Top MLB seasons you might've missed: Gabriel Moreno, Ty France, Cade Cavalli and more

The 2026 season has produced some truly incredible individual seasons, many from players whose excellence we’ve come to expect. But each season, there are also some players whose strong performances fly under the radar. 

Here are nine players who weren’t All-Stars this year but whose outstanding seasons warrant some recognition. We’ll call it the All-Russ Team.

It seems like just yesterday that a 23-year-old Gabi Moreno was the D-backs’ catcher for their run to the 2023 World Series. Since then, the Arizona backstop has done a lot of things well, both offensively and defensively. But this season, he has put everything together. 

Moreno has been one of the engines for Arizona in 2026, hitting .308 with 16 homers and 81 RBI in 128 games. His .871 OPS is tied for 11th in baseball. Not only has the D-backs’ catcher set career highs in nearly every major offensive category, but he also leads MLB backstops with 5.2 fWAR this season.

The Padres’ offense has been red-hot in the second half, and while their stars have stepped up in recent months, it’s first baseman Ty France who has been their most consistent hitter across 2026. France had bounced around the past few years, and now it appears that returning to the team with which he made his debut in 2019 was exactly what he needed.

France has had a huge year offensively, and though his total plate appearances have gone down in a platoon role, that has brought out the best version of him. The Padres’ first baseman has set career highs in several major offensive categories, including batting average, slugging percentage, OPS and home runs. He’s slashing .299/.364/.513 with 21 homers, 70 RBI and an .877 OPS through 129 games this season.

There’s a reason Reid Detmers was one of the most coveted names in baseball at this summer’s trade deadline. He has had a breakout season in 2026 after pitching all of 2025 in the Angels’ bullpen and in the process has turned himself into one of the best starters in the sport. The Angels’ southpaw is 6-8 with a 3.47 ERA and a career-high 204 strikeouts across a career-high 179 innings in 31 starts.

But what has really made the Angels’ ace stand out is what he has been doing in the second half. Detmers’ 2.05 ERA in 12 starts since the All-Star break is seventh-lowest in MLB in that span.

(From left) Ty France, Gabriel Moreno, Jake Bauers and Cade Cavalli have been standout performers for their teams this season.

If there’s one thing Brandon Lowe has done consistently since he got to the big leagues, it’s hit the ball out of the ballpark. And in his first season in Pittsburgh, with the Pirates needing some thump, Lowe has given the Bucs exactly what they were looking for. The second baseman has led the team’s offense in 2026, slashing .262/.332/.493 with 34 homers and 95 RBI in 148 games. Since Lowe debuted in 2018, his 190 home runs rank second among second basemen, trailing only Marcus Semien (207) in that span. 

But it hasn’t just been offense from Lowe this season. As a defender, he has had by far his best year ever at second base, with 14 outs above average and 14 defensive runs saved.

The Brewers have been great at a lot of things in recent years, and one of those strengths has been their ability to resurrect careers. Following in the footsteps of Andrew Vaughn last season, Jake Bauers is the most recent example of what being in the right situation can do. The Brewers’ first baseman had never had more than 423 plate appearances before this season, but after his hot start to the year, manager Pat Murphy had no choice but to keep Bauers in the lineup on a nightly basis.

Bauers, who’s slashing .267/.393/.490 with 26 homers and 83 RBI, has obliterated his career highs in every offensive category this season. His on-base percentage leads the National League. And in a year when the Brewers have very high postseason expectations, Bauers is in prime position to become a playoff hero for Milwaukee.

If you’d given someone 10 guesses as to who the Mariners’ second-best offensive player would be this season, almost no one would’ve guessed Dominic Canzone. But that’s exactly what Seattle’s designated hitter has become in an otherwise disappointing season for the Mariners. 

Canzone had never played more than 82 games before this year, but when given more opportunity in Seattle, he showed what he can do. The Mariners’ DH has been one of Seattle’s few constants outside of Randy Arozarena, slashing .262/.333/.482 with a career-high 22 homers. He’s second on the team with an .814 OPS.

Year 1 of the Nationals’ rebuild has been full of ups and downs. But in a year when many thought they would trade away everything of value, the Nats actually found some pieces for the future. In Cade Cavalli, Washington found an arm who can do a lot more than just eat innings. 

Cavalli has been in the Nats organization for quite some time, and after years of promise, the former first-round pick finally put it all together in 2026. The right-hander has gone 13-5 this season with 200 strikeouts in 32 starts. He’s the first Nationals starter to reach 200 strikeouts since 2019, when Patrick Corbin, Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer each accomplished the feat en route to winning the World Series.

Cavalli’s season might’ve flown under the radar to the public, but it didn’t to the organization. The Nationals secured their young ace for the future, signing Cavalli to a four-year, $47 million extension just last week.

As injuries mounted throughout the 2026 season and the Rangers needed someone to fill the void, utility man Ezequial Duran consistently answered the call. In the process, he has turned into one of the more unheralded players in the sport. Duran has played every defensive position except catcher this season and become a multi-positional, every-day player in the process. 

And in part because he has gotten consistent at-bats throughout the season, the Rangers’ utilityman has upped his game offensively. Duran has put together the best season of his career, hitting .259 with a career high in homers and RBI, with 17 and 83.

The 2026 rookie class has been one of the highlights of this season. And from names such as Konnor Griffin, JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle and Sal Stewart, you would’ve been correct to expect plenty of production. TJ Rumfield was not on most people’s radar coming into the season, but the Rockies’ first baseman has shown he deserves just as much recognition.

Rumfield has been excellent for the Rockies in his rookie campaign. He’s currently eighth in MLB with a .297 batting average to go with 15 homers and 71 RBI. The Rockies’ first baseman also leads MLB rookies with an .835 OPS.