One 2025 Rookie of the Year candidate for each team

A year ago, we provided one Rookie of the Year candidate for every team. How’d we do? We nailed the NL top rookie (Paul Skenes) and also picked out two others who received votes (Jackson Chourio and Mason Miller). That’s a good enough success rate to try the whole exercise again. We discussed who we thought were the overall favorites on a recent episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast and you can read about it here.

Below is a prospect for each team we think has the chance to bring in next year’s ROY hardware, all with the caveat that Roki Sasaki will jump to the top of any list once he signs with a Major League team.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Will Wagner, 2B/1B/3B (No. 18)
Acquired from the Astros in the Yusei Kikuchi deal at the Trade Deadline, Wagner had no trouble carrying his reputation as an above-average hitter to the Blue Jays system and was called up to the Majors after only seven Triple-A games. He went 25-for-82 (.305) in 24 games in The Show before being shut down with a left knee injury, and as things stand, he’s likely slotted in as Toronto’s Opening Day second baseman. The left-handed slugger rarely misses on swings in the zone, and he showed a little more pop than expected in his MLB debut.

Orioles: Coby Mayo, 3B/1B (No. 1/MLB No. 8)
He got his feet wet in Baltimore last year and undoubtedly learned from his 41 at-bat debut. There’s no question the power is ready for the big leagues after slugging .592 in the Minors last year and .564 in 2023. The O’s are going to have to find a spot for him in the lineup every day, with the chance for him to be a ROY frontrunner.

Rays: Carson Williams, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 4)
Starter-turned-dominant-reliever Mason Montgomery might be a dark horse candidate here, but Williams has a higher ceiling … if he can get to the Majors for long enough. The 21-year-old shortstop is a stellar defender with a rocket of an arm capable of being an MLB asset right now, and his power-speed combo (20 HR, 33 SB in ‘24) makes him such an intriguing prospect. His strikeout rates have trended downward but remain high, and he played all of last season with Double-A Montgomery. Right now, Taylor Walls and José Caballero are Tampa Bay’s main shortstop options, so it’s possible it won’t take much for Williams to squeeze past them and get enough MLB at-bats for ROY consideration.

Red Sox: Roman Anthony, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 3)
The Red Sox have four prospects ranked among baseball's 25 best, all of whom are nearly ready for prime time, and Anthony stands out the most. Signed for first-round money ($2.5 million) as a supplemental second-rounder out of a Florida high school in 2022, he has blossomed into an offensive force who profiles as a star on an outfield corner. He slashed .291/.396/.498 with 18 homers and 21 steals in 119 games at age 20, leading the Double-A Eastern League in slugging (.489) and OPS (.856) before posting even bigger numbers in Triple-A.

Yankees: Jasson Domínguez, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 14)
Domínguez might have pushed for Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 if he hadn't blown out his elbow the previous September and required Tommy John surgery. Famously signed for $5.1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 as the most hyped international prospect ever, he's a potential center fielder with 20-20 upside. He batted .314/.376/.504 with 11 homers and 16 steals in 58 Minor League games between three levels (mostly in Triple-A) last year.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians: Chase DeLauter, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 41)
Foot and leg injuries have slowed DeLauter's progress since he became the first first-round pick from James Madison (16th overall in 2022), but he'll be a franchise cornerstone if he can stay healthy. Few prospects can match his package of size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), athleticism, performance and plate discipline. He slashed .261/.341/.500 with eight homers in 39 games between three levels (mostly in Double-A), then ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Arizona Fall League for the second straight year.

Royals: Noah Cameron, LHP (No. 12)
Cameron made his Triple-A debut on July 31 and was at his best at the Minors’ top level, finishing with a 2.32 ERA, 62 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 54 1/3 innings for Omaha. His 78-81 mph changeup was particularly devastating, with a 46.7 percent whiff rate, but a full four-pitch repertoire (including a four-seamer, cutter and curveball) kept Triple-A hitters guessing. Cameron was an easy 40-man add when he became Rule 5-eligible this offseason, and he should head into Spring Training aiming to win a rotation spot.

Tigers: Jackson Jobe, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 5)
Jobe is the top pitching prospect on our current Top 100 for a reason. He has four pitches that could all be classified as at least plus in his four-seamer, slider, cutter and changeup, and he put them all on display with four MLB appearances between the regular season and postseason in 2024. The 22-year-old right-hander is certainly a starter and he’d have to go well above his career high of 95 2/3 innings to be a true Rookie of the Year candidate. But the Tigers clearly trust him and his stuff already, and even if he takes a brief look at Triple-A first, Jobe is too talented to keep out of the MLB rotation for long, if healthy.

