The MLB season is only ten weeks away, and Pitchers and Catchers will report in just 25 days; we are so close to baseball season. Today, we will rank the top ten players under the age of 25 entering 2024. The biggest thing about this list is that it’ll be players who have made their big league debut and played at least 50 games in the majors. It won’t include any player who turns 25 before opening day, so they may not be 25 by now, but they will be by March 28th.
Top 10
10.) SS – Elly De La Cruz – Cincinnati Reds
De La Cruz made his big league debut last season, and he burst right onto the scene playing in 98 games; he slashed .235/.300/.410 with a .710 OPS; he had 15 doubles, seven triples, 13 home runs, 44 RBI, 67 runs scored, 35 stolen bases, and 35 walks. He hit Cycle against the Braves in one of the most exciting games of the 2023 Regular Season when he went 4-5 with three runs scored and four RBI; it was only his 15th game.
9.) 1B – Triston Casas – Boston Red Sox
Casas debuted in 2022, playing in only 27 games. Last season was his first real season, playing in 132 games. He struggled in the first half, but his bat came to life after May, as he slashed .299/.397/.556 with a .953 OPS; he had a 155 wRC+ and was a 2.2 WAR with 18 home runs, 49 RBI, and 43 runs scored. In his 2023 season, he slashed .263/.367/.490 with a .856 OPS; he had 21 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs, 65 RBI, 66 runs scored, and 70 walks. He also finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
8.) RHP – Brayan Bello – Boston Red Sox
Bello, like Casas, got his start in 2022 but became a must-watch pitcher in 2023. Interestingly he pitched better in night games than day games, in day games he went 3-5 with a 6.94 ERA, a 1.75 WHIP, and an 8.3 K/9, in night games he went 9-6 with a 3.06 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and a 7.3 K/9. He finished last season going 12-11 in 28 starts with a 4.24 ERA, a 4.54 FIP, a 1.33 WHIP, a 1.4 BB/9, a 2.6 BB/9, and a 7.6 K/9.
7.) RHP – Eury Perez – Miami Marlins
Perez is just the latest Marlins pitching prospect to burst onto the scene, he made 19 starts going 5-6 in 91.1 innings. With Sandy Alcantara not pitching to form last season, Perez was a key component to the Marlins 2023 season as he posted a 4.11 FIP, a 1.12 WHIP, a 1.5 HR/9, a 3.1 BB/9, and a 10.6 K/9. He also finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting for the National League. The Marlins shut him down after his start on September 20th as they saw he had a bright future and wanted to keep him healthy.
6.) 1B – Spencer Torkelson – Detroit Tigers
Torkelson made his big league debut in 2022, playing in 110 games. Last season, he played in 159 games, and he found his swing as he hit .233/.313/.446 with a .758 OPS; he had 34 doubles, one triple, 31 home runs, 94 RBI, 88 runs scored, three stolen bases, and 67 walks. After May 31st, Torkelson got red hot, hitting .230 with 115 wRC+, 27 home runs, and 66 RBI.
5.) OF – Michael Harris II – Atlanta Braves
Harris’ first season was in 2022, when he played in 114 games for the Braves, and he slashed .297/.339/.514 with a .853 OPS; he had 27 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs, 64 RBI, 75 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, and 21 walks. In 2023, he played in 138 games and slashed .293/.331/.477 with a .808 OPS; he had 33 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs, 57 RBI, 76 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, and 25 walks. In 2022, he won the National League Rookie of the Year award and finished 13th in MVP.
4.) SS – Bobby Witt Jr. – Kansas City Royals
Witt Jr. has become a vital piece of the Royals; in his first season in 2022, he slashed .254/.294.428 with a .722 OPS; he had 31 doubles, six triples, 20 home runs, 80 RBI, 82 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, and 30 walks. In 2023 he saw an improvement as he slashed .276/.319/.495 with a .813 OPS; he ha 28 doubles, 11 triples, 30 hoem runs, 96 RBI,, 97 runs scored, 49 stolen bases, and 40 walks. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting for the American League in 2022 and seventh in MVP voting in 2023.
3.) 3B – Gunnar Henderson – Baltimore Orioles
Henderson was one of the first of the Orioles prospects to get the call, and it came in 2022 when he played in 34 games. 2023 was his rookie season, and in 150 games, he slashed .255/.325/.489 with a .814 OPS; he had 29 doubles, nine triples, 28 home runs, 82 RBI, 100 runs scored, ten stolen bases, and 56 walks. He won the American League Rookie of the Year, finished eighth in MVP, and earned a Silver Slugger award.
2.) OF – Corbin Carroll – Arizona Diamondbacks
Carroll debuted in 2022, but in 2023, he was a vital component of the Diamondbacks National League Pennant. He played in 155 regular season games and slashed .285/.362/.506 with a .868 OPS; he had 30 doubles, ten triples, 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 116 runs scored, 54 stolen bases, and 57 walks. He was an All-Star, won the National League Rookie of the Year, and finished fifth in MVP voting. In the postseason, he played in 17 games and slashed .273/.364/.409 with a .773 OPS; he had one double, one triple, two home runs, ten RBI, 11 runs scored, five stolen bases, and nine walks.
1.) OF – Julio Rodriguez – Seattle Mariners
Rodriguez coming out season was 2022 with the Mariners when he played in 132 games and slashed .284/.345/.509 with a .853 OPS; he had 25 doubles, three triples, 28 home runs, 75 RBI, 84 runs scored, 25 stolen bases, and 40 walks; he was an All-Star, and won the American League Rookie of the Year award as well as finished seventh in MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger. In 2023, he played in 155 games and slashed .275/.333/.485 with a .818 OPS; he had 37 doubles, two triples, 32 home runs, 103 RBI, 102 runs scored, 37 stolen bases, and 47 walks; once again he was an All-Star and finished fourth in MVP voting and took home a Silver Slugger again. With Shohei Ohtani gone from the American League, Rodriguez will be one of the favorites yearly to win the MVP award in the American League.
