3 Guardians prospects who could win Rookie of the Year in 2026 

While the Cleveland Guardians have some marquee veterans on their roster, they finished the season with some rookies holding down important spots on the roster. 

And, although we still have to make it through a busy offseason, it looks like those rookies will still be important players on the roster at the start of 2026. 

Here are three who could end up earning votes in next year’s Rookie of the Year race. 

The Guardians have plenty of rookies who could play big roles in 2026 

Daniel Espino 

Imagine seeing Espino’s name on this list a year ago. After having his career derailed by injuries, Espino made his Triple-A return in September and hasn’t allowed a run in 4 2/3 innings in the Arizona Fall League. 

With all that in mind, Espino’s future should be in the bullpen, not the starting rotation. While he came up as a starting pitcher, moving him to the bullpen would give him a chance to put a little more into every pitch while also being able to control his usage a bit more. 

The Guardians are no stranger to giving rookies high-leverage spots in the bullpen (Cade Smith, Erik Sabrowski and Andrew Walters, to name a few), so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Espino work his way into a high-leverage role so long as he’s healthy. 

For the longest time, it seemed like Espino was never going to get a shot at the big league level. Now he’s beginning to turn into a player who looks like a legitimate bullpen piece for 2026. 

C.J. Kayfus

Having Kayfus on this list feels a bit like cheating considering he played in 44 games last season, but he finished with just enough at-bats to keep his rookie status intact for 2026. 

Kayfus’ spot on the roster is a bit murky given Kyle Manzardo being entrenched as the starting first baseman, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way for him to make an impact on the roster. 

The Guardians had Kayfus learn how to play the outfield in the minor leagues in an attempt to jump-start his major league timeline, and that ended up coming to fruition in 2025 since more than half of his appearances came in right field. 

He ended up being worth -2 Outs Above Average in right field, but that’s not surprising considering he just learned the position. Another offseason of learning the position should help him be a bit more refined as a fielder, thus helping him earn everyday at-bats at the position. 

Even though Kayfus’ advanced stats weren’t anything special, he held his own in his first taste of MLB action last season. That should help him be even better in 2026.

Parker Messick 

We just can’t get enough of Messick. After mentioning him as a potential extension candidate yesterday, we’re also adding him to this list of Rookie of the Year candidates. 

Messick dominated in 2025 (2.72 ERA in seven starts) and still has his rookie status intact for 2026. 

He doesn’t have an overpowering fastball, but is a crafty lefty with stellar command and an understanding of the strike zone (his walk rate (3.6%) and barrel rate (5.8%) were some of the best marks in baseball). 

Although hitters had a batting average of .300 or better against his fastball and changeup, hitters only recorded four hits off his slider and one off his curveball. 

He’s in the same boat as Kayfus where he’ll need to make some changes since the league will have an offseason to scout them. But that doesn't change the fact that he impressed in his first taste of big league baseball.