The "25 Best Under 25 Years Old" list looks decidedly different this year, with Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. and Spencer Strider all graduating from the ranks of the game's young up-and-comers. However, there is still a wealth of talent in that age range, headlined by Seattle Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodríguez and 2023 Rookie of the Year winners Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson. Ahead, we've ranked the 25 best players under 25 years old entering the 2024 season, based on a combination of production to date and future outlook. The age cutoff for inclusion is March 28, 2024, which is Opening Day, and only players with MLB experience were considered for a spot in the rankings. However, you can expect to see a few more exciting young names added to this list with several of the game's top prospects knocking on the door. For now, here are the 25 best under 25. Hitters C Francisco Álvarez, NYMC Patrick Bailey, SFIF Junior Caminero, TBSS/3B Elly De La Cruz, CINOF Jasson Dominguez, NYYIF/OF Ezequiel Durán, TEXOF Sal Frelick, MILIF Maikel Garcia, KCOF Jarred Kelenic, ATL3B Noelvi Marte, CINIF/OF Christopher Morel, CHCC Bo Naylor, CLESS Zach Neto, LAAC Logan O'Hoppe, LAASS Geraldo Perdomo, ARI1B Nolan Schanuel, LAAOF Alek Thomas, ARI1B Spencer Torkelson, DET2B Brice Turang, MILOF Jordan Walker, STLC Austin Wells, NYY Pitchers RHP Taj Bradley, TBLHP Reid Detmers, LAARHP Bryce Elder, ATLLHP Kyle Harrison, SFRHP Reese Olson, DETRHP Gregory Santos, SEARHP Emmet Sheehan, LADRHP Abner Uribe, MILLHP Jordan Wicks, CHCRHP Bryan Woo, SEA 25. LHP Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds (Age: 24) Abbott went 6-2 with a 1.90 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 61.2 innings over his first 10 starts in the big leagues, but he crashed back to earth after that. The southpaw struggled to a 6.42 ERA in 47.2 innings over his final 11 starts, raising questions about his long-term outlook, but he was still a .css-wrcrjw{margin:0;font-size:1.6rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:1.92rem;color:var(--br--palette-foreground__link__secondary__default-mainChannel);font-size:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;white-space:normal;}.css-3nqh9c{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-color:rgba(var(--br--palette-primary-mainChannel) / 0.4);margin:0;font-size:1.6rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:1.92rem;color:var(--br--palette-foreground__link__secondary__default-mainChannel);font-size:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;white-space:normal;}.css-3nqh9c:hover{text-decoration-color:inherit;}.css-lu48cp{margin:0;font:inherit;color:var(--br--palette-primary-main);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-color:rgba(var(--br--palette-primary-mainChannel) / 0.4);margin:0;font-size:1.6rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:Proxima Nova,Proxima Nova Fallback Helvetica,Proxima Nova Fallback Arial;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;line-height:1.92rem;color:var(--br--palette-foreground__link__secondary__default-mainChannel);font-size:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;white-space:normal;}.css-lu48cp:hover{text-decoration-color:inherit;}2.7-WAR player as a rookie. 24. OF Johan Rojas, Philadelphia Phillies (Age: 23) Rojas was never a leaguewide Top 100 prospect and didn't have a clear role heading into the 2023 season, but he now appears to be the long-term answer in center field. On top of hitting .302/.342/.430 for a 111 OPS+ with 13 extra-base hits and 14 steals in 59 games, he logged elite defensive metrics (15 DRS, 12.1 UZR/150) en route to a 2.5-WAR debut. 23. RHP Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians (Age: 24) With a towering 6'6", 250-pound frame and an electric repertoire that includes a mid-90s fastball and two plus breaking pitches in a hard slider and slower curveball, Williams has the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. He logged a 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 81 strikeouts in 82 innings, and he has a higher long-term ceiling than fellow 2023 rookies Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen. 22. OF Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers (Age: 23) After a somewhat disappointing rookie season, Greene took a step forward in 2023, hitting .288/.349/.447 for a 117 OPS+ with 19 doubles, 11 home runs and 37 RBI. A fractured fibula cost him five weeks at midseason and limited him to 99 games overall, so there is still room for another step forward if he can stay healthy for a full season. 21. RHP Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore Orioles (Age: 24) The No. 6 prospect in baseball and second-ranked pitcher behind Andrew Painter (PHI) heading into the 2023 season, Rodriguez is a rising star in the Baltimore rotation. It was a tale of two seasons for him, as he struggled in the first half (10 GS, 7.35 ERA, 45.1 IP) before pitching like a front-line starter in the second half (13 GS, 2.58 ERA, 76.2 IP). 