Kristian Campbell, Jacob Wilson and the 2025 MLB Rookie Power Rankings

As the calendar flips to May, it's time for our first updated MLB rookie rankings of the 2025 season.

The first version of our rookie rankings was released shortly after Opening Day and simply served as a rundown of the most promising rookies who were playing at the MLB level to open the season.

Now we have some actual on-field production to consider.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell was the early star of the 2025 rookie class with a red-hot start to the season, and he has maintained his standing as the early AL Rookie of the Year front-runner, but who slots in behind him?

These rankings will be updated each month throughout the season, with rookies rising and falling based on their recent performance.

Future expectations, long-term upside, preseason prospect rankings and minor league track records were not a factor in these rankings. The sole focus is 2025 production.

Pitchers

RP Joey Cantillo, CLE
SP Hunter Dobbins, BOS
SP Logan Evans, SEA
SP Richard Fitts, BOS
RP Mason Fluharty, TOR
RP Seth Halvorsen, COL
SP Logan Henderson, MIL
SP Jack Leiter, TEX
RP Mason Montgomery, TB
RP Eric Orze, TB
RP Jackson Rutledge, WAS
RP Chase Shugart, PIT
SP AJ Smith-Shawver, ATL
RP Mike Vasil, CWS
SP Will Warren, NYY
RP Ryan Zeferjahn, LAA

Hitters

OF Isaac Collins, MIL
OF Blake Dunn, CIN
3B Caleb Durbin, MIL
C Liam Hicks, MIA
IF Chase Meidroth, CWS
C/DH Agustín Ramírez, MIA
IF Thomas Saggese, STL
OF Chandler Simpson, TB
SS Trey Sweeney, DET
2B Tim Tawa, ARI

25. 1B/OF Eric Wagaman, Miami Marlins

Stats: 100 PA, 94 wRC+, .247/.300/.409, 9 XBH (3 HR), 8 RBI, 0.1 WAR

A 13th-round pick by the Yankees in 2017, Wagaman made his MLB debut last season with the Angels, appearing in 18 games as a September call-up. The 27-year-old joined the Marlins on a one-year, MLB deal in December, and he has played his way into a platoon role at first base with Matt Mervis while also making a handful of starts in left field.

24. RP Lake Bachar, Miami Marlins

Stats: 12 G, 3 HLD, 1.20 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, 15.0 IP, 0.1 WAR

Bachar made his MLB debut with the Marlins last September after he was claimed off waivers from the Padres, posting a 3.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 9.1 innings over 10 appearances down the stretch. The 29-year-old has allowed just four hits while facing 56 batters this season, and he could see more high-leverage work going forward.

23. 3B Ben Williamson, Seattle Mariners

Stats: 49 PA, 114 wRC+, .283/.327/.391, 3 XBH (1 HR), 7 RBI, 0.2 WAR

One of the best defensive third base prospects in baseball, Williamson has settled in as the Mariners' primary starter at the hot corner since making his MLB debut on April 15. The 24-year-old hit .283/.375/.394 with 34 doubles, four home runs and 64 RBI in 124 games between High-A and Double-A last year. And while he doesn't offer much in the way of power, his contact skills and glove drive his value.

21. UT Javier Sanoja, Miami Marlins

Stats: 55 PA, 98 wRC+, .314/.333/.392, 2 XBH (1 HR), 7 RBI, 0.2 WAR

One of the youngest players to earn an Opening Day roster spot this season, Sanoja has been a valuable Swiss Army knife for the Marlins, starting games at second base, shortstop, third base, left field and center field. The 22-year-old is going to have a tough time maintaining a .385 BABIP with his batted-ball metrics, but the early returns are still worthy of a spot in these rankings.

22. C Edgar Quero, Chicago White Sox

Stats: 43 PA, 148 wRC+, .314/.442/.371, 2 XBH (0 HR), 5 RBI, 0.3 WAR

The No. 78 prospect in baseball on B/R's Top 100 prospect list to start the season, Quero has quickly emerged as one of the most promising players on the White Sox roster, taking over as the primary catcher and cleanup hitter since debuting on April 17. Just a few weeks removed from his 22nd birthday, he has a chance to steadily climb these rankings in the coming months.

20. C Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves

Stats: 55 PA, 108 wRC+, .260/.327/.420, 4 XBH (2 HR), 6 RBI, 0.3 WAR

A spring injury to Sean Murphy opened the door for Baldwin to break camp as Atlanta's starting catcher, and he showed enough in his early audition to stick around on the MLB roster once the 2023 All-Star returned. The 24-year-old was No. 44 on B/R's Top 100 prospect list to start the year, behind only Samuel Basallo (BAL), Ethan Salas (SD), Dalton Rushing (LAD) and Kyle Teel (CWS) among catching prospects.

19. RP Jack Dreyer, Los Angeles Dodgers

Stats: 13 G, 2 HLD, 3.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, 17.1 IP, 0.5 WAR

Dreyer pitched his way onto the Opening Day roster with a 2.57 ERA and an 11-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over seven innings during spring training, and he has continued to serve as a quality middle relief option. The 26-year-old went undrafted in the shortened 2020 draft, but he has been a nice diamond-in-the-rough find for the Dodgers front office.