Twins: Luke Keaschall, 2B/OF/1B (No. 3/MLB No. 63)
The only thing making this pick “risky” is that Keaschall, the Twins’ second-round pick in 2023, had Tommy John surgery in August. But that was timed so he’d be ready to swing the bat in the spring. It’s pretty clear his advanced approach at the plate will help him get to the big leagues quickly after getting to Double-A in his first full season and finishing with a .903 OPS. He’s shown he can handle three positions, giving the Twins more options to get him in the lineup.

White Sox: Colson Montgomery, SS (No. 3/MLB No. 37)
Though Montgomery had a rough .214/.329/.381 season in Triple-A with 18 homers in 130 games, he finished strong before raking in the AFL. The 2021 first-rounder from an Indiana high school not only has the power potential expected from a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder, but also patience at the plate and surprising athleticism.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels: Caden Dana, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 68)
Dana’s big league debut was solid, and though his following two outings didn’t go as planned in September, that should just give him information he’ll use to make adjustments. The 2024 Futures Gamer will pitch all of 2025 at age 21, so there’s plenty of time here and he has advanced feel for a four-pitch mix that should allow him to find consistent success.

Astros: Jacob Melton, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 89)
When the Astros were negotiating the Justin Verlander trade with the Mets in 2023, they preferred to give up Top 100 prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford so they could hold on to Melton. A 2022 second-round selection from Oregon State, he combines plus raw power and speed and slashed .253/.310/.426 with 15 homers and 30 steals in 105 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

A’s: Jacob Wilson, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 24)
If it hadn’t been for injuries, Wilson would have graduated off of prospect lists this past season and wouldn’t be under consideration. Assuming health, it’s easy to expect Wilson to keep doing what he’s done everywhere: hit. While he played just 53 games in the Minors this past season, he hit .433 with a 1.141 OPS, even showing more extra-base pop than some expected. Seeing him hit over .300 and play a solid shortstop in the big leagues should help his candidacy.

Mariners: Tyler Locklear, 1B (No. 6)
With a career OPS of .874 in the Minors and a couple of big league homers under his belt, there are some expectations that Locklear, the Mariners' second-rounder in 2022, should be able to bring some right-handed thump to the lineup in '25. The strikeout rate crept up in 2024, especially in his brief debut with Seattle, but he does draw walks to help offset that.

Rangers: Kumar Rocker, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 58)
After the Mets drafted him 10th overall in 2021, Rocker endured a failed physical, shoulder surgery and then Tommy John surgery. But the former Vanderbilt star looks ready to repay the Rangers for their gamble to surprisingly select him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2022. He showed an upper-90s fastball and wipeout mid-80s slider this summer while compiling a 1.96 ERA, a .180 batting average against and a 55/5 K/BB ratio in 36 2/3 Minor League innings between three levels (mostly in Double-A) before making his big league debut in September.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Drake Baldwin, C (No. 5)
Brought up as a sleeper pick for National League hardware in a recent Pipeline Inbox, Baldwin may not be under-the-radar anymore. He’s a solid receiver who reached Triple-A and hit 16 homers with a .370 OBP in the Minors, then had a .942 OPS over 13 AFL games before playing for Team USA in the Premier12 tournament in Mexico and Japan. Sean Murphy is in the big leagues, but after he hit .193 last year, the door could be opening.

Marlins: Agustin Ramirez, C/1B (No. 3/MLB No. 96)
Acquired from the Yankees in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade in July, Ramirez enjoyed a 20-20 season in the Minors -- a feat accomplished only twice by big league catchers in AL/NL history. Ramirez batted .267/.358/.487 with 25 homers and 22 steals in 126 games between Double-A and Triple-A and offers solid power and arm strength, though his defensive game still requires a lot of polish.

Mets: Brandon Sproat, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 40)
The 2023 second-rounder’s first full season couldn’t have gone much better after he posted a 3.40 ERA with 131 strikeouts in 116 1/3 innings across three levels. Sproat finished out the year in Triple-A Syracuse, meaning he should enter his second spring with an eye on the Majors, and the Mets have rotation openings aplenty with Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana hitting free agency. Even if New York makes additions (which it should), Sproat’s fastball, slider, changeup and cutter could all play in the bigs quickly and help him elbow his way into an early starting spot and enough success for ROY consideration.

Nationals: Dylan Crews, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 1)
Depending on where Sasaki lands, Crews should be the NL frontrunner. He’s shown steady improvement in approach and output at LSU and every Minor League stop he’s made, giving many confidence he’ll build on the modest success he showed in 31 games with the Nats in '24. His speed and defense are already Major League assets, and he’ll have many avenues to provide big league value in his age-23 season. The open question: whether he starts in center or right on Opening Day. Either way, expect him to be in the ROY mix.

