NUMBERS TELL THE STORY: KPSL CLOSES THE BOOK ON THE 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Freeman, Marte, Ohtani, Gallen and Wheeler headline a memorable 25th-anniversary season as the KPSL announces its First and Second All-Star Teams and looks at the leading MVP and Cy Young candidates.
The dice have finished rolling on the 2026 Kirby Puckett Strat League regular season, and after 88 games for each of the league's 12 clubs, the final statistics tell the story of a season filled with dominant pitching, explosive power, speed, contact hitting and more than a few surprises.
The KPSL's 25th-anniversary season produced everything from a .383 batting champion to a sub-2.00 ERA champion, while several teams reached the top of the statistical standings in dramatically different ways.
A League of Different Offensive Styles
No team scored more runs than the San Francisco Giants, who crossed the plate 433 times and averaged a league-best 4.92 runs per game. St. Louis was right behind at 431 runs and 4.90 per game.
The Cardinals were also the league's best team at reaching base, posting a .339 OBP, while Pittsburgh led everyone with a .266 team batting average.
Colorado provided a different kind of offense.
The Rockies led the KPSL with a .424 slugging percentage and an incredible 34 triples. Jung Hoo Lee was a major part of that attack, finishing with 30 doubles and 10 triples, while Fernando Tatis Jr. produced 95 hits, 20 doubles, 13 home runs and 23 stolen bases.
Nobody relied on the long ball quite like Cincinnati. The Reds blasted a league-high 137 home runs.
Philadelphia took an entirely different route. The Phillies stole an astounding 179 bases, easily the most in the KPSL.
Arizona didn't possess that type of power—the Diamondbacks hit only 67 home runs—but they were one of the league's best contact clubs. Arizona struck out only 617 times, tied with Pittsburgh for the lowest total in the league.
Freeman Takes the Batting Crown
Individually, nobody hit for average like Tyler Freeman of St. Louis.
Freeman captured the 2026 KPSL batting championship at .383 and also led qualified hitters with a remarkable .455 on-base percentage.
Cincinnati's Ketel Marte supplied the thunder. Marte's .622 slugging percentage was the best in the league and helped establish him as one of the premier offensive players of 2026.
The home run crown belonged to Los Angeles superstar Shohei Ohtani, who finished with 29 homers. Juan Soto and Marte were right behind with 28 each.
Soto also led the KPSL with 71 walks, while Cincinnati's Pete Alonso drove in a league-high 68 runs.
Colorado's Jung Hoo Lee's 30 doubles were the most in the KPSL, while Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 95 hits topped the league.
Philadelphia's Corbin Carroll led everyone with 11 triples, while teammate Jorge Mateo ran away with the stolen-base crown with 67 steals.
Arizona shortstop Francisco Lindor also completed one of the league's most well-rounded seasons after combining his Philadelphia and Arizona statistics. Lindor hit .304 with a .395 OBP and .549 slugging percentage, while collecting 25 doubles.
Pitching Takes Center Stage
For all the offensive accomplishments, some of the league's most impressive numbers came from the mound.
The Los Angeles Dodgers finished with a league-best 3.55 team ERA and 1.17 WHIP, while striking out an extraordinary 915 hitters.
St. Louis allowed the fewest runs in the league—just 330 in 88 games, or 3.75 per game.
Pittsburgh also put together an outstanding pitching season, posting a 3.66 ERA and allowing only 656 hits.
Individually, Arizona's Zac Gallen was the KPSL's ERA champion.
Gallen finished 6-5 over 91 innings with a spectacular 1.88 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.
Washington's Cristopher Sánchez wasn't far behind. He worked a league-high 119.3 innings while recording a 2.19 ERA and 110 strikeouts.
St. Louis ace Paul Skenes delivered another elite combination: 110 innings, a 7-3 record, 2.29 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 110 strikeouts.
Nobody missed more bats than Zack Wheeler.
The Dodgers right-hander led the entire KPSL with 124 strikeouts in only 90.67 innings, accompanying them with a 2.98 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
Kevin Gausman led pitchers with nine victories, while Justin Verlander's combined Milwaukee/Pittsburgh performance resulted in a league-best qualified 0.83 WHIP.
