Every MLB Team's Young Player with the Highest Superstar Upside
From Arizona's Corbin Carroll to Baltimore's Adley Rutschman and Cleveland's Tanner Bibee, the ABC's of Major League Baseball's future generation of stars is already looking bright.
Every franchise has at least one budding star upon whom it is pinning some of its long-term hopes and dreams.
To qualify as a candidate for this list, a player must meet each of these three criteria:
- Is in his age-25 season or younger
- Is currently on the 40-man roster (i.e. can be a prospect, but must be a player the franchise reasonably thinks could contribute this season)
- Has never previously been named an All-Star
That third bullet point might seem to fly in the face of our attempt to identify potential superstars. However, we're focused more on the "upside" portion of our headline, and you don't need us to let you know that already established stars the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have bright futures.
Teams are broken up by division and listed in alphabetical order within their divisions.
Statistics current through the start of play Friday.
American League East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C, age-25 season (.285/.407/.462, 7 HR, 24 RBI)
With honorable mentions to Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez—who entered the year unanimously regarded as two of the best prospects in all of baseball—Rutschman has already been established as a star. He didn't crack the All-Star Game roster last year after getting called up in late May, but he did make a spirited run at Julio Rodríguez's AL ROY crown and finished 12th in the AL MVP vote. Rutschman provides solid value as a catcher and is already one of the most patient hitters in the majors.
Boston Red Sox: Enmanuel Valdéz, 2B/SS, age-24 season (.278/.339/.444, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 SB)
The bizarre part of Valdéz hitting well since getting called up is that he did not do so in the minors for Boston. He was a certified hitting machine in the Astros' farm system. However, he was nothing special last season after coming over in the Christian Vázquez trade, and he was hitting just .184 through 14 games at Worchester this season. But with Xander Bogaerts gone and Trevor Story hurt, the Red Sox had basically no choice but to give Valdéz a prolonged audition when Yu Chang also hit the IL in late April. So far so good, though, as Valdéz hit .343 in his first 10 games and could be a budding star.
New York Yankees: Anthony Volpe, SS, age-22 season (.215/.307/.399, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 13 SB)
Despite a mediocre on-base percentage, a whiff rate of nearly 30 percent and a glove that is on pace for more than 20 errors, Volpe remains one of the top candidates for AL Rookie of the Year. Because when he does get on base, he is arguably the best base-runner in the majors. And there's plenty of pop in his bat—which we already knew from the 70 doubles, 11 triples and 48 home runs he hit in the minors from 2021-22.
Tampa Bay Rays: Wander Franco, SS, age-22 season (.292/.354/.503, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 14 SB)
The Rays bet big on Franco's superstar upside just 70 games into his career, signing the then-20-year-old to an 11-year, $182 million deal in November 2021. An injury-riddled campaign kept him from fully delivering on that potential last year, but Franco has emerged as a legitimate AL MVP candidate for the best team in baseball. If he stays healthy, he's on pace for around 25 home runs and 50 stolen bases.
Toronto Blue Jays: Orelvis Martinez, SS/3B, age-21 season (Has not yet made MLB debut)
Toronto has a quartet of mighty-fine Major Leaguers playing in either their age-24 or age-25 season. They're too fine for today's discussion, though, as Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and Alek Manoah have each been selected to All-Star Game rosters and are thus ineligible for this list. But we'll take Martinez, who has mashed 69 home runs since the beginning of 2021, averaging roughly 15 plate appearances per homer. He'll need to get his batting average up if he's ever going to make it to the big leagues, though. Martinez hit .203 last year and is currently sitting at .155 for 2023.
American League Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: Luis Robert Jr., CF, age-25 season (.273/.330/.564, 12 HR, 28 RBI)
Robert finished second to Seattle's Kyle Lewis for AL ROY in 2020 (when there was no All-Star Game) before batting .338 with a .946 OPS in 2021. However, he wasn't an All-Star because he only played in 68 games that season. He also missed 64 games last year and wasn't quite as productive anyway. But he's finally having a proper breakout party, batting .386 with seven home runs thus far in May. Here's hoping he can reach at least 100 games played for a change.
