MLB's All-Surprise Team After 1st Month of 2025 Season

The beauty of a new MLB season is that it truly is a clean slate, and while a deep dive into statistics can serve as a tool in predicting player performance, there are always a handful of players who get hot out of the gates and blow past preseason expectations.

In some cases, it is a young player on the rise taking the next step forward in his development after a lackluster showing the previous year. First baseman Tyler Soderstrom fits the bill for the Athletics this season as he has broken through as a post-hype former top prospect.

Other times, it's a veteran who was largely written off or forgotten about returning to impact form. Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story was a non-factor over his first three seasons with the team due to injuries, but he is healthy and showing why he landed a $140 million contract.

Ahead we've selected our All-Surprise Team after one month, with one player at each position on the diamond, five starting pitchers and a reliever making up our 14-man roster.

Stats: 66 PA, 124 wRC+, .277/.288/.492, 7 XBH (3 HR), 11 RBI, 0.7 WAR

A quality athlete behind the plate who began his college career at Ohio State playing center field, Dillon Dingler has been viewed as the potential catcher of the future in Detroit since he was taken in the second round of the 2020 draft.

He hit .308/.379/.559 with 15 doubles, 17 home runs and 52 RBI in 71 games at Triple-A last season, and an oblique strain to starting catcher Jake Rogers has opened the door for him to see extended action to kick off the 2025 season.

The 26-year-old has a significantly higher offensive ceiling than Rogers, and if nothing else the Tigers should have a solid platoon behind the dish once he returns to action.

Stats: 111 PA, 184 wRC+, .310/.369/.620, 13 XBH (9 HR), 22 RBI, 1.0 WAR

There has been no shortage of surprises at first base, including a breakout performance from Jonathan Aranda (TB) and a post-hype resurgence from Spencer Torkelson (DET).

However, Tyler Soderstrom has been one of the most productive hitters in all of baseball this season, joining an offensive core on the rise for the Athletics that also includes Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday and rookies Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz.

The No. 26 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Soderstrom has long been viewed as a future offensive star, but he has taken a massive leap forward after hitting .233/.315/.429 with nine home runs in 213 plate appearances a year ago.

Stats: 71 PA, 147 wRC+, .242/.329/.532, 7 XBH (5 HR), 8 RBI, 1.0 WAR

Kyren Paris was part of a deep 2019 high school shortstop class that was headlined by Bobby Witt Jr., CJ Abrams and Gunnar Henderson, and the Angels selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the second round.

The 23-year-old peaked as the No. 3 prospect in the Angels system prior to the 2019 season, but slipped all the way down to No. 21 on that list heading into 2025 following an injury-plagued 2024 campaign where he hit .167/.254/.278 in 250 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.

Injuries to Anthony Rendon and Yoán Moncada opened the door for him to seize a starting role on the Angels infield, and he has made the most of the opportunity with a strong start at the plate and solid defensive work at the keystone.

Stats: 99 PA, 122 wRC+, .284/.354/.420, 8 XBH (2 HR), 10 RBI, 0.5 WAR

Maikel Garcia appeared in 157 games for the Kansas City Royals last season, and he tallied 1.2 WAR on the strength of his speed (37 SB) and defense (3 DRS, 2.6 UZR/150).

However, he batted just .231/.281/.332 for a 69 wRC+ that ranked 129th out of 129 qualified hitters, and that raised some questions about whether he would be able to hold onto the starting third base job without more offensive impact.

The 25-year-old has seen a nice uptick in his walk rate (6.7 to 10.1 percent), and he has also made significant strides with his hard-hit rate (42.8 to 57.3 percent) and average exit velocity (90.4 to 93.9 mph).

Stats: 106 PA, 126 wRC+, .297/.330/.465, 7 XBH (5 HR), 15 RBI, 0.7 WAR

After appearing in only 163 total games over the first three seasons of his six-year, $140 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, Trevor Story entered the 2025 season in a position where anything he produced had to be viewed as a bonus rather than a meeting of expectations.

A .232/.296/.397 hitter over 670 plate appearances with the Red Sox when he had managed to take the field prior to this season, he has taken steps toward returning to the impact form he showed throughout his time with the Colorado Rockies.

A major power/speed threat early in his career with three 20/20 seasons on his resume, it is also a promising sign that he has swiped six bases in the early going this year.

Stats: 112 PA, 167 wRC+, .330/.393/.570, 16 XBH (3 HR), 16 RBI, 1.5 WAR

Signed to a six-year, $113 million deal prior to the 2024 season following a terrific seven-year run in the KBO, outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was a victim of "out of sight, out of mind" heading into the 2025 season.

The 26-year-old played just 37 games as a rookie before suffering a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum in his left shoulder when he collided with the Oracle Park outfield fence on May 12.

That extended absence effectively threw water onto the hype of his nine-figure contract and stateside debut, but now he is showing why he was worth that major payday as an impact bat out of the No. 3 spot in the Giants lineup.

Stats: 61 PA, 187 wRC+, .291/.361/.636, 7 XBH (6 HR), 13 RBI, 0.8 WAR

Acquired as a throw-in of sorts in the blockbuster deal that brought Juan Soto to the New York Yankees prior to the 2024 season, Trent Grisham showed some offensive upside early in his career, but had essentially devolved into a glove-only fourth outfielder at this point a year ago.

