1 Reason for Every MLB Fanbase to Be Excited Early in 2025

One of the great things about the start of the baseball season is the optimism and excitement that exists around just about every team.

But we're getting to the point of the calendar where that optimism starts to wane for some teams. Most haven't had starts like the San Diego Padres and New York Mets. Still, just about every club has something to be excited about after the first few weeks of the season.

To that end, here's one reason every fanbase should be excited early in 2025.

New York Yankees: Aaron Judge's historic peak is continuing

Aaron Judge has won AL MVP in two of the last three seasons (2022 and 2024), and by all accounts one of the greatest primes in MLB history is continuing for another year. The six-time All-Star leads baseball in hits, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage, total bases and WAR. He's having the greatest offensive peak since Albert Pujols.

Toronto Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is here to stay

No matter how the 2025 season plays out for the Blue Jays, they can rest assured that the face of their franchise—Vladimir Guerrero Jr.—isn't going anywhere. His impending free agency threatened to be a black cloud hanging over the season, but Toronto nixed that potential distraction by signing him to a 14-year, $500 million extension earlier this month.

Boston Red Sox: Garrett Crochet looks like a Cy Young contender

Garrett Crochet has gotten off to a tremendous start in his first season with the Red Sox, as evidenced by the 1.13 ERA and 2.18 FIP that he has over his first handful of starts for Boston. He's given Alex Cora a true ace, and the Red Sox wisely rewarded the 25-year-old with a six-year, $170 million extension.

Baltimore Orioles: Seranthony Domínguez has been dominant

For as disastrous as their starting rotation has been, Baltimore's bullpen looks to be much improved from a year ago. Perhaps the most positive development has been that Seranthony Domínguez—acquired in the Austin Hays trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last July—hasn't allowed a run over his first nine appearances. The 30-year-old has taken down high-leverage postseason innings in the past, and appears to once again be capable of a major workload in 2025.

Tampa Bay Rays: Jonathan Aranda is off to an amazing start

It hasn't been a great start overall for Kevin Cash's squad, but Jonathan Aranda isn't to blame for the Rays getting out of the gates slowly. The 27-year-old is hitting .344 with four home runs, eight doubles and a 1.098 OPS. According to Baseball Reference, he's already accumulated 1.3 WAR this season. Mind you, this was a player who had been worth just 0.7 WAR in 110 career games coming into the season.

Detroit Tigers: Spencer Torkelson is hitting a lot of home runs

Spencer Torkelson appeared to be a change-of-scenery candidate during Spring Training, but thus far, the Tigers are happy they held onto the former No. 1 overall pick as he's crushed seven home runs in the first month. What's also encouraging is that after walking just 33 times the entire season a year ago, Torkelson has already worked 14 walks so far in 2025.

Cleveland Guardians: Gabriel Arias has been a pleasant surprise

Outside of José Ramírez and Steven Kwan, Cleveland's offense is really underwhelming. But if you're looking for one silver lining with the Guardians it's that Gabriel Arias already has four home runs. Arias may prove to just be a bridge from Andrés Giménez to Travis Bazzana, but the 25-year-old could force the Guards to find a way to keep him in the lineup over the long haul if the first month of the season is any indication of what's to come.

Kansas City Royals: Kris Bubic is pitching like an ace

Seth Lugo—last year's AL Cy Young runner-up—hasn't had a great start to 2025, as he's posted a 3.90 ERA and 5.43 FIP through five starts. Fortunately for the Royals, Kris Bubic, a 2018 first-round pick, has been one of the early breakout starts across the 2025 MLB season. Bubic is currently among the league leaders in ERA (1.45), FIP (2.38) and WAR (1.1), according to FanGraphs.

Minnesota Twins: They'll have some interesting trade candidates

It's been a nightmarish start for the Twins, and it kind of feels like this could turn into one of those seasons that's over before it truly begins. The silver lining is that if Minnesota ends up selling this summer, their roster is full of potentially intriguing trade candidates such as Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Pablo López and Jhoan Durán. It's just a matter of how much the Twins would be willing to tear things down if they do indeed sell before the July 31 trade deadline.