18. RP Max Kranick, New York Mets

Stats: 12 G, 2 HLD, 2.55 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 17.2 IP, 0.4 WAR

The Mets claimed Kranick off waivers from the Pirates prior to the 2024 season and he spent the entire year in the minors, shifting from starting to relieving upon reaching Triple-A. The 27-year-old has backed his strong start with a 2.74 FIP and done a nice job generating soft contact, which has helped offset a lackluster 16.9 percent strikeout rate.

17. OF Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals

Stats: 104 PA, 70 wRC+, .220/.250/.370, 6 XBH (4 HR), 6 RBI, 0.0 WAR

After hitting just .140/.183/.140 in 60 plate appearances over his first 16 games, Crews has seemingly turned a corner at the plate. Since going 3-for-5 with two home runs on April 19, he is batting .326/.341/.674 with four long balls in his last 11 games while starting to showcase the offensive potential that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

16. C Carlos Narváez, Boston Red Sox

Stats: 80 PA, 73 wRC+, .216/.275/.351, 6 XBH (2 HR), 6 RBI, 0.3 WAR

With Connor Wong sidelined early with a fractured pinkie finger, Narváez has started 20 of the first 31 games of the season for the Red Sox behind the plate. His offensive numbers don't jump off the page, but he has logged fantastic defensive metrics (7 DRS, 1.4 FRM) while throwing out 5-of-18 base stealers.

15. SP Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers

Stats: 6 GS, 0-1, 3.55 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 18 BB, 20 K, 25.1 IP, 0.0 WAR

Sasaki has walked multiple hitters in each of his six starts and issued 18 free passes total in 25.1 innings, but he has done a good job pitching around that self-inflicted trouble and the Dodgers are 4-2 in those games. The stuff is there with a fastball that is averaging 96.4 mph and a splitter and slider that are both generating a whiff rate north of 40 percent, it's just a matter of settling in.

14. OF Cam Smith, Houston Astros

Stats: 80 PA, 99 wRC+, .211/.300/.380, 5 XBH (3 HR), 10 RBI, 0.3 WAR

At this time a year ago, Smith was in the midst of a breakout season at Florida State that would vault him up 2024 draft boards, eventually landing him at No. 14 overall to the Cubs. The North Siders flipped him to the Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal, and he won an Opening Day roster spot with a huge spring. Given his rapid ascent, he is more than holding his own with a 99 wRC+ in 80 plate appearances.

13. RP Justin Sterner, Athletics

Stats: 13 G, 4 HLD, 0.00 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 13.2 IP, 0.3 WAR

The Rays are often on the receiving end of breakout relief pitchers acquired in under-the-radar offseason deals, but they appear to have let one get away when Sterner was lost off waivers to the Athletics in November. The 28-year-old has tossed 13.2 scoreless innings to start the 2025 season, generating a whiff rate north of 30 percent with his fastball (33.3%), cutter (36.7%) and sweeper (37.5%) while posting an elite .122 expected batting average.

12. SP Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers

Stats: 4 GS, 2-0, 2.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10 BB, 14 K, 20.0 IP, 0.2 WAR

Jobe turned in strong starts against the Twins (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER) and Royals (5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER) in his third and fourth outings of the year, but then the Tigers left him on the sidelines for 12 days before he took the mound again on Wednesday. His 97.1 innings pitched last year between the minors, majors and postseason were a career high, so expect Detroit to continue being extremely cautious with his usage, though the frontline potential is undeniable.

11. SP Tomoyuki Sugano, Baltimore Orioles

Stats: 6 GS, 3-1, 3.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 6 BB, 17 K, 33.0 IP, 0.0 WAR

Far from a traditional rookie in his age-35 season, Sugano still qualifies for the conversation in his first year stateside following a terrific 12-year career in Japan. He is not missing many bats, but the overall results are still solid, and there is an easy case to be made that he has been the best starter on the Orioles staff.

10. OF Jasson Domínguez, New York Yankees

Stats: 100 PA, 109 wRC+, .239/.330/.386, 9 XBH (2 HR), 12 RBI, 0.2 WAR

The Yankees gave Domínguez a clear path to the starting left field job, and his nine extra-base hits trail only Kristian Campbell (12) and Kameron Misner (11) among all rookie hitters. The 22-year-old has seven multi-hit games, and he is batting .310/.420/.476 in 13 games at Yankee Stadium.

9. SP Chad Patrick, Milwaukee Brewers

Stats: 6 G, 5 GS, 1-2, 2.45 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 11 BB, 22 K, 25.2 IP, 0.5 WAR

Injuries to Aaron Civale and Nestor Cortes have opened the door for Patrick to find his way into the Milwaukee rotation, and he has yet to give up more than two earned runs in any of his starts. His 10.5 percent walk rate is on the high side and his 4.17 FIP points to some likely regression to come, but he has earned a top-10 spot with his performance in April.

