Predicting MLB's Top 25 Players 5 Years from Now
Baseball is a tough sport to predict on a long-term basis, as much can change in a year. Injuries, unexpected steps forward and backward by established players, and the yearly influx of rookies leave the MLB landscape looking significantly different on a year-in and year-out basis.
With that being said, what follows is my prediction of who will be the 25 best players in MLB when the 2020 season rolls around five years from now.
Based on current age, track record of success to this point and overall projectability, the following 25 guys all profile as superstar-caliber players down the road.
It's important to realize that the 25 best players represent the top 3.3 percent of players in baseball, so you can be a very good player and still not make this list.
As a result, a lot of guys who are going to be awfully good five years from now are not included for the simple reason that only 25 slots are available.
Still think I overlooked someone? I encourage your feedback in the comments below. I ask only that you also recommend a player to be removed from my list in favor of him, for the sake of argument.
Note: Ages referenced reflect a player's "baseball age," or how old he will be on June 30. Minor league stats are provided for players who have yet to exceed rookie eligibility limits. Players are listed alphabetically.
The Next 25
1 of 26
Position Players
- 2B Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
- SS Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
- SS Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
- 1B Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
- 3B Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers
- SS Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
- CF Wil Myers, San Diego Padres
- 1B Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics
- RF Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
- C Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs
- SS Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
- RF Jorge Soler, Chicago Cubs
- LF Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins
- C Mike Zunino, Seattle Mariners
Pitchers
- SP Jose Berrios, Minnesota Twins
- SP Kevin Gausman, Baltimore Orioles
- SP Tyler Glasnow, Pittsburgh Pirates
- SP Jon Gray, Colorado Rockies
- SP Daniel Norris, Toronto Blue Jays
- SP Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox
- SP Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
- SP Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
- SP Julio Urias, Los Angeles Dodgers
- SP Yordano Ventura, Kansas City Royals
- SP Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners
3B Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
2 of 26
Age in 2020: 29
Career Stats
| 261 | .278/.316/.457 | 274 | 108 (31) | 125 | 118 | 4 | 9.0 |
Player Overview
Nolan Arenado has already made his mark on the league defensively, winning consecutive Gold Glove awards to begin his career, but he has the offensive tools to also emerge as a difference-maker at the plate for the Colorado Rockies.
He was putting together a breakout season offensively last year when a fractured finger cost him 37 games, but he still managed an .828 OPS with 34 doubles and 18 home runs in 432 at-bats.
A healthy season this year could mean taking that next step to legitimate stardom, and with his complete all-around game, there's a good chance he'll be one of the game's elite five years from now.
CF Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
3 of 26
Age in 2020: 27
Career Stats
| 71 | .270/.349/.412 | 72 | 23 (7) | 28 | 45 | 12 | 2.5 |
Player Overview
The Boston Red Sox made it clear time and again this past offseason that Mookie Betts was untouchable in any trade, and while he's off to a somewhat slow start in his first full season in the majors, his tools are undeniable.
Betts hit .346/.431/.529 with 30 doubles, 11 home runs and 33 stolen bases in 99 minor league games last season before getting the call to Boston.
A middle infielder by trade, he's made the move to center field in the majors, and he figures to be one of the premier options at the position and among leadoff hitters five years from now.
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SP Archie Bradley, Arizona Diamondbacks
4 of 26
Age in 2020: 27
Career Stats (Minor Leagues)
| 73/72 | 29-18 | 3.14 | 1.290 | 202 | 393 | 373.0 | - |
Player Overview
Most expected Archie Bradley to make a serious run at winning a rotation spot last spring prior to the Arizona Diamondbacks signing veteran Bronson Arroyo, so it was instead something of a lost year for him.
Elbow problems limited the former No. 7 overall pick to just 83 innings of work, mostly in Double-A and Triple-A, and when rosters expanded in September, Bradley was not among the team's call-ups.
He won that rotation spot this spring, though, and he's already shown in the early parts of 2015 why the franchise views him as the ace of the future. Through his first three starts, he's gone 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA and 0.964 WHIP, and at this point he may already be the best starter on the roster.
3B Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
5 of 26
Age in 2020: 28
Career Stats (Minor Leagues)
| 181 | .327/.426/.667 | 212 | 107 (55) | 152 | 147 | 18 | - |
Player Overview
A ridiculous season in the minors last year made Kris Bryant a consensus top-two prospect in the league heading into the 2015 season. After a brief stint at Triple-A to push back his free agency by a year, he's now making his presence felt in the middle of a dangerous Chicago Cubs lineup.
The No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft, Bryant split last season between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a 1.098 OPS with 34 doubles, 43 home runs and 110 RBI.
Now 10 games into his big league career, Bryant is still searching for his first home run, but he is hitting .351/.478/.459 with four doubles and nine RBI out of the cleanup spot in the lineup.