Phillies: Andrew Painter, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 32)
All eyes were on Painter as he made his return to the competitive mound this fall in the AFL after a two-year layoff due to Tommy John surgery. He certainly didn’t disappoint, earning AFL Pitcher of the Year honors after finishing with a 2.30 ERA, .189 batting average against, 0.89 WHIP and an 18/4 K/BB ratio (10.34 K/9, 2.3 BB/9) over 15 2/3 innings. The Phillies' brass have said they believe he will contribute at some point in 2025 and there’s no reason to think he won’t succeed.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski, RHP (No. 3/MLB No. 80)
If Milwaukee decides to keep Misiorowski in a relief role (as it did with him at Triple-A), he could be this year’s Mason Miller or Cade Smith. The 6-foot-7 right-hander averaged 98 mph with his four-seamer with Nashville and touched as high as 100.7 mph. His low-90s slider and mid-80s curveball were also difficult to touch, but as always, control could be an issue (10 walks in 17 2/3 innings). The Crew continues to view Misiorowski as a starter but acknowledges he could be a dominant closer if shifted full-time.

Cardinals: Thomas Saggese, INF (No. 4)
Toss aside Saggese’s .204/.250/.306 line from last season’s 18-game MLB sample for a moment. More recently, the 22-year-old reined in his previously overaggressive approach in the Arizona Fall League, allowing his impressive bat-to-ball skills to result in better overall contact in the desert. If that holds, Saggese could be a candidate to flirt with a .300 average and produce 20-plus homers over a full Major League season at the keystone, aka prime Rookie of the Year numbers.

Cubs: Matt Shaw, INF (No. 1/MLB No. 22)
Shaw had a spectacular first full pro season after the Cubs drafted him 13th overall out of Maryland in 2023. He slashed .284/.379/.488 with 21 homers and 31 steals in 121 games, becoming one of four 20-30 players in the Minors, winning Double-A Southern League MVP accolades, increasing his production after a promotion to Triple-A and starring with Team USA at the Premier12 tournament in November. An advanced hitter with solid power and speed, he's capable of starting at second or third base.

Pirates: Bubba Chandler, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 15)
Chandler not only reached Triple-A in 2024, he dominated, with a 1.83 ERA and 12.4 K/9 over seven starts, showing off elite-level stuff with plenty left in the tank. Even if he starts back at Indianapolis in 2025, it’s not difficult to envision a Skenes-like path for the 22-year-old right-hander, and we all know how that turned out this year.

Reds: Rhett Lowder, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 33)
Lowder whetted the appetite of Reds fans with a 1.17 ERA over six starts, and he did that walking more and striking out fewer than usual. Cincinnati's recent acquisition of Brady Singer does make the rotation a little more crowded, but Lowder’s combination of stuff and command should allow him to cement a spot.

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NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Jordan Lawlar, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 9)
The 2021 sixth overall pick likely would have graduated in '24 if he hadn’t been limited by right thumb and left hamstring injuries. He’s currently making up for the lost time with Tigres del Licey in LIDOM, where he’s getting consistent looks at shortstop (and a few extra at third base). Lawlar’s loudest tool is his plus-plus speed, and he shows above-average pop as well. He’d likely be a better hitter than Geraldo Perdomo if given the right amount of at-bats at short or he could be an option at third if Eugenio Suárez gets hurt or declines at age 33.

Dodgers: Dalton Rushing, C/OF (No. 1/MLB No. 39)
One of the best catching prospects in the Minors, Rushing started getting some time in the outfield late in the summer so the Dodgers could find a way to get him more at-bats behind Will Smith in 2025. He slashed .271/.384/.512 between Double-A and Triple-A, tied for second among Minor League catchers with 26 homers in 114 games and was named Dodgers organizational player of the year and the Double-A Texas League's top prospect. He features well-above-average raw power, a patient approach, solid arm strength and improving receiving skills.

Giants: Carson Whisenhunt, LHP (No. 3)
A 2022 second-round choice out of East Carolina, Whisenhunt owns one of the Minors' best changeups and sets it up with a low-90s fastball, upper-70s curveball and mid-80s cutter. He logged a 5.42 ERA with 135 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings in Triple-A.

Padres: Tirso Ornelas, OF (No. 17)
Jackson Merrill 2.0 isn’t walking through that door. Ethan Salas (No. 1/MLB No. 19) and Leodalis De Vries (No. 2/MLB No. 28) are just too far away for a magical rookie repeat in San Diego. That said, Jurickson Profar and David Peralta are both free agents, meaning for now, the Padres have openings on the grass. Ornelas could at least be a fourth outfielder to begin the year -- one with decent pop from the left side and an ability to make above-average contact on pitches in the zone -- with the chance to win more playing time depending on what other moves are coming.

Rockies: Drew Romo, C (No. 8)
Romo had a really solid year in Triple-A (.297/.339/.499 with 14 homers and solid catch-and-throw skills) to earn his first callup to the big leagues. He’s a better backstop than Hunter Goodman, who can focus on other positions, so Romo should at least share time with Jacob Stallings behind the plate in Denver.