8. SP/RP Ryan Gusto, Houston Astros

Stats: 8 G, 4 GS, 3-1, 3.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 6 BB, 29 K, 27.0 IP, 0.6 WAR

The No. 14 prospect in the Astros system at the start of the season, Gusto was one of the club's top performing pitchers in the minors a year ago, posting a 3.70 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 141 strikeouts in 148.1 innings at Triple-A. Houston is as good as anyone at developing late-round pitching talent, and he looks like its latest success story as an 11th-round selection in 2019.

7. RP Ben Casparius, Los Angeles Dodgers

Stats: 11 G, 1 GS, 3-0, 3 HLD, 2.91 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, 21.2 IP, 0.6 WAR

Casparius memorably started Game 4 of the World Series for the Dodgers last year in a bullpen game, tossing the first two frames against the Yankees in what was just his seventh career appearance in the majors. The 26-year-old has solidified his place in the bullpen with a strong start this year, and he gives the team some valuable length as he has recorded more than three outs in eight of his 11 appearances.

6. 2B Luisangel Acuña, New York Mets

Stats: 76 PA, 109 wRC+, .300/.355/.371, 5 XBH (0 HR), 3 RBI, 0.5 WAR

Acuña turned heads when he posted a 166 wRC+ over 40 plate appearances filling in for an injured Francisco Lindor down the stretch while the Mets pushed for a wild-card berth, and this year it was an injury to Jeff McNeil that gave him a chance at some early playing time. The Mets have been using McNeil in center field since he returned from the injured list, giving Acuña a chance to continue carving out a role.

Stats: 73 PA, 133 wRC+, .338/.384/.397, 4 XBH (0 HR), 7 RBI, 0.8 WAR

Jake Mangum is one of the more interesting stories of the first month of the 2025 season, finally breaking through in his age-29 campaign and playing for his third organization.

The New York Mets selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, but they signed him for just $20,000 as he was a college senior with no negotiating leverage. He hit .357/.420/.457 as a four-year starter at Mississippi State, and those stellar bat-to-ball skills have been on display this season.

With 23 hits and eight steals in 21 games, Mangum made a significant impact for a Rays team dealing with injury issues in the outfield before he, too, landed on the IL with a groin strain on April 23.

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

It's not often a Rule 5 pick gets an opportunity to fill a spot in a team's starting rotation, but it's also not often a team is coming off a 121-loss campaign like the rebuilding White Sox are here in 2025.

Right-hander Shane Smith was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 Rule 5 draft during the annual winter meetings, with the White Sox plucking him from the Brewers organization, and he won the No. 5 starter job during spring training.

The 25-year-old has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a start, including a pair of scoreless outings on the road against the Guardians (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K) and Twins (5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 7 K) as an early bright spot for the South Siders.

Stats: 112 PA, 127 wRC+, .321/.333/.459, 9 XBH (3 HR), 14 RBI, 0.7 WAR

Jacob Wilson only struck out five times in 217 plate appearances during his junior season at Grand Canyon University, and that elite hit tool was the reason he went No. 6 overall in the 2023 draft.

The 23-year-old hit an absurd .433/.474/.668 over 226 plate appearances in the minors last season before making his MLB debut on July 19, but he suffered a hamstring injury in his first game that sidelined him for 33 games.

That time on the IL helped him maintain his rookie eligibility here in 2025, and he has continued to showcase some of the best contact skills of any hitter in the game while also providing some extra-base pop.

Stats: 83 PA, 162 wRC+, .311/.361/.554, 11 XBH (3 HR), 11 RBI, 0.8 WAR

Even with a limited collegiate track record and some swing-and-miss concerns, Kameron Misner was still taken with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2019 draft out of the University of Missouri where he hit .286/.440/.481 with 10 home runs, 20 steals and 58 strikeouts in 57 games during his junior year.

Originally drafted by the Marlins, he was traded to the Rays in a one-for-one swap that sent Joey Wendle the other way prior to the 2022 campaign, and he has posted an OPS above .800 in the upper levels of the minors each of the past three seasons.

After going 1-for-15 with 10 strikeouts in his first taste of the big leagues last year, he has broken through in a major way this season. The question now is whether his early performance will be sustainable with middling batted-ball metrics and a luck-driven .370 BABIP.

Stats: 119 PA, 166 wRC+, .313/.420/.515, 12 XBH (4 HR), 12 RBI, 1.3 WAR

The gap between Kristian Campbell and the rest of the 2025 MLB rookie class through one month is as wide as any in recent memory, as he has simply been on another level from the jump this year relative to the league's other top newcomers.

The 22-year-old seized the starting second base job with a strong spring training, then hit .423/.515/.808 with six extra-base hits in his first eight games before signing an eight-year, $60 million extension with the Red Sox.

Campbell has leveled off a bit since that torrid start, but he still stands as, arguably, the most productive second baseman in the sport through the first month of the season, and there is nothing in his underlying metrics to suggest he is anything but the real deal.