Given his plus-plus raw power and solid approach at the plate, Bryant should be a perennial contender for the National League home run crown.
SP Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants
6 of 26
Age in 2020: 30
Career Stats
| 155/152 | 68-50 | 3.10 | 1.140 | 233 | 913 | 976.0 | 15.4 |
Player Overview
Somehow still only 25 years old, Madison Bumgarner has already seen a lot at this point in his big league career, and five years from now he figures to still be slotted atop the San Francisco Giants rotation.
Between his time in the minors, the regular season and the postseason, MadBum already has 1,420 professional innings under his belt. However, with no significant injury history and a big 6'5" and 235-pound frame, his workload is not as big of a concern as it would be with other pitchers.
It's his postseason track record that stands out above everything else, as he's gone 7-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 88.1 innings. That includes a 0.29 ERA in four World Series starts, a pair of shutouts and of course the five-inning save in Game 7 of last year's Fall Classic.
He still needs to unseat Clayton Kershaw if he wants to add a Cy Young to his list of accolades, but expect Bumgarner to continue to rank among the game's elite for the foreseeable future.
CF Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
7 of 26
Age in 2020: 26
Career Stats (Minor Leagues)
| 220 | .293/.381/.476 | 246 | 82 (23) | 120 | 168 | 75 | - |
Player Overview
Byron Buxton saw his rapid ascent to the major leagues sidetracked last season when a wrist injury, followed by a concussion, limited him to 31 total games.
The No. 1 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com and No. 2 behind Kris Bryant in the Baseball America rankings, Buxton is a legitimate five-tool talent who represents the future for a Minnesota Twins organization that has struggled in recent years.
He established himself as an elite prospect in 2013, when he hit .334/.424/.520 with 19 doubles, 18 triples, 12 home runs and 55 stolen bases as a 19-year-old in Single-A and High-A.
Buxton could arrive in the majors down the stretch this season, with an eye on nabbing the starting center field job in 2016. From there, the sky is the limit.
SP Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates
8 of 26
Age in 2020: 29
Career Stats
| 45/45 | 24-12 | 3.34 | 1.179 | 75 | 265 | 280.0 | 3.2 |
Player Overview
With a fastball that sits in the high 90s, plus off-speed stuff and a burly 6'4" frame, Gerrit Cole has looked the part of a staff ace since the Pittsburgh Pirates made him the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft out of UCLA.
Cole was 10-7 with a 3.22 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 117.1 innings as a rookie in 2013, and many viewed him as a potential breakout star heading into last season.
While he was solid when healthy, a pair of shoulder injuries cost him a total of 62 games, and in the end his 2014 was something of a disappointment, as he finished 11-5 with a 3.65 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 138 innings.
Healthy to start this season, he's been dominant over four starts, going 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA, 1.054 WHIP and 27 strikeouts in 24.2 innings. At this point Francisco Liriano is still the ace of the Pirates staff, but it may not remain that way for much longer.
SP Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins
9 of 26
Age in 2020: 27
Career Stats
| 36/36 | 16-8 | 2.25 | 0.972 | 71 | 257 | 224.1 | 7.4 |
Player Overview
We've yet to see whether or not Jose Fernandez will have the same overpowering stuff following Tommy John surgery, but he was good enough pre-injury that he gets the benefit of the doubt here.
The right-hander was nothing short of spectacular as a rookie in 2013, going 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA, 0.979 WHIP and 187 strikeouts in 172.2 innings to win NL Rookie of the Year honors and finish third in Cy Young voting.
Eight starts into his sophomore campaign, his season came to an abrupt halt when he needed Tommy John surgery, and at this point he's eyeing a return sometime after June 1. For the Miami Marlins, that day can't come soon enough.
1B Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
10 of 26
Age in 2020: 32
Career Stats
| 481 | .292/.382/.524 | 510 | 223 (88) | 318 | 302 | 50 | 16.8 |
Player Overview
One of the older players on this list, there's no reason to think Paul Goldschmidt won't still be raking in the middle of the Arizona Diamondbacks lineup five years from now.
After a solid first full season in the league in 2012, Goldschmidt broke out in a big way in 2013, hitting .302/.401/.551 and leading the NL with 36 home runs and 125 RBI to finish second in MVP voting.
He was well on his way to similarly impressive numbers last season when a fractured hand on a hit-by-pitch effectively ended his season on Aug. 2 and cost him the final 52 games.
He's shown no lingering effects of the injury so far this year, posting a .959 OPS with five home runs and 16 RBI through his first 19 games.
SP Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics
11 of 26
Age in 2020: 30
Career Stats
| 49/47 | 21-13 | 2.89 | 1.147 | 99 | 269 | 311.1 | 5.7 |
Player Overview
After a terrific career at baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt, Sonny Gray joined the Oakland Athletics system as the No. 18 pick in the 2011 draft.
