CJ Kayfus Projected Stats for First Full Season With Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians remain extremely high on their wave of young talent, which will start the 2026 season at the MLB level. 

One of those players with high potential is CJ Kayfus, who fans got a glimpse of during the second half of the 2025 campaign. Of course, the 24-year-old went through natural growing pains, but ended the year on a high note with an OPS of .888 in September.

Heading into next season, Kayfus is predicted to put together a very productive first full season with the Guardians in 2026.

FanGraphs’ famous ZiPS projection model is encouraged by the type of hitter Kayfus could be next year. It's projecting the left-handed hitter to finish with a .249/.328/.418 slash line, and an OPS+ of 106, meaning Kayfus would be six percent better than the average big-league hitter.

Kayfus showed some potential for some pop in his swing at the minor league level, but ZiPS still thinks there's more development to do at the MLB level before he’s truly considered a power threat in Cleveland’s lineup. The model is projecting Kayfus to finish with 24 doubles, six triples, and 13 home runs.

One of the most intriguing parts of Kayfus’ game is that even though he’s a lefty, the slugger has still had some success against southpaws throughout his minor league career, and ZiPS believes that will largely be the case in 2026.

Kayfus is currently being predicted to boast a .241/.315/.397 slash line against lefty pitchers. If those numbers come to fruition, Kayfus would be in line to be Cleveland’s starting first baseman with a left-handed pitcher on the mound.

Plus, for a Guardians team that struggled mightily against left-handers last season, they would certainly welcome that type of production for a player who isn’t typically considered a platoon-type hitter.

It’s so hard to accurately predict the stats that any player will log, especially one in his rookie season. That said, if Kayfus truly does finish next season with an OPS+ over 100, the Guardians would be thrilled with the development and ceiling from the former third-round pick.