Cleveland Guardians: Tanner Bibee, RHP, age-24 season (22.1 IP, 3.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 8.9 K/9)
It has only been four games, but Bibee sure looks like the real deal. In three of those four starts, he didn't allow a single walk. That includes the 7.2-inning gem this past Sunday against the Angels in which he struck out Shohei Ohtani twice and gave up just one hit in the first seven innings. Bibee had a 2.13 ERA in 28 minor-league starts after the Guardians took him in the fifth round of the 2021 draft.
Detroit Tigers: Riley Greene, OF, age-22 season (.291/.341/.411, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 5 SB)
Heading into spring training 2022, it was anyone's guess whether Greene or Spencer Torkelson would first emerge as a star for Detroit. But despite missing the first few months of last season with a broken foot, Greene sure seems to have won that race between former first-round picks and top prospects. He has put together five three-hit games this season, including two in the past week.
Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., 3B/SS, age-23 season (.234/.277/.429, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 13 SB)
Witt was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft and one of the top prospects in baseball heading into the 2022 season—after batting .290 with 33 home runs and 29 stolen bases in the minors in 2021. He has yet to deliver the sort of WAR that was expected from the 2022 preseason AL ROY frontrunner, but give it time. He did have 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases last season and is on pace for considerably more in each category this year. He just needs to start getting on base with more regularity.
Minnesota Twins: Royce Lewis, SS, age-24 season (Recovering from ACL surgery)
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft has not been able to catch a break. He missed all of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled minor league baseball. He missed all of 2021 after suffering a torn ACL that February. And then after finally getting a cup of coffee in the majors last season—and hitting .300 with a pair of home runs in 12 games played—he tore the same ACL this past June. But he is out on a rehab assignment right now and is hitting the ball quite well. With any luck, he'll be back in Minnesota soon—and for good this time.
American League West
3 of 6
Houston Astros: Jeremy Peña, SS, age-25 season (.259/.303/.440, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 6 SB)
Sure feels like we're cheating here to include a Gold Glover who was named MVP of both the ALCS and World Series last fall, but at 25 with no All-Star Games, Peña technically fits the bill. He has neither homered nor stolen a base since April 29 and yet after his hot start, he's still on pace to exceed his 2022 marks in both categories.
Los Angeles Angels: Zach Neto, SS, age-22 season (.236/.305/.349, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 1 SB)
Los Angeles' 2022 first-round pick played in just 44 minor-league games before getting called up, and he has started nearly every game at shortstop since April 15. Neto hit .403 in his collegiate career and had a .937 OPS in those 44 minor-league games. He hasn't been anywhere near that impressive yet, but he's starting to come around. After tallying just four extra-base hits (all doubles) in his first 22 games with the Angels, Neto has had two home runs and two doubles since May 9.
Oakland Athletics: Shea Langeliers, C, age-25 season (.226/.302/.421, 7 HR, 20 RBI)
It's because of Langeliers' long-term potential that Oakland was ready, willing and able to trade away Sean Murphy (with several seasons of team control remaining) this past December. And, so far, Langeliers has been...fine...rated almost exactly at replacement level by both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference after 77 career games. But he could rival Adley Rutschman for AL catcher supremacy over the course of the next decade. (Shoutout to Esteury Ruiz, too, who stole 85 bases in 114 minor-league games last season, and is looking like a safe bet to lead the majors in that department this year.)
Seattle Mariners: Jarred Kelenic, OF, age-23 season (.282/.333/.537, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 6 SB)
Before the season began, the pick here would have been George Kirby—who is well on his way to representing Seattle in the Midsummer Classic with a 2.45 ERA through eight starts. But after a brutal first two seasons in the majors, Kelenic is living up to his limitless potential. He has been quiet since April 26, but he previously had a 15-game stretch with seven home runs and a .389/.443/.870 triple slash. Keep an eye out for his next hot streak.
