2026 PBA Player of the Year: Best Bowling Bets, Picks and Predictions

With the PBA World Championship approaching, EJ Tackett is in position to make history as the first player to ever win four consecutive Player of the Year awards. He is currently tied with Jason Belmonte (2013-2015), Walter Ray Williams Jr. (1996-1998), Earl Anthony (1974-1976 and 1981-1983) and Mark Roth (1977-1979) as the only bowlers to win three straight awards.

Tackett currently leads all bowlers in PBA Tour Points, earnings, average and events cashed. However, he's missing one essential bullet point on his resume: a title. PBA rules state that in order to qualify for the ballot, a member in good standing must have won at least one PBA Tour title during the calendar year and finished among the top 10 in PBA Tour earnings. Any eligible player who has won multiple titles within the calendar year will automatically be included on the official ballot. The winner is determined by a vote consisting of selected media and the entire membership.

As the top seed for the PBA World Championship, Tackett will need to win one match to claim the title. That's easier said than done. There have been nine stepladder finals this season, and the top seed has only come away with the win in two of them. The second seeds have won four times, while the third, fourth and fifth seeds each have one win.

While there are still three additional title chances still coming, I expect the World Championship results to carry a lot of weight in determining the Player of the Year.

Let's take a look at the 10 bowlers who I think have the best chance to win the award.

2026 PBA Player of the Year Odds

Odds via BetRivers Sportsbook as of 5/24/2026 11:00 AM ET

2026 PBA Player of the Year: Qualified and Truly Contending

Alex Horton +150
Preseason odds to win the award: N/A
Odds as of 4/21/2026: N/A

About a month ago, Alex Horton was a relatively unknown rookie with a best finish of 16th place at the PBA New York Classic. Now he's a two-time champion and the favorite to win Player of the Year if EJ Tackett is unable to win a title before the end of the season.

I'm a fan of Horton, but I'm not buying the hype. Not this season. Horton is currently 14th in Tour Points and 5th in earnings, cashing in just four tournaments this season, while 23 others cashed in at least eight events. In other words, when Horton matches up with the lanes, he's tough to beat, but when they're not ideal conditions, he's not competitive. I don't think that's Player of the Year material, and I find it hard to envision the players voting for a rookie who has proven to be much more likely to finish outside the top 40 than inside the top 20.

Zach Wilkins +300
Preseason odds: N/A
Odds as of 4/21/2026: +8000

Another player who came on strong at the end of the season, Wilkins has now matched Horton as the only players with two titles this season. He might have already had the Player of the Year locked up if he had beaten Horton in the PBA Tournament of Champions championship match.

I think it's widely accepted that Horton's wins are more valuable because his were both singles titles, including a major, while one of Wilkins's titles came in the PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship with partner A.J. Chapman. However, I argue that Wilkins has had the more complete season with that runner-up and three other top 11 finishes on his resume. He's 7th in Tour Points, 6th in earnings and has cashed in nine events. And while Horton finished 41st in World Championship qualifying, Wilkins was 7th and has a chance to climb the stepladder even higher than that.

Brandon Bonta +350
Preseason odds: N/A
Odds as of 4/21/2026: +500

While the odds say Horton is the favorite of all qualified candidates to win Player of the Year, I don't even believe he deserves to win Rookie of the Year. I think that honor should go to Brandon Bonta. And with that being the case, I like Bonta better as a candidate for Player of the Year too.

Bonta ranks 3rd in Tour Points and 2nd in earnings and also has a major title. Although he didn't make it out of the PTQ for the U.S. Open, he will finish 7th or better in the other four majors. Like Wilkins, he's still alive in the World Championship event, so he has an opportunity to build on his already impressive season.

2026 PBA Player of the Year: Contenders Who NEED a Win

This group has had an impressive season but won't be eligible for the ballot unless they pick up a title win this summer.

EJ Tackett -112
Preseason odds to win the award: -335
Odds as of 4/21/2026: -139

If Tackett does come away with the victory in the World Championship, it would be shocking to see anyone else get enough votes to deny his fourth straight (and fifth overall) Player of the Year award. If he doesn't win, the competition gets very interesting.

Again, he's the leader in every meaningful statistic except wins. He has six top 5 finishes, and his worst finish at the five majors was 12th place. He has finished top 24 and cashed in every event except one this season.

Jason Belmonte +650
Preseason odds to win the award: +250
Odds as of 4/21/2026: +900

The seven-time PBA Player of the Year is searching for his first singles title since 2023. Despite the drought, he's putting up yet another impressive season, currently ranking 8th in Tour Points and 3rd in average. He chose to skip the New York Classic and the Roth/Holman Doubles Championship, which will hurt his stats overall, but a win at the World Championship would make him a legitimate contender for the award. Including the World Championship, he has six top 12 finishes in 2026.

Chris Via +900
Preseason odds to win the award: +1100
Odds as of 4/21/2026: +3300

Although he hasn't won a title yet, Via's odds dropped from +3300 to +900 in the past month thanks to an 11th place finish at the PBA Tournament of Champions and three top 5 finishes (including the World Championship) at the World Series of Bowling. That line movement suggests A.) some sharp money has come in on Via and/or B.) sharp bookmakers think he's a real contender.

In April, I posted at @RotoWireBowling on X that betting on Via at +3300 was one of the best long shot picks you could make. Although you missed the best number, I still support backing Via at +900 and cheering for him to win the World Championship as the 2nd seed.

2026 PBA Player of the Year: Currently Qualified But Fading Down the Stretch

A month ago, this group was among the favorites to win Player of the Year. However, mediocre results at the Tournament of Champions and World Series of Bowling left these players needing a big finish in the season's final three events, particularly the PBA Norm Duke Open, which is the last event where bowlers can earn Tour Points.

Patrick Dombrowski +800
Preseason odds to win the award: N/A
Odds as of 4/21/2026: +350

Dombrowski hasn't been the most consistent player this season, finishing six events in 50th place or worse. However, his win at the U.S. Open plus a pair of 3rd place finishes still have him sitting 2nd in Tour Points and 3rd in earnings. Missing the cut to the World Championship stepladder by 17 pins is a setback that he'll have to overcome with a strong finish to the season.

Anthony Simonsen +1000
Preseason odds to win the award: +400
Odds as of 4/21/2026: +125

Simonsen was the last player to give Tackett a good run for the Player of the Year award. In 2023, he had one of the most consistently strong seasons we've ever seen, setting the record for most top 10 finishes in a season. Ultimately, the voters valued Tackett's five titles over Simonsen's two titles and crazy consistency.

This season hasn't been so consistent for Simonsen. Back in early March, he was runner-up to Dombrowski at the U.S. Open and then came back the following week with a win in the Illinois Classic. Since then, his best finish was 7th at the Tournament of Champions. He's not out of contention yet though, as he currently sits 5th in Tour Points and 7th in earnings.

Graham Fach +1100
Preseason odds to win the award: +900
Odds as of 4/21/2026: +400

After two events, it looked like Fach was on his way to being the first lefty to win Player of the Year since Patrick Allen in 2005. He had a 3rd place finish at the Players Championship and a win at the Pete Weber Missouri Classic. A pair of 6th place finishes helped keep him near the top of the rankings. He currently sits right behind Simonsen in both Tour Points and earnings. Could he find an edge in the last few events as the only lefty contender remaining?

David "Boog" Krol +1500
Preseason odds to win the award: N/A
Odds as of 4/21/2026: +600

Like Horton, Krol has had a handful of standout performances countered by a number of disappointments. Through three events, he was barely averaging over 200 with a top finish of 40th place. Then he got hot and put up 6th, 2nd and 1st place finishes, instantly becoming a favorite to win the award. That didn't last long though. He has finished outside the top 30 in six of the past seven singles events. If I was a voter, that inconsistency would be enough for me to rule him out for the award, but the fact of the matter is that he ranks 4th in both Tour Points and earnings so I can't eliminate him yet.

Remaining PBA Tour Schedule:

June 12-13: PBA World Championship

June 15-19: PBA Norm Duke Open - Qualifying

June 19-20: PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands

June 20-21: PBA Norm Duke Open - Finals

July 30 - August 2: PBA/PWBA Storm Stiking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles

August 21-31: Storm Lucky Larsen Masters