Who Are The 10 Best MLB Players 25 And Under Right Now?

Fox Sports

a day ago

The youth movement is alive and well in baseball. In fact, many of the 65 players named to the All-Star rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game are only a few years into their big league careers.
A total of 13 players aged 25 or younger are on either of the American or National League rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. There are a handful of others, like Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet or Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vlad Guerreo Jr., who recently turned 26 and have established themselves as stars in the league.
For now, let's focus on the players aged 25 or younger and determine which players in that age group are the best in MLB. 10. Hunter Greene, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Greene has been on baseball fans' radars for quite some time. He was able to throw a fastball that traveled at 104 mph during his time in the minors and has since become one of the hardest-throwing starting pitchers in MLB. After a pair of OK seasons to start his career, Greene has settled in and become a force for the Reds. He's recorded a sub-2.75 ERA since the start of the 2024 season, posting an impressive 1.005 WHIP over that time. 9. Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners
Rodríguez admittedly hasn't had the best season at the plate in 2025, but the 24-year-old's all-around production over the last few years has been undeniable. He had two top-10 AL MVP finishes in the first two years of his career, winning AL Rookie of the Year and being named a Silver Slugger in 2022. He had a .284 batting average to go with a .853 OPS, 28 home runs, 75 RBIs and 25 stolen bases that year. He was arguably even better in 2023, posting a .275 batting average to go with a .818 OPS, 32 homers, 103 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. And even though Rodríguez hasn't been as great at the plate as of late, his baserunning and fielding still make him one of the most valuable players in the American League. 8. Jackson Merrill, OF, San Diego Padres
In many other years, Merrill's 2024 campaign would have won him NL Rookie of the Year. He hit .292 to go with a .826 OPS, 24 homers, 90 RBIs and 16 stolen bases as he seemingly had clutch hit after clutch hit for a Padres team that made the postseason. He was also the first rookie in Padres history to be named an All-Star. Multiple stints on the injured list have caused Merrill to not be as productive at the plate so far in 2025, but it's clear the future is bright with him. 7. James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals
When you're one of the centerpieces of a trade involving Juan Soto, you've got big shoes to fill. Luckily for the Nationals, Wood has begun to fill them. The 22-year-old was named an All-Star for the first time on Sunday and is actually the youngest player on either All-Star roster this season. As of Tuesday, Wood is in the top five in the National League in OPS (.940), home runs (23), RBIs (67) and fWAR (3.9), seizing on the momentum of his strong debut season in 2024. 6. Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles
Similar to Rodriguez, Henderson has been underwhelming at the plate in 2025, but his prior production is undeniable. He was one of the best hitters in the American League in 2024, finishing in the top 10 in OPS (.893), home runs (37) and hits (177). He also won AL Rookie of the Year in 2023 with his 28-homer campaign, emerging as one of the faces for a young Orioles team that won the AL East that season. 5. Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Carroll was one of the best all-around players in baseball as a rookie in 2023, hitting .285 to go with a .868 OPS, 25 homers and an NL-leading 10 triples that year. He continued to play at a high level in the postseason that year, hitting two homers to go with 10 RBIs and five stolen bases to help the Diamondbacks win the National League pennant. Following his Rookie of the Year season, Carroll's numbers took a slight dip in 2024, but he's arguably even better in 2025 than he was in 2023. As of Tuesday, he's hitting .250 with a .896 OPS, 20 homers, 45 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and has an MLB-leading 10 triples. 4. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Cincinnati Reds
From the moment he made his debut in 2023, De La Cruz has been one of baseball's most electrifying players. Not many hitters have the ability he has to hit homers, steal bases and turn routine hits into extra-base hits. That's apparent when you look at his statline from 2024, when he hit 25 homers, 36 doubles and 10 triples to go with an MLB-leading 67 stolen bases. Like Carroll, De La Cruz is starting to show even more power in 2025. He has 18 home runs this season (as of Tuesday), going on a four-game home run streak in June as he's helped the Reds contend for a playoff spot. 3. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs
The Cubs' outfield is loaded with talent in 2025, and the 23-year-old Crow-Armstrong might be the best player of the group. Following a poor 13-game stint to start his big league career in 2023, Crow-Armstrong has only gotten better over the last two seasons. He hit .262 with seven homers and 10 stolen bases in the second half of last season (63 games), using that as momentum to become one of the best players in baseball in 2025. As of Tuesday, Crow-Armstrong is in the top 10 in the National League in home runs (23), doubles (20), triples (four), stolen bases (27) and RBIs (67). He's also .272 with a .859 OPS, helping him lead all NL hitters in fWAR (4.8). If it weren't for Shohei Ohtani, Crow-Armstrong might be the favorite to win NL MVP entering the All-Star break. 2. Paul Skenes, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
If you remove the qualifier for this list, Skenes still might be the No. 1 pitcher in all of baseball. Less than a year after the Pirates selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes burst onto the scene and seemingly made history in nearly every start as a rookie. He became the first pitcher in MLB history to record 150 strikeouts and a sub-1.00 WHIP in his first 20 career appearances. He also had the second-lowest ERA for a pitcher through the first 20 starts of their career, and had the fifth-most strikeouts by a pitcher through their first 20 appearances in league history.
Skenes easily won NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 as a result, earning that honor after he became the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game. Skenes might earn the honor of starting the All-Star Game for a second straight year in 2025. Ahead of making his final start before the All-Star break, Skenes is first in the National League in ERA (1.94), second in WHIP (0.922) and fourth in strikeouts (125). Skenes is also the betting favorite to win NL Cy Young as of Tuesday after finishing third in the vote last season. 1. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
No player on this list has won an MVP, but Witt came the closest. The Royals star finished second in AL MVP voting in 2024, making a strong case for the award by leading the majors in batting average (.332) to go with a .977 OPS, 32 home runs, 109 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Aaron Judge's historic season was just too much for Witt to overcome in the voting, but it seems inevitable that the star will win an MVP someday. He finished seventh in the vote in 2023, hitting .276 with a .813 OPS, 30 homers, 96 RBIs and an MLB-leading 11 triples. This year, Witt's hitting .296 with a .849 OPS, 13 home runs and an MLB-leading 30 doubles (as of Tuesday). He's also recorded 134 stolen bases through his first three-plus seasons, making him one of baseball's top baserunners. HONORABLE MENTIONS Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Junior Caminero, INF, Tampa Bay Rays
Bryan Woo, RHP, Seattle Mariners
Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
CJ Abrams, SS, Washington Nationals
Jackson Holiday, SS/2B, Baltimore Orioles
Andy Pages, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Riley Greene, OF, Detroit Tigers
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