Major League Baseball has a new wave of star players on the horizon. With a new season approaching, the next wave of superstars will be called up in the ensuing months and some may even appear on opening day rosters. There are those who are inevitably bound to be fixtures of the game. Among the few, there will be those who are built beyond the standards set for them and they will eventually become the legends of tomorrow. It is time to take a look at the guys who will be gracing the face of billboards, media, and magazines.
Dylan Crews represents the rise of a new wave of superstars to appear in the nation's capital. Side-by-side with giant James Wood, he may stand a measly 5’11”, but his smaller stature does not get in the way of being a giant on the field. In a small sample last season, he generated a triple slash of .218/.353./.641 in 31 games. Although there is room to improve this upcoming season, last year's statistics is no reason to fret as there is comfort in the first year being in the books. Aside from being at the plate, his defense and baserunning was elite and demonstrated the potential Crews has to be an impact player for years to come. As he gets comfortable with the bat, he will take the league by storm and I expect big things in 2025 from him. His sprint speed of 29.3 feet/second is in the 93rd percentile and his 3 OAA in 31 games is elite alongside his 83 percentile arm strength. Despite the lack of productivity in 2024, he squared the ball up at an elite rate still and likely got a little bit unlucky given that he also struck out at a below league average rate and walked at an above average rate. Those marks should only improve and I love him going into 2025.
It has been quite a while since we saw Andrew Painter take the mound. His last innings logged were all the way back in 2022 where he reached Double A and sported a 2.54 ERA in 28 and 1⁄3 innings. Despite this, he is still only set to turn 22 years old this season and looks to reclaim his dominance this upcoming season. His large 6’7” frame is imposing, especially with a fastball touching 100 and a devastatingly good slider to pair with it. He returned to the fall league in 2024 and maintained his velocity, even after the long rehab from Tommy John surgery. Big things are coming from this big right hander and with guys to learn from such as Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, I believe Painter will be among the next class of elite pitchers.
Jacob Wilson got a small sample of the Majors last season for the lowly Athletics. While he did not churn out much hope in his .629 OPS through 28 games, he showed promise with his discipline. He only struck out 10 times and walked 8 in those 28 games. His strikeout rate and whiff rate were elite in his sample. If he was a qualified hitter with his strikeout rate of 9.7% would be 4th in the league right now. Also, consider that last season in 53 minor league games he was able to bat .433 with a 1.141 OPS and 35 extra base hits in those 53 games. He also struck out only 15 times and walked 14. He has elite bat-to-ball skills and those should transition to MLB in the coming season.
Kumar Rocker, is another name to watch break onto the scene. As Rocker was almost lost into the eons of baseball lore, he has found himself now in a position of rejuvenation and make his mark in Major League Baseball. It was almost 6 years ago when he tossed a no-hitter and retired 19 Duke Blue Devils via strikeout in the NCAA Super Regionals. His elite slider might be among the best ever seen in the college level and it was almost lost when in 2021, Rocker was drafted by the Mets 10th overall before going unsigned due to health concerns with his elbow. He had to get shoulder surgery that fall and went unsigned. He took his talent to independent baseball's the Frontier League. He dominated with the Tri-City Valleycats, a team located in New York's Captial Region. The Texas Rangers selected him 3rd overall in 2022. He blew out his elbow in 2022 and was back at square one. He was able to rehab and take the mound again in 2024, but this time, he dominated again. He posted a 1.96 ERA in the minors, displaying elite command and strikeout capability with 55 strikeouts and only 5 walks. This allowed him to eventually reach the majors in 2024 with mixed results. Rocker’s advanced metrics however, were nothing but elite in those innings. Overcoming adversity seems to be in the DNA of Rocker, and with that ability, the adversity of a move to the MLB should not be too much of a challenge. If Rocker is able to stay healthy, he looks to take the league by storm for a rebounding Texas Rangers squad.
Tink Hence of the St. Louis Cardinals is another guy to keep an eye on in 2025. Coming off a 2024 season where in Double-A he was able to unveil 109 strikeouts in just 79 and 2⁄3 innings with a measly 26 walks, hence has the pure stuff and command to dominate in MLB. He may just have the best changeup in all of the minors which is a recipe for success when combined with a mid to upper 90’s fastball. He has reverse splits as a result of his 70 grade changeup(elite on a 20-80 scale) which should allow him to get batters from both sides effectively when he does debut. His above average slider will help him address batters from the right side as well, but it is likely that since he is a right hander he will face more lefties which will allow that changeup to be extremely helpful navigating lineups. The only flag similar to Rocker is his inability to stay on the field and he will have to remain healthy in order to garner success. Look for him to have an opportunity to thrive on an intriguing Cardinals team in 2025.
Noah Schultz may just be the second coming of Randy Johnson. While it may not necessarily be fair to drop that comparison on the 21 year old, he stands a tremendous 6’9” and boasts a monstrous fastball and slider combination, just as the big unit did. While he may not grab a spot on the opening day roster, I do not anticipate it taking too long for Schultz to reach the majors in the way that they quickly ascended another tall lefty only years ago in Garrett Crochet. Schultz in 61 innings of Double-A last season was able to dominate with a 1.48 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He only gave up 2 home runs and struck out 73 batters while walking 17. His low three-quarters slot draws the Johnson comparisons, but it is scary to say that he is far more polished than Johnson was at a similar age. Schultz should take MLB by storm when he eventually does debut and his above average control combined with his stuff should allow him to also enter that upper echelon of pitchers as he continues to progress.
These are the six guys that I anticipate will enter the league and more than likely be able to impose their will. The rookie of the year ballot should contain at least a few of these names if not all of them and they may even be able to hold the Jackie Robinson trophy when it is all said and done.