The Cuban baseball player Andy Pagés continued to have the best season of his career on Wednesday by hitting his 18th home run of the 2026 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a solo home run against pitcher Emerson Hancock of the Seattle Mariners.
The home run was not just another offensive statistic: it established the Cuban center fielder as the third most valuable player in that position by fWAR (Wins Above Replacement) across the MLB during the 2026 season, with 3.3 units, according to data reported by analyst Francys Romero.
fWAR is one of the most comprehensive metrics in modern baseball because it integrates offensive, defensive, and baserunning contributions to quantify how many wins a player adds above a replacement-level minor league player.
The podium among the central outfielders in the league at the close of Wednesday was as follows:
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs) — 7.0 fWAR
- Ceddanne Rafaela (Boston Red Sox) — 3.4 fWAR
- Andy Pagés (Los Angeles Dodgers) — 3.3 fWAR
A fWAR of 3.3 at the end of July is considered All-Star level performance, reflecting that Pagés not only hits for power but also contributes with his glove in the outfield.
The 2026 season of the player from Pinar del Río has been a constant crescendo since the first month.
In April, he led the batting average of all MLB with .413 and was the first player in the league to reach 20 RBIs, with only five home runs at that time.
On May 7, he starred in an historic afternoon against the Houston Astros by hitting three home runs and driving in six runs in a single game, raising his total to eight home runs and 33 RBIs.
In July, he was selected for the MLB All-Star Game for the first time, held on the 14th of that month at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where he was the starting outfielder for the National League.
Pagés was one of seven Cubans selected for the All-Star 2026, alongside Yordan Álvarez, Aroldis Chapman, Raisel Iglesias, Randy Arozarena, Yandy Díaz, and Miguel Vargas.
The player, born in Havana on December 8, 2000, signed with the Dodgers as an international prospect in 2018 at the age of 17 and made his Major League debut on April 16, 2024.
In his previous season, he recorded .272, 27 home runs, and 86 RBIs, with a standout performance in the World Series, and throughout his career, he has accumulated 55 home runs, 190 RBIs, and an average of .264 in the regular season.
With 18 home runs and outstanding performance both offensively and in the outfield, Pagés is already surpassing his pace from the 2025 season and aims to finish the year as one of the most complete players at his position in the league.
Related videos:
Filed under: