2025 Preseason Rookie Power Ranking
As a part of my 2025 MLB Rookie Tracker series, I will be putting together rookie power rankings throughout the season. There will be three power rankings prior to the season starting - pre-spring training, mid-spring training, and post-spring training/pre-opening day. Following opening day, there will be one ranking a month. The reason for the three rankings prior to opening day is because we get to see a lot of these rookies and prospects in action during the spring, and they garner a lot of the attention and story lines as the spring moves on. The first spring training game is being played two days from the time this is being written, so there is no better time to get to my top ten rookies headed into 2025 than right now.
Roki Sasaki, RHP, LAD
This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to many as Roki Sasaki was the premier international free agent in the 2024/2025 offseason. Sasaki has a leg up on the rest of the rookies due to the fact that he has pitched at the highest level in his respective context already. Sasaki has four professional seasons under his belt over in the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB) where he posted a career 2.02 ERA over 414.2 innings. Sasaki is actually coming off of somewhat of a down year, not necessarily in the production department, but because there have been concerns about some decline in his fastball and strikeout numbers. At just 23 years old, I wouldn’t be too concerned about Sasaki’s development since he’s joining the most prestigious organization in baseball when it comes to developing young arms. Sasaki also gets the nod at number one because he is one of just a few rookies with a guaranteed impact role come opening day.
2. Dylan Crews, OF, WSH
Like Roki Sasaki, Dylan Crews is another player that has a starting role on a 26-man roster locked up heading into the season. The 22 year old LSU product will be the starting right fielder for the Washington Nationals following his 2024 campaign in which he logged 31 games with the big league team. The numbers for Crews didn’t stand out by any means in his 132 plate appearances as he posted a slash line of .218/.288/.353 with three home runs and an 80 wRC+, but he showed a lot of promise. Crews was above the 50th percentile mark in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, and hardhit% as well as chase%, whiff%, and K%. Over the course of a full season, I like for those type of numbers to pan out well for him. Add his 70 grade speed and 60 grade glove in right field, and you have a potential five-tool talent in the making. Crews very well may find himself as a National League Rookie of the Year finalist in 2025.
3. Kristian Campbell, 2B/SS/OF, BOS
The consensus top prospect riser in 2024 was Kristian Campbell of the Boston Red Sox. Campbell’s dominant 2024 campaign earned him Minor League Baseball hitter of the year honors as well as breakout player of the year honors. Campbell jumped three levels last year, from High-A Greenville to Triple-A Worcester where he combined for a 180 wRC+, 20 home runs, and 24 stolen bases. With the current infield situation in Boston, Campbell is likely going to have to wait for an injury or roster movement to get regular playing time with the big league team. The good news for Campbell is that he is very versatile defensively, making his path to a starting role fairly easy in the event that the Red Sox have to call on him. Between his hit and power combination, 20 to 30 stolen base upside, and defensive versatility, Campbell has one of the highest ceilings among any rookie in 2025. If he gets enough playing time, I have no doubts that he’ll be taking the American League Rookie of the Year trophy home to Boston.
4. Jackson Jobe, RHP, DET
My second pitcher and second American League Rookie of the Year candidate is Jackson Jobe, baseball’s current top ranked pitching prospect - depending on how you view Roki Sasaki’s prospect status. Jobe only threw four innings at the big league level in 2024, but also logged two appearances during Detroit’s playoff run last year. Despite also only throwing nine innings at Triple-A Toledo, Jobe is currently projected to be Detroit’s number five starter by Fangraphs Roster Resource. Jobe has one of the best fastball/slider combinations in baseball as both pitches are 70 grade offerings. It was also reported that Jobe worked on a curveball and a two-seam fastball during the offseason to diversify his arsenal as a starter. In 58 career starts in the minors, Jobe has a 2.97 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.14 WHIP, and an 18.6 K-BB%. I don’t doubt that Jobe will be given enough innings in 2025 to be a Rookie of the Year finalist, so if he can adjust to the Major League workload, I like Jobe’s chances at reappearing on this ranking throughout the season.
5. Matt Shaw, 2B/3B/SS, CHC
Matt Shaw, the 23 year old University of Maryland product, is currently projected to be the Cubs opening day third baseman. 2024 was Shaw’s first full professional season after being drafted in 2023 where he earned a spot in the Future’s game as well as a Double-A all-star nod. Now, he appears to be joining the ever-growing list of prospects to fly right through the minors. Similarly to Dylan Crews, who Shaw will likely be battling for National League Rookie of the Year, Shaw will be able to provide value in multiple ways. Shaw was one of just four Minor League hitters with 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 2024. He will bring the same type of upside to the Cubs lineup and can also play any infield position. Barring injury, there’s no reason Shaw shouldn’t log at least 300 to 400 plate appearances this year, which puts him in good position to be a name you should get familiar with moving forward.
6. Jasson Dominguez, OF, NYY
Had it not been for an injury-riddled 2024, Dominguez very well may have brought home the American League Rookie of the Year award over his teammate, Luis Gil. Dominguez debuted way back at the end of 2023 where he put together an impressive .980 OPS and a 160 wRC+ over 33 plate appearances. He made his way back to the Bronx late in 2024 following his rehab which brought him through multiple levels of the minors once again. However, he didn’t look nearly as good over his 67 plate appearance stint with the big league team. Despite his struggles, Dominguez was on the 2024 playoff roster and is slated to be the starting left fielder at Yankee Stadium on opening day. With consistent playing time, Dominguez surely can blossom into the young star we have been expecting him to be. He hits at an above-average level from both sides of the plate and also has 20 to 30 stolen base upside as he has two seasons in the minors with 30+ steals.
7. Roman Anthony, OF, BOS
Whether or not he is going to break camp with the team or doesn’t debut until June, there was no way the number one prospect in baseball wasn’t going to be on this list. The likelihood of Anthony earning a starting role out of camp is slim considering Jarren Duran, Cedanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu currently man the outfield for the Red Sox. If Anthony really forces Boston’s hand during spring training, that may change. Anthony has climbed through Boston’s system without skipping a beat any level, and is coming off of a solid performance at Triple-A Worcester. In 164 plate appearances, he posted a slash line of .344/.463/.519 while walking at the same rate he struck out. There’s not a lot of reasons to keep him there much longer. Anthony has played all three outfield positions in the minors which gives the Red Sox some flexibility for when they think the time is right to give him the call, but he’ll best be served in center field. A lot can still happen between now and opening day when it comes to Boston’s roster construction, so I don’t think it would be a huge surprise if Anthony can log up to 400 plate appearances in 2025.
8. Jacob Wilson, SS, ATH
While the offensive ceiling for Jacob Wilson isn’t very high due to his extreme hit over power approach, the floor is also pretty high which may result in Wilson backing into a Rookie of the Year award simply because he plays enough games. Wilson’s 70 grade hit tool is one of the best in Minor League Baseball and it carried him pretty quickly through the A’s system on his way to a 28 game stint with the big league team in 2024. His numbers in Oakland didn’t jump off the page by any means, but he still managed to bring his elite contact skills into the big league batter’s box. His contact% in 103 plate appearances was 87.8 compared to the league average of 76.8, while his Z-contact% was 93.5 compared to the league average of 85.2, and his O-contact% was 78.5 compared to the league average of 56.2. Over the course of a full season, those numbers will pan out well, especially if he sets his sights in the zone more frequently, helping him tap into some power. Wilson’s glove at shortstop is pretty good as well, which will guarantee him time in the lineup even if his bat isn’t quite clicking yet.
9. Kumar Rocker, RHP, TEX
My third pitcher on this list is Kumar Rocker, who has seemed to actually fly under the radar over the past year despite being one of the most hyped up draft prospects just a few years ago. Rocker got a cup of coffee with the Rangers at the end of last year where he logged three starts and 11.2 innings. He gave up five runs and six walks while striking out 14. Prior to his call up, Rocker was dominant in 36.2 innings across the complex league, Double-A Frisco, and Triple-A Round Rock. He struck out 39.6% of the batters he faced while walking just 3.6%. In a fairly thin starting rotation in Arlington, Rocker will be competing for a starting role this spring. In the event that the Rangers don’t feel he’s ready to open the season with the team, I would imagine he would be the next man up if a starter goes down to injury. Rocker has all the makings of a big league starting pitcher between his arsenal, pitch-ability, and physicality. Barring any injury of his own, I think it’s likely Rocker surpasses the 100 inning mark in 2025.
10. Drake Baldwin, C, ATL
My lone catcher on my top ten headed into 2025 is Drake Baldwin of the Atlanta Braves. The 2022 third round draft pick was one of the biggest prospect risers in Atlanta’s system in 2024, earning a spot in the Futures Game as well as Braves Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. Baldwin opened the season at Double-A Columbus and was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett later in the season. In his 334 plate appearances in Triple-A, Baldwin posted a 135 wRC+ with a .298/.407/.484 slash line. At the plate, Baldwin is hit over power, but the two are closer to each other than Jacob Wilson for instance. He gets on base at a high rate while limiting strikeouts and has flashed some power, hitting 16 home runs in 2024. His defense behind the plate has only improved and is believed to be a plus glove at the next level. Baldwin appears to be the next man up if Atlanta’s catching tandem of Sean Murphy and Chadwick Tromp get the injury bug, which is almost guaranteed. Even when Murphy and former Brave Travis D’arnaud were healthy, the Braves liked to keep the two rotating in and out. Baldwin may very well step into that role early in the season, if not by opening day.
