The Cleveland Guardians offense left a lot to be desired in 2025 and was arguably the worst in the sport for long stretches of the season. That hasn’t been the case in 2026 thanks to the presence of some exciting young talent that has fans hopeful that this new level of production isn’t just a fluke and could be the new norm for years to come.
Chase DeLauter has been an anchor in this lineup since Opening Day and is looking every bit like the slugger he was projected to be during his days coming up through the minors. Former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana has looked like a star since his promotion as well and it’s not unreasonable to believe the Guardians may have found the next two faces of the franchise for the next decade.
Jason Foster of MLB.com recently wrote a guide to 2026 MLB All-Star Game voting and highlighted the candidates and the incumbents at each position. With the absurd season Yordan Alvarez is having, he should be the likely starter for the AL at DH, but Foster told the fans to keep an eye on DeLauter as a potential dark horse candidate in that spot.
“Dark horse candidate: Chase DeLauter, Guardians,” Foster wrote. “DeLauter is an exciting rookie who has put together a strong season so far, living in the top five among AL rookies in homers and OPS.”
The 24-year-old has posted a .754 OPS through 213 at bats with a scintillating 28:26 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has been one of the toughest hitters to strike out in baseball and has settled in nicely as the No. 3 hitter in this lineup for Cleveland.
Yandy Diaz and Samuel Basallo were Foster’s two other players to watch at DH, and it’s easy to see why. Diaz has a .917 OPS for the first-place Tampa Bay Rays and Basallo has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past month for the Baltimore Orioles.
DeLauter will likely have to up his production just a bit more to make the All-Star team, which would be an incredible achievement as a rookie. Even if he doesn’t make it, it doesn’t take away from the early success he has had and won’t matter in the long run. He’ll make plenty of All-Star teams in his career regardless.
NEXT: Guardians Drop Finale To Yankees As Offense Fails