Gerrit Cole, Danny Hultzen, Trevor Bauer, Dylan Bundy, Archie Bradley, Taylor Jungmann, Jose Fernandez, Jed Bradley and Chris Reed were all selected before Gray among pitchers, but as things stand today he may be the best arm of the draft class.
After an impressive 10-start debut in 2013, capped by a pair of terrific playoff starts, Gray settled in as the ace of the Oakland staff last season, going 14-10 with a 3.08 ERA, 1.192 WHIP and 183 strikeouts in 219 innings.
He's 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA, 0.882 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 28.1 innings over four starts so far this year.
RF Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
12 of 26
Age in 2020: 27
Career Stats
| 377 | .271/.355/.467 | 373 | 135 (60) | 160 | 223 | 31 | 10.1 |
Player Overview
It's fair to say that Bryce Harper has not lived up to expectations to this point in his career, but it's also important to remember that he broke into the league as a 19-year-old and will play the entire 2015 season at the age of 22.
That being said, that breakout season we've all been waiting for may be here, provided he can stay on the field.
Despite a struggling lineup around him, Harper is hitting .262/.424/.508 with five home runs and 11 RBI so far this season. That line includes an NL-high 19 walks in 85 plate appearances after he walked just 38 times in 395 plate appearances a year ago.
The tools are all there for Harper to be a perennial MVP candidate; it's just a matter of playing within himself and avoiding the disabled list.
SP Matt Harvey, New York Mets
13 of 26
Age in 2020: 31
Career Stats
| 40/40 | 16-10 | 2.45 | 0.980 | 60 | 292 | 264.1 | 7.3 |
Player Overview
Any questions about what kind of pitcher Matt Harvey would be following Tommy John surgery were quickly answered during spring training when his fastball sat in the high 90s and his off-speed stuff was just as filthy as everyone remembered.
After posting a 2.73 ERA over 10 starts as a rookie in 2012, Harvey was arguably the biggest breakout star of 2013, going 9-7 with a 2.27 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 178.1 innings and earning the All-Star Game start.
However, arm problems sidelined him down the stretch and eventually prompted Tommy John surgery. After missing the entire 2014 season, he's returned strong for an upstart Mets team.
Four starts into his return season, Harvey is 4-0 with a 3.04 ERA, 0.938 WHIP and an impressive ratio of three walks to 31 strikeouts over 26.2 innings of work.
SP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
14 of 26
Age in 2020: 32
Career Stats
| 215/213 | 99-50 | 2.51 | 1.063 | 431 | 1,480 | 1,402.2 | 39.5 |
Player Overview
Despite a slow start this season (4 GS, 1-1, 4.07 ERA), Clayton Kershaw remains the best pitcher in the game until someone proves otherwise.
He's working on four straight NL ERA titles, and last season he added a third Cy Young award as well as MVP honors to what is already a laundry list of accolades.
He struggled in October, but his 2014 season is still one of the best individual pitching performances in recent memory, as he was 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA, 0.857 WHIP and 239 strikeouts in 198.1 innings.
Even if he's lost a step by the time his age-32 season rolls around, it's conceivable that he'd be one of the 25 best players in the game.
3B Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles
15 of 26
Age in 2020: 27
Career Stats
| 308 | .276/.313/.432 | 345 | 118 (36) | 140 | 159 | 13 | 11.1 |
Player Overview
Freak knee injuries have cut the past two seasons short for Manny Machado, but he showed what he was capable of as a 20-year-old during the 2013 season.
Machado finished ninth in American League MVP voting that season, banging out an AL-high 51 doubles and adding 14 home runs, 71 RBI and phenomenal defense at the hot corner.
He won't turn 23 until July, and once his offensive game catches up to his glove, Machado should be a bona fide superstar for the Baltimore Orioles for years to come.
C Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
16 of 26
Age in 2020: 30
Career Stats
| 422 | .287/.315/.436 | 454 | 135 (47) | 221 | 172 | 2 | 12.8 |
Player Overview
Salvador Perez broke into the league as a 21-year-old in 2011, showing enough over the course of a 39-game debut to earn a five-year, $7 million extension from the Kansas City Royals. That has quickly become one of the best bargains in baseball.
His overall offensive game is still a work in progress, as evidenced by his .260/.289/.403 line last year, but he did set career highs with 28 doubles and 17 home runs.
It's his defensive game that already puts him among the game's top catchers, and it would not be at all surprising to see him take a big step forward in the next few years, much like Yadier Molina did for the St. Louis Cardinals.