The 28-year-old hit a combined .191/.298/.353 or an 84 OPS+ over 1,288 plate appearances during the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons, and he was a legitimate non-tender candidate heading into the 2024-25 offseason.

The Yankees opted to tender him a $5 million salary, and that has paid major dividends, as he trails only Aaron Judge (2.2) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (1.1) among the team's WAR leaders, and he could start siphoning off playing time from a struggling Cody Bellinger.

Stats: 75 PA, 180 wRC+, .328/.373/.597, 11 XBH (3 HR), 11 RBI, 0.9 WAR

In classic Tampa Bay Rays fashion, Kameron Misner has come out of nowhere to emerge as one of the team's offensive leaders after he was acquired as a prospect early in his pro career in an under-the-radar deal that sent Joey Wendle the other way to the Miami Marlins.

The 27-year-old went 1-for-15 with 10 strikeouts in his first taste of the big leagues last season, and it took injuries to Josh Lowe, Jonny DeLuca and Richie Palacios to create a path to regular playing time.

Teammate Jake Mangum (73 PA, 136 wRC+, 0.8 WAR) also deserves a shoutout, and he has been equally surprising and nearly as impactful helping to fill the void in a banged up Tampa Bay outfield.

Stats: 5 GS, 2-1, 1.72 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 6 BB, 31 K, 31.1 IP, 1.1 WAR

Despite pitching well over the life of a two-year, $25 million deal with the Texas Rangers, including tossing some big innings during the team's 2024 World Series run, Andrew Heaney was met with limited interest on the open market during the offseason.

The 33-year-old ended up settling for a one-year, $5.25 million deal and what amounted to a guaranteed rotation spot with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Feb. 22, and he has already been one of the steals of the offseason.

His production has gone a long way in offsetting the loss of Jared Jones, who has been sidelined since mid-March with elbow discomfort.

Stats: 5 GS, 3-0, 0.68 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 12 BB, 25 K, 26.2 IP, 0.8 WAR

Tyler Mahle has pitched at a high level in the past, turning in a standout 2021 season where he finished 13-6 with a 3.75 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 210 strikeouts in 180 innings for the Cincinnati Reds.

However, after pitching just 38.1 innings over the past two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, it was unclear what could reasonably be expected from the 30-year-old in the second season of a two-year, $22 million deal with the Texas Rangers.

Through five starts, he leads all qualified pitchers in ERA (0.68) and opponents' batting average (.112), allowing just 10 hits and two earned runs in 26.2 innings of work.

Stats: 5 GS, 2-1, 1.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 9 BB, 33 K, 31.0 IP, 1.1 WAR

Left-hander Kris Bubic was the fourth of four pitchers the Kansas City Royals drafted inside the top 40 picks in the 2018 draft, going after Brady Singer (No. 18), Jackson Kowar (No. 33) and Daniel Lynch IV (No. 34).

After seeing mixed results as a starter, he pitched out of the bullpen in 2024 and logged a 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a brilliant 39-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 30.1 innings.

The Royals opted to shift him back to a starting role this year after trading Singer to the Cincinnati Reds to acquire Jonathan India, and so far he has made a seamless transition back into the rotation.

Stats: 5 GS, 2-2, 2.10 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 7 BB, 41 K, 30.0 IP, 0.9 WAR

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft and a Top 100 prospect at the start of each of his first three pro seasons, Max Meyer made two big league starts in 2022 before he was lost to Tommy John surgery.

He returned with a 5.68 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 57 innings over 11 starts last season, though he still flashed some intriguing upside thanks to his power arsenal and top prospect pedigree.

Elite results with his slider (.103 BAA, 53.5% whiff rate) has been the driving force behind his early success this season, and now in his age-26 season he finally looks poised to become a staple in the Miami rotation.

Stats: 5 GS, 1-1, 2.30 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 9 BB, 22 K, 27.1 IP, 0.6 WAR

It is rare that a team is willing to give a Rule 5 selection a shot at holding down a spot in the starting rotation, but then again, it's also rare that a team is coming off a historically awful 121-loss campaign.

The Chicago White Sox plucked Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers organization with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 Rule 5 draft following a 2024 season where he logged a 3.05 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 113 strikeouts in 94.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

The 25-year-old won the No. 5 starter job during spring training, and he has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his starts, tossing a gem against the Minnesota Twins last time out with four hits allowed and seven strikeouts over five shutout innings.

Stats: 11 G, 1-0, 2 HLD, 0.00 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 0 BB, 16 K, 11.2 IP, 0.7 WAR

Randy Rodríguez showed some intriguing swing-and-miss stuff as a rookie in 2024, posting a 4.30 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 53 strikeouts in 52.1 innings over 35 appearances.

He was used mostly in low-leverage, middle relief spots a year ago, but he is quickly pitching his way into a key role with a virtually untouchable start to the 2025 season.

The 25-year-old is averaging 97.1 mph with his fastball and generating a 37.8 percent whiff rate with his slider, and he has allowed just eight base runners in 11.2 scoreless innings to open the year.