

One year after recording a .246 batting average and logging 134 hits in 143 games, Otto Lopez transformed his approach at the plate and ended up leading MLB in hits in 2026. Lopez had 191 hits in 157 games this season, six more than any other player in the league. He also stole a career-high 34 bases. Lopez ended the campaign with a .305 batting average, and despite seeing a minor down-tick in power (15 home runs last year versus 11 in ‘26), he more than made up for it with improved contact.

Alec Burleson, Cardinals –– MLB RBIs leader

Prior to this season, Alec Burleson had never recorded more than 78 RBIs in a single season. This year, he recorded a league-high 116 RBIs, becoming the first Cardinal to lead the league in RBIs since Joe Torre in his 1971 MVP season. When runners were on base, Burleson was dialed in. He hit .358 with runners in scoring position this season, the third-best mark in MLB, trailing only Yandy Diaz and Fernando Tatis Jr., and only Sal Stewart had more RBIs (87) in such situations than Burleson (86). Of all nine players in MLB with 100-plus RBIs this season, Burleson’s 26 home runs were the second fewest, but his 37 doubles were tied with Brice Turang for the most.

Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams led the AL with 248 strikeouts. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gavin Williams, Guardians –– AL leader in strikeouts

No pitcher in the American League struck out more batters than Gavin Williams in 2026, who fanned 248 opponents in 184 1/3 innings on the mound. Only Jacob Misiorowski had more strikeouts in MLB this season. Last season, Williams had a 9.3 K/9 when he struck out 173 batters across 167 2/3 innings, but that figure rose dramatically to an impressive 12.1 in ‘26. He also posted a career-best walk rate (3.0 BB/9, down from 4.5 last year). Williams’s sweeper is one of the league’s top breaking pitches, and he used it as his payoff pitch for 100 of his 248 strikeouts this season.

TJ Rumfield, Rockies — NL leader in on-base percentage

TJ Rumfield became the first rookie to lead his league in OBP (.390) since Walter “Cuckoo” Christensen did it exactly 100 years ago, in 1926 for the Reds. Rumfield was acquired last offseason from the Yankees for reliever Angel Chivilli in a deal that it certainly looks like the Rockies won. This was no Coors Field anomaly, either—Rumsfield recorded a .395 on-base percentage on the road and a .385 OBP at home. At 26 years old, Rumfield may be a late bloomer, but he was also a great find for Paul DePodesta in his first offseason heading Colorado’s baseball operations.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tanner Bibee, Guardians –– MLB co-leader in losses

Tanner Bibee started Game 1 of the ALDS for the Guardians in 2024, earned their only win in last year’s wild-card series and started Opening Day this year. But he wasn’t at his best this season, recording a 4.36 ERA and surrendering a career-high 29 home runs. That was reflected in his record for the campaign, as he was tied with Orioles’ Shane Baz for the lead in losses with 15, going 7–15 across 33 starts. Bibee saw his strikeout numbers decrease, down to 148 after recording 162 last year, despite throwing 5 2/3 more innings in ‘26. Entering this season Bibee had 23 losses in his career, and his 15 losses were more than he had in ‘23 and ‘24 combined.

Bryan Baker, Rays –– MLB co-leader in saves

Prior to this season, Bryan Baker had never posted an ERA below 3.49. He’d also only recorded four career saves, and no more than three in a single season. That all changed this year, when Baker was one of MLB’s best late-inning arms. Not only did he record a 1.44 ERA across 65 appearances, but Baker was the co-leader in saves with Guardians’ Cade Smith, with the duo each registering 41. Baker went 41 for 44 on save opportunities this season, serving as one of the most reliable relief pitchers in all of MLB.

Bryan Baker's 2026:

62.1 IP | 63 K | 41 Saves
1.44 ERA | 3.07 xERA | 3.07 FIP
.159 AVG | 0.91 WHIP
35.9% Chase% (93rd percentile)
4-Seam: .125 AVG, 13 Run Value
Changeup: .177 AVG, 32.4% Whiff%

All of his strikeouts this year: pic.twitter.com/iYqt2k3gw4

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) September 26, 2026

Anthony Kay, White Sox –– MLB leader in hit batters

Anthony Kay doesn’t have too much of a track record to look back upon. He’d never previously pitched in more than 33 2/3 innings in a single season before being tasked with throwing 153 innings this season for the White Sox. He led the league in hit batters with 26, and it wasn’t particularly close as the next player on the list, Nick Lodolo, had 17. Previously in his career, Kay had never hit more than three batters in a single season, but his control got away from him frequently when pitching inside. That didn’t deter him from throwing up and in with his fastball, though the results weren’t always pretty. Kay’s 26 hit batters were the most by a pitcher in a single season since 1909, when Yankees pitcher Jack Warhop hit 26 batters in 243 1/3 innings pitched, nearly 110 more innings than Kay threw this year.

---