MLB Pickstreak's 2026 AL All-Snubs Team

The NL All-Snubs team is a stronger and deeper group of position players but the AL All-Snubs has some fantastic snubs as well.  I really like this AL team.  

In putting together MLB Pickstreak's All-Snubs teams, I've highlighted the most talented players not named to the MLB All-Star rosters this season.  The NL All-Snubs Team was posted yesterday.  It's a great team as well.  

Here is MLB Pickstreak's 2026 AL All-Snubs Team:

C - Brandon Valenzuela:  Toronto rookie Brandon Valenzuela looks to be one of the better defensive catchers in the league early into his MLB career and he has held his own with the bat too.  He got the call due to an injury to veteran Alejandro Kirk and he might have taken Kirk's job with how well he has played this season.  Valenzuela gets the nod over fellow rookie, Carter Jensen, primarily due to his defense but his contribution at the plate this season, his ability to draw a walk and to hit for power, bodes well for the Blue Jays' young catcher.  He could be a very good player in a few seasons.

Honorable Mention:  KCR - Carter Jensen, CLE - Austin Hedges,  MIN - Ryan Jeffers (IR)

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1B - Jonathan Aranda: It is technically Jonathan Aranda's second full season with the Rays.  He debuted at the end of the 2022 season and spent most of 2023 demolishing AAA for the Durham Bulls.  Injuries in '24 limited him, healthy again in '25, Aranda played a full season with the big club posting an .883 OPS in just over 400 plate appearances.  It has been more of the same in 2026.  Aranda has played in all but one of Tampa's games this season and is hitting .297/.394/.471 -- that's nice.  Aranda is our starter over Iron Man, Pete Alonso, who has played in 500+ consecutive games dating back to June of the '23 season.  Tough to beat out Pete Alonso but Aranda deserves the start.  

Honorable Mention:  BAL - Pete Alonso, HOU - Christian Walker, LAA - Nolan Schanuel

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2B - Kody Clemens:  Clemens is a heck of a first baseman with the glove, and he could be our starter at the UTIL, but we have Duran locked in and would rather Clemens be in the starting lineup than in the Honorable Mentions.  Clemens has developed into a super-utility player but has the bat and the glove to hold down 1B.  That makes him an excellent option at 2B and his glove plays up there too.  Clemens is somewhat of a late bloomer.  He hadn't really gotten a good look until he settled in Minnesota but he looks like one of the better all around ball players in MLB.  He has a nice lefty bat with good power and his bat to ball skills are improving too.  He won't be a free agent until his age-34 season but he should cash in nicely in arbitration. 

Honorable Mention:  CHW - Chase Meidroth, SEA - Cole Young, TEX - Justin Foscue

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3B - Josh Jung:  "The Psychiatrist" gets the nod over two good ball players in Isaac Paredes and Colson Montgomery.  Jung leads the entire league in doubles and that speaks to his ability in some sense.  Hitting .293/.367/.452 on the season, the young 3B has reemerged in '26 as one of the best in the AL.  Good glove and a nice blend of power and bat-to-ball skills, he is locked in at the hot corner for this Rangers' team at least through the end of the '28 season.  They'd do well to extend him.  He is the best of their young group.  A long-term extension through 2031 would be a nice compliment to an aging and hobbled Corey Seager. 

Honorable Mention:  HOU - Isaac Paredes, CHW - Colson Montgomery, TOR - Kazuma Okamoto

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SS - Brayan Rocchio:  Rocchio's glovework gets him the start on the AL All-Snubs in 2026.  The Venezuelan shortstop has taken a big step forward this season on the offensive side of the ball.  His fourth season with the Guards, third as the starting shortstop, Rocchio's OPS of .750 is up .120 points on his '25 numbers.  He is better across all three skillsets:  contact hitting, plate discipline and slugging.  15 stolen bases too boot.  For a guy who has the ability to win a Gold Glove at shortstop, with the way he has hit this season, his all around game makes him one of the best players in MLB.  He isn't far off from the Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. echelon.  

