One Guardians Player Could Be An MVP Candidate In 2027

The Cleveland Guardians have a lot of talent on their roster. Travis Bazzana, for example, made the American League All-Star squad in his rookie campaign, and Parker Messick can say the same. Angel Martinez and Brayan Rocchio broke out and became competent hitters, and Gavin Williams hit another gear with his ability to strike out hitters. Of course, Jose Ramirez, the perennial MVP candidate who had a down season in 2026, will still be part of the team next year and carries some serious bounce-back potential.

You could say that, with the notable exception of Ramirez, only Chase DeLauter has true MVP potential among Guardians players. Messick and Williams do have Cy Young potential, and that needs to be said, but DeLauter and Ramirez are the ones who can push the Guardians’ ceiling with their performance among position players.

Why Chase DeLauer Has A Chance To Be MVP

No, we are not saying that DeLauter is, or should be considered, an AL MVP favorite. At least a dozen players in the junior circuit will be favored to take home the award over the young Guardians’ outfielder, if not more. However, if we are talking strictly about potential, he has a chance.

DeLauter was brilliant in his debut season, with 16 home runs, 11 stolen bases, a 131 wRC+, and 3.5 fWAR. He was tied for 20th in the American League with that WAR output, so he is actually not that far off the top.

Consider the fact that he did all that as a rookie, and there are reasons to believe he can take another step forward in 2027 with a full year of MLB experience under his belt. We recently discussed that DeLauter could realistically reach 25-30 home runs at peak, and to be fair, that could put him in contention for the AL MVP Award if the rest of his game improves a bit, too.

DeLauter is excellent offensively, and while he didn’t look good in the postseason, he was also solid defensively with two Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and two Outs Above Average (OAA) in the regular season. The truly elite players, those who contend for MVP awards, are either offensive freaks or two-way contributors who are very solid defensively. A step forward on that front could potentially put him in contention for the most prestigious individual honor in baseball.