Texas Rangers: Josh Jung, 3B, age-25 season (.250/.292/.438, 8 HR, 25 RBI)
Like Kelenic, Jung has tapered off in recent weeks, batting just .196 with no home runs dating back to May 5. But he was slugging .541 for the year and had a pair of multi-HR performances in the eight games leading up to the start of that drought. At least he has been healthy. Jung missed a big chunk of 2021 with a broken foot and most of 2022 with a torn labrum. He'll be a strong candidate for AL ROY if he can avoid yet another mishap.
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National League East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: Spencer Strider, RHP, age-24 season (51.2 IP, 2.96 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 15.0 K/9)
Even with NL MVP front-runner Ronald Acuña Jr. ineligible for this list as a three-time All-Star who is somehow still only 25 years old, options abound for Atlanta. Could realistically go with Bryce Elder, Vaughn Grissom or 2022 NL ROY Michael Harris II. But Strider has been out of this world en route to what will be his first All-Star Game appearance (if not start). At this early stage of his career, he's already one of the best strikeout artists in the history of the game.
Miami Marlins: Eury Pérez, RHP, age-20 season (9.2 IP, 2.79 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.1 K/9)
Presently the youngest player in Major League Baseball, Pérez made 44 minor-league starts dating back to 2021 with a 2.85 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 12.6 K/9. The Marlins didn't even bother wasting his time in Triple-A, calling him straight up from Double-A a week ago to help out a starting rotation that has been floundering. And he has looked like the next big thing through two starts against Cincinnati and Washington.
New York Mets: Francisco Álvarez, C, age-21 season (.218/.274/.423, 4 HR, 9 RBI)
Regarded as one of the top prospects in all of baseball at the start of both 2022 and 2023, Álvarez is still figuring things out against Major League pitching. He did have a two-homer game against the Reds on May 9 and hit an absolutely massive game-tying three-run shot with two outs in the bottom of the ninth against the Rays Wednesday. Tampa Bay stole seven bases against him in that game, though, after opponents started the year a perfect 19-for-19 in stolen bases with Álvarez behind the plate. It's something to monitor as the season progresses.
Philadelphia Phillies: Bryson Stott, 2B, age-25 season (.280/.317/.377, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 5 SB)
Stott has come crashing back to earth after opening the season on a 17-game hitting streak with a .382 batting average, but he's still providing good value for a Phillies team that really only has one other viable candidate in 25-year-old Brandon Marsh. Both have put up good numbers, but Stott gets the edge for his impact on defense, making just one error at second base between this season and last.
Washington Nationals: MacKenzie Gore, LHP, age-24 season (46.1 IP, 3.69 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 11.3 K/9)
After all the trades in the past two years, at least the Nationals do have a lot of promising young talent. Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz, Luis Garcia, CJ Abrams and others could make compelling cases for this spot. Give us the No. 3 overall pick from the 2017 draft, though. Gore started out great last season in San Diego, posting a 1.50 ERA through his first 48 innings before getting shelled a couple of times and then dealt to Washington in the Juan Soto trade. He has displayed excellent strikeout stuff this season with four quality starts in his first seven turns through the rotation.
National League Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: Christopher Morel, UTIL, age-24 season (.371/.389/.857, 5 HR, 10 RBI)
Seven weeks ago, we would've gone with Matt Mervis here, as the 25-year-old first baseman racked up 40 doubles, 36 home runs and 119 RBI last year in the minors. But goodness gracious has Morel figured things out this season. He was hitting .330/.425/.730 with 11 home runs in 29 games at Triple-A Iowa before getting called back up to the Cubs and blasting five home runs in his first eight games. He does whiff a ton, but who really cares when you've got 16 home runs in 170 trips to the plate?
Cincinnati Reds: Hunter Greene, RHP, age-23 season (43.0 IP, 4.60 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 12.3 K/9)
The ERA is a bit bloated by a couple of rough recent outings, but Greene was looking great at the end of April with a 2.89 ERA and just one home run allowed through his first six starts. This flame-thrower can be erratic at times, but his high ceiling is undeniable in starts where he keeps both the walks and the deep balls to a minimum.
