Gabriel Moreno's 2026 was a vindication for many Arizona Diamondbacks fans who believed in his potential.

Finally able to put together a lengthy-enough campaign, Moreno produced one of the most exceptional seasons in recent history from a catcher. He won the National League batting title, as well as his second Gold Glove award.

But on Wednesday night, the All-MLB first team was revealed. And the baseball world finally admitted that Moreno is currently the best catcher in the game. There's no denying it.

Gabriel Moreno named to All-MLB first team

It wasn't a difficult decision. Moreno took home the All-MLB first team nomination Wednesday night, asserting himself as the top catcher in the sport. All-MLB teams are not divided by league; this nomination encompasses — as the title suggests — all of major league baseball.

Moreno's offensive numbers were exceptional. The .311 batting average that won him a batting title was by far the best number of his career. In fact, he set career highs in essentially every statistical category.

Moreno slashed .311/.388/.486, which was good for both an .874 OPS and a 143 OPS+. Those OPS figures, as well as the batting average and on-base percentage, were the best by any catcher who played significant games in 2026.

Moreno also hit 16 home runs, knocked in 83 RBI and walked 61 times against 80 strikeouts, a K rate of just 14.6%.

There was more power, bat control and plate discipline in this season than any of his previous years, though the potential has always been somewhat evident.

Defensively, he was as good as ever. Moreno produced +14 Defensive Runs Saved, +7 Fielding Run Value and well-above-average values in catcher-specific metrics like blocking, framing and pop time.

With his latest Gold Glove, he became the second catcher in history to win both a batting title and a Gold Glove in the same season, alongside Hall of Famer Joe Mauer.

Most importantly, he was on the field for 130 games, which passed his previous career high by nearly 20. Health has been the biggest issue for Moreno in his young career, but if he's able to continue at a similar pace to 2026, he could establish himself as a consistent star.

It all added up to 5.4 FanGraphs WAR and 6.7 Baseball-Reference WAR — both leading the Diamondbacks and both leading all MLB catchers. He won the Diamondbacks' BBWAA team MVP Award and is likely to receive some number of NL MVP votes.

Moreno is making himself harder and harder to extend, but he's certainly helped the Diamondbacks win many a game recently. He was the best catcher in baseball in 2026, and MLB agrees.