20. IF Edouard Julien, Minnesota Twins (Age: 24) After a stellar run in the Arizona Fall League in 2022, Julien emerged as a surprise contributor for the Twins last season, posting a 130 OPS+ with 33 extra-base hits and 2.6 WAR in 109 games. His emergence paved the way for the Twins to trade Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners this offseason. 19. Zack Gelof, Oakland Athletics (Age: 24) Gelof played only 69 games last season, yet he still managed to lead a 112-loss Oakland team with 2.6 WAR, posting a 137 OPS+ with 20 doubles, 14 home runs, 32 RBI and 14 steals in 300 plate appearances. The 2021 second-round pick has a chance to be the team's best player once again in 2024. 18. RHP Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds (Age: 24) With a fastball that averaged 98.3 mph and a terrific slider that generated a 39.2 percent whiff rate, Greene has some of the best pure stuff in baseball. He posted a 4.82 ERA with 152 strikeouts in 112 innings over 22 starts last season, and the Reds signed him to a six-year, $53 million extension in April. 17. SS Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies (Age: 22) Tovar started 152 of 162 games at shortstop for the Rockies as a rookie last season, providing solid power production (37 doubles, 15 home runs) and strong defense (13 DRS, 1.8 UZR/150). Improving his on-base ability (.287 OBP) and strikeout rate (166 K, 27.0 K%) is the next step in his development. 16. 3B Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins (Age: 24) Lewis has struggled to stay healthy since going No. 1 overall in the 2017 draft, and last season was no different as an oblique injury landed him on the injured list for six weeks at midseason. However, he made a huge impact down the stretch and still ended up hitting .309/.372/.548 for a 150 OPS+ with 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 58 games as a rookie. He needs to prove he can stay on the field before he ranks any higher. 15. 2B Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals (Age: 23) Gorman was one of the best power hitters in the minors throughout his time in the St. Louis farm system, and after flashing some potential as a rookie in 2022, he broke out as a regular in the Cardinals lineup. He posted a 117 OPS+ with 27 home runs and 76 RBI in 464 plate appearances, and he will be the team's primary second baseman in 2024. 14. SS CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals (Age: 23) Acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster, Abrams now looks like a long-term building block for the Nationals. He posted a .734 OPS with 11 home runs and 33 steals in 70 games after the All-Star break and finished with an 18-homer, 47-steal, 3.4-WAR season while playing strong defense (4 DRS, 3.7 UZR/150). 13. RHP Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox (Age: 24) Bello went 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 157 innings during a 3.1-WAR season in 2023, and he is shaping up to be Boston's best homegrown starting pitcher since Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. The team sees enough potential that extension talks have started this spring. 12. SS Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees (Age: 22) Volpe became just the third rookie shortstop in MLB history with a 20/20 season, joining Nomar Garciaparra (1997) and Bobby Witt Jr. (2022), and he also joined Jeremy Peña as the only rookies to win a Gold Glove at shortstop. There is obviously room for improvement over his .209 average and .283 on-base percentage, but a 3.3-WAR debut season is a great start. 11. RHP Bobby Miller, Los Angeles Dodgers (Age: 24) Miller stepped up big for the Dodgers last season when Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urías, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May all missed time. With a five-pitch repertoire that includes a 99.1 mph fastball, two plus breaking pitches and a terrific changeup, he went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 119 strikeouts in 124.1 innings over 22 starts. Age: 24 Matt McLain hit .340/.467/.688 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 40 games at Triple-A to begin the 2023 season, forcing his way onto the MLB roster in the process. The No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 draft ended up being the most productive rookie on a Cincinnati Reds roster loaded with up-and-coming talent, hitting .290/.357/.507 for a 129 OPS+ with 23 doubles, 16 home runs, 50 RBI, 14 steals and 3.7 WAR in 89 games. He will join Elly De La Cruz up the middle to form one of baseball's most exciting young middle infield tandems for the foreseeable future. Age: 24 Triston Casas got off to a slow start to the 2023 season after breaking camp as the Boston Red Sox starting first baseman, but he kicked it into gear after the All-Star break and looks like a breakout candidate heading into 2024. Among players with at least 200 plate appearances after the All-Star break, only Shohei Ohtani (1.098), Matt Olson (1.077) and Ronald Acuna Jr. (1.039) had a higher OPS than the 1.034 mark that Casas posted. Age: 24 The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the Toronto Blue Jays last offseason in exchange for Daulton Varsho, and