Major League Baseball published an article in which their 30 team reporters identified a potential breakout candidate for 2026. Steve Gilbert, who covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, listed catcher Gabriel Moreno as his breakout candidate.
Moreno, 25, was acquired along with outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in a deal for outfielder Daulton Varsho. The trade paid immediate dividends, as Moreno won his first Gold Glove award and the Diamondbacks won a National League pennant. Good health has eluded Moreno, who has started just 243 games behind the plate in three seasons. For Arizona to be competitive, he needs to be on the field more.
Gilbert notes that Moreno’s OPS+ has increased each year with the Diamondbacks, going from 104 to 105 to 117, and made major strides behind the plate in terms of game calling. In 2025, he hit .285 with a career-high nine home runs and a .786 OPS. His 117 wRC+ ranks seventh amongst MLB catchers with at least 300 plate appearances.
Why Gabriel Moreno is a Legit Breakout Candidate
Moreno has all the makings to be an All-Star defender. While a strong defender in all aspects of the game, his bat has yet to truly break out. That’s been mostly tied to his health, as he’s never started more than 94 games in a season.
Moreno has always been a good hitter, with a career .281 batting average, but hasn’t reached his power ceiling. He’s shown big-time power before, as Corbin Burnes and Lance Lynn can both attest, but it hasn’t shown up consistently in games. He was already showing signs of an offensive breakout in 2025, as I highlighted for Diamondbacks On SI. Unfortunately, a fractured hand kept him off the shelf for more than two months, causing those gains to slip under the radar.
It was already evident in his quality of contact. Moreno posted career-highs in hard-hit rate (43.4%), barrel rate (7.1%), and pulled air% (14.6%). Add that to a low-chase, high-contact profile, and there’s the makings for a potential power surge in 2026. If Moreno can sustain or improve his quality of contact metrics from 2025, he has a chance to make the All-Star team.
Steamer projections on FanGraphs believe that the Diamondbacks catcher’s mini-breakout is legit. Their projection has him slashing .280/.354/.427 with 11 home runs, a 117 wRC+, and 3.4 fWAR.
How a Gabriel Moreno Breakout Impacts the Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks already have three All-Stars anchoring the top of their lineup. Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte represented the team in Atlanta, and Geraldo Perdomo broke out offensively. A Moreno breakout would give them a fourth All-Star bat, a tough lineup for pitchers to navigate.
Roster Resource currently projects Moreno as the team’s cleanup hitter. His ability to hit for a strong average works, as the three hitters ahead of him can put themselves in scoring position. Moreno is a .300 hitter in 314 career plate appearances with men in scoring position, including a .271 clip in 2025.
If Arizona added another middle-of-the-order bat, Moreno would better profile for the fifth spot. The power improvement would make him a more dynamic threat at the plate. He’s already got a knack for being a pest and spraying line drives from line-to-line, but he could see a major increase in RBI chances and RBI in 2026.
The plan for Moreno is to get him 100 starts behind the plate, with the rest going to veteran James McCann. There may also be opportunities to start games as the designated hitter, especially against left-handed pitchers. Most likely, those would come on days Marte gets a full day off.
Moreno is controllable through the 2028 season, with three trips through arbitration. He’s currently projected to make $2.4 million in his first arbitration-eligible season by Dr. Matt Swartz.
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