Chicago White Sox: There are some intriguing prospects on the farm

With Martín Pérez sidelined with an elbow injury and Luis Robert Jr. off to an ice-cold start, it's hard to find much of anything positive with the lowly White Sox. The most positive spin you can put on a team that's likely to lose 100+ games once again is that catcher Kyle Teel and shortstop Colson Montgomery are both at Triple-A Charlotte and could make an impact for the big-league club later this season.

Texas Rangers: Tyler Mahle has been tremendous

The Rangers are still waiting on veterans like Marcus Semien, Jacob deGrom and Joc Pederson to get going. However, they've already gotten tremendous production out of right-hander Tyler Mahle. In his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, Mahle is currently 3-0 with a 0.68 ERA over five starts. The righty also is yet to allow a home run this season.

Seattle Mariners: Dylan Moore is off to a quick start

Given the early-season struggles of Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford, there are still quite a few questions about Seattle's offense. But one bright spot outside of the always-productive Cal Raleigh has been third baseman Dylan Moore, who at the time of publication is hitting .300 with five home runs and a .930 OPS. This type of offensive start is almost certainly not sustainable, but Moore does provide strong defensive flexibility having already played all four infield positions and right field this season.

Los Angeles Angels: Kyren Paris looks like a star

A second-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Kyren Paris was just a .110 career hitter over 36 MLB games coming into this season. He's exploded early in 2025, though, with five home runs, a .965 OPS and an ability to play both middle infield positions and center field. Paris has slumped more recently, but there's still a lot to be excited about. Perhaps the 23-year-old is going to prove to be a building block for an Angels team that desperately needs to move in a positive direction.

Athletics: Tyler Soderstrom has been about as good as any player in baseball

Speaking of struggling franchises that need to hit on high draft picks, the Athletics appear to have done that with Tyler Soderstrom, a first-round pick in 2020. Soderstrom has been one of the early MVPs of 2025, as he's tied for the MLB lead with nine home runs. Between him, Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker, the A's are building a potentially special lineup.

Houston Astros: Josh Hader is pitching like Josh Hader

Though he still recorded 34 saves and took the ball 71 times, Josh Hader's first season with the Astros was relatively disappointing, as he posted a 3.80 ERA after signing a five-year, $95 million deal. Well, the early returns suggest he's locked in again in 2025. The five-time All-Star has converted all six of his save opportunities to this point, with a minuscule 0.75 ERA to show over 10 games.

New York Mets: Pete Alonso appears to be on a mission

Pete Alonso had to settle for a two-year, $54 million deal in free agency after what was considered an underwhelming campaign by his standards last year. Well, the Mets are surely happy he's back, as he's currently leading baseball in doubles and RBI. The Mets will have to decide how to proceed next offseason when Alonso inevitably opts out and returns to free agency, but in the meantime, he has them looking like a World Series contender.

Philadelphia Phillies: Jesús Luzardo looks like a great addition

The Phillies have been able to overcome Ranger Suárez beginning the season on the injured list and Aaron Nola getting lit up early in the campaign in large part because of Jesús Luzardo's tremendous first impression. After being acquired in a trade with the division-rival Miami Marlins in the offseason, Luzardo is currently tied with Chris Bassit for the top WAR among starting pitchers at 1.3, per FanGraphs.

Miami Marlins: Max Meyer is off to a quick start

Max Meyer was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, but there were some questions about the durability of the 6-foot, 196-pound righty. He ended up needing Tommy John surgery shortly after making his MLB debut in 2022, but finally appears to be all the way back. The electric righty has a 2.10 ERA and 41 strikeouts across his first 30 innings pitched of the season.

Washington Nationals: James Wood's power is special

Dylan Crews may be off to a slow start, but James Wood has hit the ground running in 2025 for the Nationals. After an impressive first 79 MLB games a season ago, Wood has already crushed seven home runs and doubled five times. What's also encouraging is that he's posted one defensive run saved so far this year, a massive improvement over the minus-7 he finished last year with.