Milwaukee Brewers: Garrett Mitchell, CF, age-24 season (.259/.306/.466, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB)
Mitchell is probably going to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury suffered in mid-April. But he has looked good in his limited time in the big leagues, batting .286 with five home runs and nine stolen bases in 44 games played over the past two years. He has good range in center field, too. Could be one heck of a defensive outfield once he returns to action alongside Joey Wiemer and Christian Yelich.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Oneil Cruz, SS, age-24 season (.250/.375/.375, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB)
Cruz lasted just nine games before suffering a broken ankle that will likely sideline him until late in the summer, but he displayed a lot of talent last year with 17 home runs in 87 games played for the Pirates. Had he played the entire season instead of getting called up in late June, he might have won NL ROY. (If you prefer we go with a healthy player here, shoutout to Rodolfo Castro. The 24-year-old utility infielder has a solid .818 OPS as a near everyday player in this his third season in the majors.)
St. Louis Cardinals: Nolan Gorman, 2B, age-23 season (.295/.386/.629, 12 HR, 36 RBI, 3 SB)
If you want to put Jordan Walker—who turns 21 in a few days—in this spot, you'll receive no arguments from me. This season hasn't gone according to plan for the highly-touted prospect, but he has the potential for greatness. So does Gorman, though, who was one of St. Louis' top prospects every year from 2019-22 before getting the call at this time last year. He was just OK in 2022, but Gorman is more than living up to the hype in 2023, entering play Friday with the best slugging percentage in the National League.
National League West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: Corbin Carroll, OF, age-22 season (.279/.363/.493, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 10 SB)
Both 23-year-old Gabriel Moreno and 23-year-old Geraldo Perdomo are batting north of .320 while 25-year-old Dominic Fletcher has a 1.014 OPS since getting called up at the end of April. But if you had to bet on one young Diamondback playing in half a dozen All-Star Games, Carroll's the guy. Missing all of 2020 (pandemic) and most of 2021 (shoulder surgery) did nothing to stunt the development of Arizona's 2019 first-round pick. He raked his way through the minors last season and is looking great this year, even while getting bounced around both in the lineup and in the outfield.
Colorado Rockies: Ezequiel Tovar, SS, age-21 season (.216/.259/.360, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB)
Causes for long-term optimism have been few and far between in Colorado for quite a few moons now, but Tovar is an exciting young talent who stole 17 bases while posting a .927 OPS in 71 games played in the minors in 2022. He has not yet delivered on that potential at the MLB level, though all three of his home runs have come in May, so he might be heating up a bit.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Dustin May, RHP, age-25 season (47.0 IP, 2.68 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 6.1 K/9)
It's a little scary how many Dodgers would be the no-brainer choice for at least 25 percent of teams—and that's without accounting for top prospects Diego Cartaya and Bobby Miller. Of the many options, though, give us May, who is allowing 5.9 hits per nine innings pitched since the beginning of 2021. Granted, he has only made 19 starts during that time because of a Tommy John surgery and a lower-back injury—and he is, unfortunately, back on the IL with another elbow injury. But he was looking great up until that latest setback.
San Diego Padres: Eguy Rosario, IF, age-21 season (Recovering from broken ankle)
It's absurd that neither Juan Soto nor Fernando Tatis Jr. will turn 25 until after this season, right? Neither multiple-time top-five finisher in the NL MVP vote qualifies for the list because of ASG appearances, but that's quite the young duo. Beyond that, it's slim pickens in San Diego. Rosario might be special, as he hit .288 with 22 home runs and 21 stolen bases at Triple-A El Paso last season. But he suffered a broken ankle in February and isn't expected back until mid-summer. Maybe he'll come back even stronger, though.
San Francisco Giants: Casey Schmitt, IF, age-24 season (.417/.417/.694, 2 HR, 7 RBI)
Got to love it when a prospect gets to the show and immediately puts on a show. Schmitt went 8-for-12 with a pair of home runs in the first three games of his MLB career, and he has only had one hitless performance in his first nine games. He has been bouncing around from second to short to third as the Giants try to make sure he gets as many ABs as possible.
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