that deal ended up playing a major role in their unexpected run to the World Series. Moreno hit .284/.339/.408 for a 104 OPS+ with 19 doubles, seven home runs and 50 RBI, and his 4.3 WAR was tied with Adley Rutschman for the MLB lead among all catchers. He also became the first rookie backstop since Charles Johnson with the Florida Marlins in 1995 to win Gold Glove honors. Age: 21 This might be an overly optimistic ranking for a player who has only 40 games at the MLB level under his belt, but a brilliant 23-game audition down the stretch and stellar numbers during the Texas Rangers' run to the World Series title have sent expectations soaring. Carter hit .306/.413/.645 for a 182 OPS+ with 10 extra-base hits in 75 plate appearances after making his MLB debut on Sept. 8, staking claim to the starting left field job and playing his way into a spot in the middle of the batting order. He then hit .300/.417/.500 with nine doubles, one home run and six RBI in the playoffs, racking up 18 hits and 10 walks in 72 plate appearances, spending most of the postseason hitting in the middle of the batting order. Age: 20 Eury Pérez was the second-youngest player to appear in an MLB game last season, behind only Tampa Bay Rays top prospect Junior Caminero, who made his debut as a September call-up. The Miami Marlins were careful not to overextend him, and he spent some time in the minors in an effort to limit his innings total, ultimately making 19 starts on the year after making his MLB debut on May 12. The 6'8", 220-pound right-hander flashed elite stuff while posting a 3.15 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 108 strikeouts in 91.1 innings, and he won't turn 21 years old until after Opening Day. It could be a few years before the Marlins fully turn him loose, but he has the potential to be a perennial Cy Young candidate. Age: 23 Michael Harris II jumped straight from Double-A to the majors in 2022 and went on to win NL Rookie of the Year honors, posting a 133 OPS+ with 49 extra-base hits and 20 steals in a 5.3-WAR season to edge out his teammate Spencer Strider for the hardware. The Braves saw enough to sign him to an eight-year, $72 million extension that includes club options in 2031 and 2032, and after a slow start to the 2023 season, he was once again one of baseball's best center fielders. He hit .293/.331/.477 for a 114 OPS+ with 33 doubles, 18 home runs, 57 RBI and 20 steals in a 3.4-WAR season, and he doesn't turn 23 years old until a few weeks before Opening Day. Age: 23 Bobby Witt Jr. had a 20-homer, 30-steal rookie season in 2022, but poor defense and middling on-base ability left him as a 0.9-WAR player in 150 games. He took a significant step forward in his second big league season, hitting .276/.319/.495 for a 120 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 11 triples, 30 home runs, 96 RBI, 97 runs scored and 49 steals in a 4.4-WAR campaign. The biggest improvements came on the defensive side of the ball, as he went from a liability (-18 DRS, -8.7 UZR/150) to only slightly below average (-6 DRS, 0.2 UZR/150), and the Royals rewarded him with an 11-year, $288.8 million extension. Age: 22 The No. 1 prospect in baseball heading into the 2023 season, Gunnar Henderson lived up to the hype, winning AL Rookie of the Year honors unanimously and finishing eighth in AL MVP balloting while also winning Silver Slugger honors. He posted a 125 OPS+ with 66 extra-base hits, 28 home runs, 82 RBI, 100 runs scored and 10 steals in a 6.2-WAR season while bouncing between shortstop and third base. That WAR total trailed only Shohei Ohtani (10.0), Mookie Betts (8.3), Ronald Acuña Jr. (8.2), Gerrit Cole (7.4), Matt Olson (7.4), Marcus Semien (7.4), Corey Seager (6.9) and Freddie Freeman (6.5) among all players in 2023. Age: 23 The Arizona Diamondbacks took a risk last offseason when they signed Corbin Carroll to an eight-year, $111 million extension following a 32-game audition where he racked up 1.1 WAR in 32 games down the stretch in 2022. He rewarded their faith in him by hitting .285/.362/.506 with 30 doubles, 10 triples, 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 116 runs scored and 54 steals in 59 attempts, winning NL Rookie of the Year unanimously and finishing fifth in NL MVP voting. With 99th percentile sprint speed, sneaky raw power, elite contact skills and terrific defense in the outfield, Carroll is a legitimate five-tool talent for a D-backs team on the rise. Age: 23 While Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson both had fantastic seasons in 2023, Julio Rodríguez already has two seasons of elite-level production under his belt heading into his age-23 season. He has already racked up 11.5 WAR during his first two seasons in the majors, with a pair of All-Star selections, two Silver Slugger Awards and consecutive top-10 finishes in AL MVP voting. He posted a 128 OPS+ with 37 doubles, 32 home runs, 103 RBI and 37 steals in 155 games in 2023, and he hit .429/.474/.724 with 10 doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBI in 23 games during the month of August. Note: All prospect rankings referenced in the article refer to Baseball America rankings.