Honorable Mention:  ATH - Jacob Wilson, LAA - Zach Neto, HOU - Jeremy Pena (IR)

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LF - Trevor Larnach:  Larnach has played as well as Riley Greene this season.  Their numbers are almost identical.  Greene, the 5th overall pick in the 2019 draft, has long been one of MLB's top prospects and future stars and it was Greene who won the fan vote and who is starting for the AL in this year's All-Star game.  Larnach also has a strong prospect pedigree but has never enjoyed the same broad-based appeal as a Riley Greene or a Jackson Chourio.  He is starting on MLB Pickstreak's AL All-Snubs team and in some way, that confirms his under the radar status.  He has the arm to play and is better suited in RF and his contact hitting might be as good as any left-handed OF bat in the AL.  If Larnach's power develops, he is 6'3 225 lbs., he has the all-around skillset to be one of the top10 hitters in all of MLB.  

Honorable Mention:  CHW - Sam Antonacci, BAL - Taylor Ward, ATH - Tyler Soderstrom (IR)

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CF - Wyatt Langford:  We have followed the Rangers some since their World Series win in '23, Langford along with Josh Jung and Evan Carter have been their "Big Three" for the past few seasons.  Langford was the fourth overall pick in the '23 draft.  He posted a 1.157 OPS across four levels of MiLB later that year and debuted as the Rangers' CF the following season in '24.  That's how you develop a prospect.  It hasn't been an immediate success, Langford has struggled in spots, has had some minor injuries and setbacks but for the most part, he is the player that his MiLB numbers suggest.  He can play all three spots in the OF and has the glove to stick in CF but it's his bat that is most intriguing.  He has yet to fully emerge as the hitter he is capable of being but we are giving him the start on the AL All-Snubs, over Julio Rodriguez, for both his bat and his glove and that says a lot about the Rangers' young CF.  

Honorable Mention:   SEA - Julio Rodriguez, NYY - Trent Grisham, ATH - Henry Bolte

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RF - Wiyler Abreu:  Abreu has a pair of Gold Gloves in Boston's outfield and has yet to hit arbitration. We like his bat too.  Both his average and his OBP have ticked up in 2026 and he has 30 HR power.  Abreu has the potential to be a perenniel .800 OPS bat from the left-hand side.  He is the total package and is one of the best young players in all of MLB.  Roman Anthony got the big check, Abreu could pull down his third Gold Glove in three seasons.  He beats out some really good young players on our team this season and deserves the start for the AL All-Snubs.   He may be the best all-around RF in all of MLB this season.

Honorable Mention:  CLE - Chase DeLauter, SEA - Luke Raley, KCR - Jac Caglionone

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DH - Paul Goldschmidt:  Goldschmidt is a first ballot Hall of Famer.  Seven-time All-Star, five Silver Sluggers, four Gold Gloves and an MVP.  In May and June of the '26 season, Goldschmidt hit .294/.345/.543 over 200 plate appearances and was a key cog for this year's Yankees' ballclub.  He is a big reason they are where they are at the All-Star break.  Goldy definitely hit a road block somewhere at the tail-end of June, similar to his struggles in '25   The veteran is approaching the vaunted 40-year mark.  He turns 39 before the playoffs begin in October.  As an older player, he might be out of gas in September and some rest should do him well.  If the Yanks are going to win it all, they need Goldy in the lineup. We like Goldy's bat more than all the other available DH's in the AL, we considered him for our Legend of the Game pick but he has earned a starting job this season as our DH, despite his recent slump.

Honorable Mention:  SEA - Dominic Canzone, CHW - Randall Grichuk, BAL - Samuel Basallo

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UTIL - Ezequiel Duran:  Duran is the Rangers' super-utility extraordinaire.  He has made a start at every position on the field except for pitcher / catcher.  His glove plays best at shortstop and third base but with Corey Seager and Josh Jung on the left-side of the infield, Duran has found the majority of his playing time at the keystone and in the corners of the outfield.  It is a testament to his skill as a player.  He is, in some way, the best glove on this Rangers' team.  Duran has also popped 10 homers this season, posting a .760 OPS in 325 plate appearances.  The Venezuelan native has two more seasons of arbitration control, is signed this season for 1yr/1.35M and has proven to be one of the most important players on this Ranger's roster.  It is his defensive flexibility and his power potential that makes Duran one of the most interesting young players in all of MLB.  