Atlanta Braves: Help is on the way

It's been a pretty disastrous start for the Braves, but this is a team with a history of erasing deficits in the second half of the season. And there's reason to think the Braves are going to get better. Spencer Strider has landed back on the injured list with a hamstring strain after returning to the mound earlier this month, but that's not expected to be a long-term injury. Former NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. is also expected to return to the lineup at some point in the first half of the season as he progresses from the torn left ACL he sustained nearly a year ago.

Chicago Cubs: Pete Crow-Armstrong can go and get it

In addition to the 20 runs that he's already scored this season, Pete Crow-Armstrong is cementing his place as one of the game's best defenders. Through just one month of play, PCA has four defensive runs saved and five outs above average in center field, making him an early favorite for the NL's Platinum Glove.

Milwaukee Brewers: Brice Turang is off to a fast start

Brice Turgang currently leads the National League with 32 hits and all of baseball with 24 runs scored. His strong start has helped the Brewers to overcome Christian Yelich and Joey Ortiz both struggling earlier. Considering Turang won the Platinum Glove Award for the NL last year, he has a chance to be an All-Star starter if he continues to hit anywhere near the clip he has so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals: Brendan Donovan looks like an All-Star

It will be interesting to see whether the Cardinals sell at the trade deadline because even though they aren't a World Series contender, there's a real possibility they aren't altogether out of the NL Central race. That will be especially true if Brendan Donovan continues to perform how he has. He's tied with Turang for the NL lead in hits, and also has a .356 batting average. Even if St. Louis views this as a transition year, the 28-year-old Donovan could still very well be a part of the long-term plans for the Cards.

Cincinnati Reds: Hunter Greene has been as good as any pitcher in baseball

So far, Hunter Greene has built off of what was a breakout season in 2024. The former No. 2 overall pick has a 2.35 ERA and 35 strikeouts to show for his first five starts of the season. Keeping him healthy will be the biggest challenge for the Reds, but Terry Francona and company appear to have a bonafide ace atop their rotation.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Andrew Heaney has been a revelation

The Pirates have as good of an ace as there is in the sport today with Paul Skenes, and so far Andrew Heaney has been a perfect compliment. After signing a one-year, $5.25 million deal in free agency, Heaney has a 2.13 ERA over his first four starts for the Buccos. If the Pirates get back into the NL Central race, Heaney can be part of a strong rotation. If not, he'll generate plenty of trade interest.

San Diego Padres: Peak Fernando Tatis Jr. might be back

Fernando Tatis Jr. has still been an excellent player in each of the last two seasons, but in 2025, he looks the closest to the player that looked like one of the five best in all of the sport back in 2021. Tatis is hitting .344, has homered eight times and currently leads NL pitchers with a 1.9 WAR.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been elite

It feels like this has flown under the radar a bit, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been downright dominant to open his second MLB season. Yamamoto has a 0.93 ERA and 409 ERA+, both of which lead all NL pitchers so far in 2025. The Dodgers are still being cautious with his workload, but it's hard not to be excited about the 26-year-old.

San Francisco Giants: Jung Hoo Lee is worth the price of admission

A right shoulder injury prematurely ended Jung Hoo Lee's first MLB season, but he's making up for lost time in his second campaign. Lee currently leads baseball with 10 doubles, while hitting .315 with a .947 OPS. He's also enjoyable to watch play center field because there's never any panic with him, he's just so smooth out there. He's also inspired a few fan groups at Oracle Park, perhaps the best of which is the "Jung Hooligans."

Arizona Diamondbacks: Corbin Carroll is one of the game's elite players

Corbin Carroll had something of a sophomore slump in the first half of last season, but was one of the better players in baseball after the All-Star Break. If that wasn't enough for you to be sure about the former NL Rookie of the Year, his scalding-hot start to 2025 has alleviated any remaining concerns. He's hitting .344 and has eight doubles and seven home runs. What's scary is that Carroll has been this valuable despite only attempting four stolen bases to this point.

Colorado Rockies: Coors Field is nice

Under owner Dick Monfort, the Rockies seem content to just participate. They're off to a disastrous start in 2025, something that was completely predictable after they did almost nothing in the offseason following a second-consecutive 100+ loss season. Anyway, Coors Field ranked highly on our annual countdown of the top MLB stadiums, so at least there's that.