The calendar is about to turn to 2026, and the World Baseball Classic is quickly approaching, with leagues around the world set to resume shortly thereafter. Here are five bold predictions for baseball around the globe in 2026:
The United States wins its second World Baseball Classic – The United States fell to Japan in the final of the 2023 World Baseball Classic and narrowly missed consecutive championships. It ended in iconic fashion, with Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout. In 2026, the United States will boast the strongest roster in WBC history, headlined by Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, among an embarrassment of riches. This time, the Americans get it done and are crowned world champions.
Liván Moinelo becomes the first foreign pitcher since Kris Johnson in 2016 to win the Eiji Sawamura Award – Since transitioning from a reliever to a starter with the SoftBank Hawks, Liván Moinelo has been nothing short of spectacular. He has been among the top starters in Japan since the start of 2024. In 2025, he posted a 1.46 ERA with 172 strikeouts in 167 innings. Moinelo has fallen short of winning the award the past two seasons, but after representing Cuba at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he breaks through with his best season yet.
The Nippon-Ham Fighters win their first Japan Series title in a decade – The SoftBank Hawks won the 2025 Japan Series and reached the championship in 2024. Both times, they had to go through the Nippon-Ham Fighters. After falling behind 3-0 in the 2025 series — in part due to the automatic one-game advantage awarded for advancing through the Climax Series — the Fighters pushed the Hawks to a decisive seventh game before falling 2-1.
SoftBank has been the dominant team in the Pacific League since 2017, advancing to the Japan Series six times and winning five championships. During that span, the only other Pacific League team to reach the Japan Series was the Orix Buffaloes, led by ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto from 2021-23.
The Fighters enter 2026 with a rotation led by 2025 Sawamura Award winner Hiromi Itoh, Taiwanese right-hander Ruei-Yang Gu Lin, Koki Kitayama and potentially former MLB pitcher Sauryn Lao, who has signed for 2026. The Fighters boast the deepest pitching staff in NPB and also feature one of the league’s top hitters in Franmil Reyes, who returns for another season. Shun Mizutani and Chusei Mannami headline an offense with breakout potential. With a blend of depth and youth, the time is right for Nippon-Ham to dethrone SoftBank and capture its first Pacific League championship and Japan Series title since 2016.
Do-yeong Kim wins his second KBO MVP award – The 22-year-old third baseman, who won the MVP in 2024 and battled injuries in 2025, should be the odds-on favorite in 2026. In 2024, Kim hit .347/.420/.647 with 38 home runs, 109 RBIs and 40 stolen bases. He followed that with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and a .942 OPS in just 30 games in 2025. Kim is the most complete player in the KBO, and a 40-40 season is well within reach if he stays healthy.
The LG Twins win their third KBO title in three years and establish a dynasty.
The Twins are coming off a dominant 2025 season, finishing a league-best 85-56 and defeating Hanwha in five games to win the Korean Series. They re-signed top hitter Austin Dean, and young star Bo-gyeong Moon looks to build on a strong season in which he hit 24 home runs with 108 RBIs and an .831 OPS.
What separates LG is its pitching depth. The team’s top four starters all posted ERAs of 3.50 or lower. After being released by Toronto, Anders Tolhurst signed with the Twins and emerged as one of their best starters, posting a 2.86 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 44 innings over eight starts. He returns in 2026, and LG has also added Australian right-hander Lachlan Wells. With unmatched pitching depth, the Twins enter 2026 as heavy favorites to repeat with a roster that could be even stronger than the one that powered their 2025 championship
Photo: Cuban pitcher Livan Moinelo has been stellar for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Could he win the Eiji Sawamura Award?