Honorable Mention:  ATH - Zach Gelof, BAL - Blaze Alexander, TBR - Ryan Vilade

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SP - Sonny Gray:  Gray is (11-1) for a Boston team that has a losing record this season.  Wins are what it's about at the end of the day and Gray sits atop the AL in that category. He has been a man determined to turn his team around this season and he has backed up his outspoken way with his performance on the field.  That can be very difficult to do.  It's what earns him the start for the AL All-Snubs in 2026, over some very good pitchers in the Honorable Mentions.  Gray has as good of a shot at the Cy Young as any pitcher in the AL and if he somehow leads Boston to the playoffs from 12 games below .500 at the beginning of June, he will have earned a place in the discussion for MVP as well.

Honorable Mention:  SEA - Logan Gilbert, DET - Casey Mize, CLE - Gavin Williams, TEX - Jacob DeGrom, CHW - Davis Martin 

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LHRP - Steven Okert:  Okert is technically the third left-handed relief option on his own team behind closer Josh Hader and lefty Bryan King, neither of whom made the All-Star team or the AL All-Snubs this season.  Okert, however, is our top choice for a southpaw out of the bullpen.  This guy has a deceptive windup.  He flashes the ball to the hitter behind his back in a way that really throws off a hitter's timing.  It is really something.  He only throws two pitches:  a four seamer and a slider.  He sits 92 mph with the heater.  His breaking ball is his best pitch but it's his delivery that makes it work so well.  We like Okert's deception and we'll take it over Hudson's crazy extension this season. 

Honorable Mention:  NYY - Brent Headrick, CHW - Bryan Hudson, BAL - Grant Wolfram

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RHRP - Colin Holderman:  The Pirates non-tendered Holderman this off-season and the Guardians are certainly counting themselves as fortunate.  He definitely struggled in '25 but it's difficult to discount his stuff.  He hits 100 with his sinker and it's the movement on his fastball that makes him so effective.  Holderman's heater is such a wicked pitch that hitters are filled with trepidation.  When the sweeper comes in, it is a change of speed and shape that is very difficult to adjust to.  From a stuff perspective, this guy is one of the best relievers that I have watched pitch.  He should be on the All-Star team and as such he is the very definition of an All-Snub.  Holderman is our AL All-Snubs right-handed relief pitcher in '26.

Honorable Mention:  CHW - Grant Taylor, TOR - Spencer Miles, BOS - Grant Whitlock

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Closer - Anthony Munoz:  I like how definitively Munoz comes set before he delivers his pitch.  He freezes for a second and pumps a 101 mph heater over the plate.  His heater isn't as explosive as our RHRP Colin Holderman but his breaking ball is nastier.  Munoz has been hit some this season, his ERA is up, but it's mostly an anomally. His K/BB ratio is right in line with his career numbers.  Munoz has struck out 34.5% of the hitters he has faced this season.  He is an elite closer, one of the best in the game.  He fits in nicely on our AL All-Snubs team.

Honorable Mention:  NYY - David Bednar, BAL - Rico Garcia, MIN - Yoendrys Gomez

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LEGEND OF THE GAME - (P) Max Scherzer:  Scherzer was great in the World Series last season for the Toronto Blue Jays.  If the Jays would have won, it would have been Mad Max's third ring.  He won one on his team, the 2019 Washington Nationals, and won one as a journeyman with the 2023 Texas Rangers.  Eight-time all-star, three-time Cy Young award winner, 222 wins and 3500+ strikeouts for Scherzer over his career.  He is a first ballot Hall of Famer.  Blue Jays have him stashed in the case that they need one last heroic effort from the wild-eyed veteran.  If the Jays somehow make the playoffs, Scherzer could ride again in the post-season and that is epic MLB baseball.  Max Scherzer is our AL Legend of the Game and Team Captain in 2026.  

The rosters for the both the AL All-Snubs and the NL All-Snubs in 2026 are in.  All the players named deserve to be honored in some way this season and that's what I set out to do a couple weeks back.  I made my best effort to name the most deserving players for every spot, starters and honorable mentions.  There were no shortcuts taken.  I put in the work to put together the best rosters possible.  

It was fun working on the project and the articles. A little late to post but that's all right in the internet era. 

I'm taking a few days off before play resumes in earnest on Friday.  It's been a great season thus far and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how the regular season plays out into October.  Looking forward to October baseball once again and to the ultimate conclusion of the ultimate professional sports tournament in this world.  The World Series of Major League Baseball.

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