2026 ALL-KPSL FIRST TEAM
C — Carson Kelly, Washington
1B — Pete Alonso, Cincinnati
2B — Ketel Marte, Cincinnati
SS — Francisco Lindor, Arizona
3B — Matt Chapman, Washington
LF — Christian Yelich, St. Louis
CF — Cody Bellinger, Pittsburgh
RF — Juan Soto, San Francisco
DH — Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles
Starting Pitchers
Zac Gallen, Arizona
Paul Skenes, St. Louis
Cristopher Sánchez, Washington
Relief Pitchers
Minimum 30 innings
Emilio Pagán, Colorado
Matt Strahm, San Francisco
David Bednar, Arizona
2026 ALL-KPSL SECOND TEAM
C — Drake Baldwin, Milwaukee
1B — Michael Busch, Washington
2B — Bryce Turang, Los Angeles
SS — Corey Seager, San Francisco
3B — Manny Machado, Cincinnati
LF — James Wood, Los Angeles
CF — Jung Hoo Lee, Colorado
RF — Corbin Carroll, Philadelphia
DH — Kyle Schwarber, San Diego
Starting Pitchers
Zack Wheeler, Los Angeles
Kevin Gausman, St. Louis
Ryan Pepiot, Arizona
Relief Pitchers
Tyler Rogers, St. Louis
Aroldis Chapman, Los Angeles
Jack Dreyer, Washington
THE MVP CONVERSATION
With the regular season complete, three players stand out as particularly compelling candidates for the 2026 KPSL Most Valuable Player Award.
Ketel Marte — Cincinnati
Marte's case starts with the most intimidating number on the offensive leaderboard: .622 slugging.
He also blasted 28 home runs, just one behind Ohtani for the league lead. Marte combined elite power with enough overall offensive production to establish himself as one of the season's most dangerous hitters.
Juan Soto — San Francisco
Soto was the centerpiece of the league's highest-scoring offense.
He finished with a .398 OBP and .566 slugging percentage, blasted 28 home runs and led the entire league with 71 walks.
His combination of patience and power was a major reason San Francisco scored a KPSL-best 433 runs.
Shohei Ohtani — Los Angeles
Ohtani captured the KPSL home run championship with 29, but his season went well beyond the long ball.
He finished with a .570 slugging percentage, .386 OBP and 70 walks, finishing among the league leaders across several major offensive categories.
MVP finalists: Ketel Marte, Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani.
Francisco Lindor, Cody Bellinger and Tyler Freeman deserve mention just outside that group. Freeman's .383/.455 combination was extraordinary, Bellinger combined a .313 average with a .550 slugging percentage, and Lindor was among the league's most productive all-around shortstops.
THE CY YOUNG CONVERSATION
The pitching award may be even more difficult to settle.
Three starters separated themselves through different combinations of dominance, workload and run prevention.
Zac Gallen — Arizona
It's difficult to start anywhere other than the ERA champion.
Gallen allowed opposing teams almost nothing over 91 innings, finishing with a league-leading 1.88 ERA and excellent 1.07 WHIP.
His 6-5 record doesn't tell the story of how effectively he pitched. Run prevention does.
Paul Skenes — St. Louis
Skenes combines quality with considerably more innings.
Over 110 innings, he went 7-3 with a 2.29 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 110 strikeouts.
There are almost no weaknesses in that statistical résumé, and his performance helped St. Louis finish with the fewest runs allowed in the KPSL.
Cristopher Sánchez — Washington
Nobody among the ERA contenders carried a larger workload.
Sánchez led the KPSL with 119.3 innings while still producing a brilliant 2.19 ERA and 110 strikeouts.
That combination of durability and dominance gives Sánchez a compelling argument alongside Gallen and Skenes.
Cy Young finalists: Zac Gallen, Paul Skenes and Cristopher Sánchez.
Zack Wheeler deserves special recognition after leading the league with 124 strikeouts while posting a 2.98 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Kevin Gausman's nine victories, 3.07 ERA and 1.09 WHIP also put him firmly among the season's outstanding starters.
ONE SEASON, MANY WAYS TO WIN
Perhaps the defining feature of the 2026 KPSL season was how differently its best teams succeeded.
San Francisco scored more runs than anyone.
St. Louis reached base and prevented runs.
Colorado hit for extra bases.
Cincinnati hit home runs.
Philadelphia ran.
Arizona put the ball in play and pitched.
Los Angeles overwhelmed hitters with strikeouts.
And Pittsburgh combined the league's best batting average with one of its strongest pitching staffs.
Across 12 teams and 88 games apiece, the numbers created a season without a single formula for success.
Now the regular-season record book is closed.
Tyler Freeman owns the batting championship. Ketel Marte owns the slugging crown. Shohei Ohtani is the home run champion. Pete Alonso drove in more runs than anyone. Zac Gallen owns the ERA title. Zack Wheeler is the strikeout king.
The only questions remaining are which performances will ultimately earn the KPSL's biggest individual awards—and which names from this memorable 25th-anniversary season will be remembered most when the dice are finally put away.
