As has become tradition every year here at District on Deck, our staff, or at least the ones who were able to complete a submission in time, have compiled our predictions for the 2026 MLB season. With the Washington Nationals kicking off today against the Cubs, we are sure to have a ton to talk about this season, good or bad.
Hopefully, it's not all bad, as Cade Cavalli will get his first ever Opening Day start this afternoon at Wrigley Field, and the Nationals will look to do something that might be a rarity this season: win a baseball game. With that all being said, let's check out everyone's predictions for the upcoming season.
Note: Luke Warner and Jack McGuire's picks might be added in later on.
Nationals Team MVP
Bennett Lehmann: James Wood
Jackson Lynch: James Wood
JJ Phillips: James Wood
Tom Carelli: Cade Cavalli
Jeremy Hasson: James Wood
Nationals Team Cy Young
Bennett Lehmann: Zack Littell
Jackson Lynch: Foster Griffin
JJ Phillips: Cade Cavalli
Tom Carelli: Cade Cavalli
Jeremy Hasson: Cade Cavalli
Nationals Biggest Breakout
Bennett Lehmann: Brady House
Jackson Lynch: Cade Cavalli
JJ Phillips: Nasim Nuñez
Tom Carelli: Brady House
Jeremy Hasson: Cade Cavalli
Nationals Biggest Disappointment
Bennett Lehmann: Keibert Ruiz
Jackson Lynch: Daylen Lile
JJ Phillips: Keibert Ruiz
Tom Carelli: Nasim Nuñez
Jeremy Hasson: Foster Griffin
Nationals Breakout Prospect
Bennett Lehmann: Seaver King
Jackson Lynch: Sam Petersen
JJ Phillips: Gavin Fien
Tom Carelli: Seaver King
Jeremy Hasson: Ethan Petry
Nationals Most Disappointing Prospect
Bennett Lehmann: Yohandy Morales
Jackson Lynch: Luis Perales
JJ Phillips: Harry Ford
Tom Carelli: Harry Ford
Jeremy Hasson: Jarlin Susana
Nationals Final Record
Bennett Lehmann: 61-101
Jackson Lynch: 73-89
JJ Phillips: 64-98
Tom Carelli: 68-94
Jeremy Hasson: 54-108
Nationals All-Star Representative(s)
Bennett Lehmann: James Wood
Jackson Lynch: James Wood
JJ Phillips: James Wood, Cade Cavalli
Tom Carelli: James Wood, Cade Cavalli
Jeremy Hasson: James Wood
Nationals Bold Prediction
Bennett Lehmann: Daylen Lile has a 20/20 season
Jackson Lynch: Keibert Ruiz loses his grip on the starting catcher's job by season's end, leaving Drew Millas and Harry Ford as the team's top catching duo
JJ Phillips: Luis Garcia Jr. will go 20/20 and run a 120 wRC+
Tom Carelli: Cade Cavalli posts a sub-3.50 ERA
Jeremy Hasson: James Wood will hit 35 homers and drive in 100
World Series Matchup & Winner
Bennett Lehmann: Tigers over Dodgers in 7
Jackson Lynch: Dodgers over Tigers in 6
JJ Phillips: Red Sox over Dodgers in 6
Tom Carelli: Dodgers over Tigers in 5
Jeremy Hasson: Dodgers over Mariners in 7
MVP Winners
Bennett Lehmann: Shohei Ohtani, Bobby Witt Jr.
Jackson Lynch: Shohei Ohtani, Bobby Witt Jr.
JJ Phillips: Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge
Tom Carelli: Shohei Ohtani, Nick Kurtz
Jeremy Hasson: Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez
Cy Young Winners
Bennett Lehmann: Paul Skenes, Garrett Crochet
Jackson Lynch: Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal
JJ Phillips: Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal
Tom Carelli: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Garrett Crochet
Jeremy Hasson: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Max Fried
Rookie of the Year Winners
Bennett Lehmann: JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle
Jackson Lynch: Nolan McLean, Kevin McGonigle
JJ Phillips: Sal Stewart, Payton Tolle
Tom Carelli: Konnor Griffin, Connelly Early
Jeremy Hasson: Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle
Managers of the Year
Bennett Lehmann: Don Kelly, Mark Kotsay
Jackson Lynch: Don Kelly, Matt Quatraro
JJ Phillips: Pat Murphy, Dan Wilson
Tom Carelli: Craig Counsell, Alex Cora
Jeremy Hasson: Craig Stammen, Mark Kotsay
MLB Bold Prediction
Bennett Lehmann: The Pirates, Athletics, and Royals all make the postseason
Jackson Lynch: The Marlins make the postseason
JJ Phillips: The Braves lose 90 games
Tom Carelli: Dodgers win 117+ games, set new MLB record
Jeremy Hasson: Athletics win the AL West