RF Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
17 of 26
Age in 2020: 29
Career Stats
| 263 | .304/.386/.501 | 299 | 108 (37) | 115 | 162 | 22 | 10.7 |
Player Overview
The dynamic skills possessed by Yasiel Puig have been on display since he took the league by storm as a rookie in 2013, but he's still looking for the consistency needed to become a star and leader for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Even with some dry spells, he finished last season with a .296/.382/.480 line that included 37 doubles, 16 home runs, 69 RBI, 92 runs scored and 11 stolen bases for 5.4 WAR.
With guys like Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins all likely out of the picture five years from now, it will fall to Puig to lead the Dodgers offense alongside up-and-comers like Joc Pederson and Corey Seager.
3B Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals
18 of 26
Age in 2020: 30
Career Stats
| 251 | .279/.343/.445 | 269 | 97 (28) | 118 | 151 | 18 | 6.5 |
Player Overview
A knee injury has sidelined him to open the 2015 season, but Anthony Rendon already broke out as a bona fide star for the Washington Nationals last season on his way to a fifth-place finish in NL MVP voting.
Shuffling between second and third base, the former No. 6 overall pick hit .287/.351/.473 with 39 doubles, 21 home runs, 83 RBI, 17 stolen bases and an NL-high 111 runs scored. All of that, along with his plus defense, added up to 6.5 WAR.
Rendon is under team control through the 2019 season, so while the Nationals roster is expected to deal with some turnover in the next couple of years, he figures to be a staple once he finally returns healthy.
SS Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
19 of 26
Age in 2020: 26
Career Stats (Minor Leagues)
| 244 | .301/.377/.520 | 289 | 115 (38) | 159 | 178 | 44 | - |
Player Overview
The blockbuster trades of Jon Lester and David Price made waves at the deadline last season, but it was the early July deal that sent Jeff Samardzija to the Oakland Athletics and Addison Russell to the Chicago Cubs that could be talked about for years to come.
Russell, the No. 11 pick in the 2012 draft and the No. 3 prospect in baseball this year, according to Baseball America, has arrived in Chicago sooner than anyone expected, as he's stepped in as the everyday second baseman within the past week.
While he's positioned at the keystone for now, Russell will likely wind up as the long-term shortstop on the North Side at some point, and he has the all-around tools to emerge as the game's premier option at the position.
"He's Barry Larkin with power,” one baseball executive told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports following the aforementioned trade.
SP Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
20 of 26
Age in 2020: 31
Career Stats
| 168/88 | 46-29 | 2.75 | 1.068 | 176 | 753 | 693.2 | 23.5 |
Player Overview
Provided his funky mechanics don't eventually lead to nagging arm injuries, Chris Sale has already put himself in the conversation for the title of best pitcher in the American League, and he's just getting started at this point.
After spending his first two big league seasons pitching out of the bullpen, Sale took his place at the head of the Chicago White Sox staff, and he's finished sixth, fifth and third in AL Cy Young voting in his three seasons as a starter.
Last year was his finest season to date, as he went 12-4 with a 2.17 ERA, 0.966 WHIP and 208 strikeouts in 174 innings.
Provided his two option years are exercised, he'll hit free agency following the 2019 season, so he could conceivably be suiting up for someone else five years from now.
RF George Springer, Houston Astros
21 of 26
Age in 2020: 30
Career Stats
| 97 | .221/.329/.440 | 81 | 35 (22) | 57 | 54 | 12 | 2.3 |
Player Overview
A quad strain cost George Springer 64 games as a rookie last season, but he still managed to post an .804 OPS and hit 20 home runs over just 295 at-bats.
The former UConn star had a huge season in the minors in 2013, hitting .303/.411/.600 with 37 home runs and 45 stolen bases, if that gives you a better idea of his dynamic all-around offensive skills.
There is still a lot of swing-and-miss to his game, and he currently leads the AL with 28 strikeouts over his first 19 games, but as his plate discipline improves, so too should his walk rate and batting average.
The Houston Astros are off to a fantastic start in 2015 and are undeniably a team on the rise. It could well be Springer who winds up being the face of the franchise the next time the Astros reach the postseason.
RF Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
22 of 26
Age in 2020: 30
Career Stats
| 654 | .271/.364/.541 | 639 | 311 (159) | 416 | 364 | 32 | 22.3 |
Player Overview
Giancarlo Stanton won't turn 26 years old until after the 2015 season, but he already has 159 home runs under his belt and ranks as perhaps the most dangerous power hitter in the game today.
The 6'6", 240-pound slugger has always possessed some of the best raw power in the game, but he took his all-around game to another level last season.
The result was a .288/.395/.555 line with 31 doubles, 37 home runs and 105 RBI, as he wrapped up the season with 6.5 WAR and finished second to Clayton Kershaw in NL MVP voting.
After what felt like years of incessant trade speculation, the Marlins finally locked Stanton up with a massive 13-year, $325 million extension that includes an opt-out clause following the 2020 season.
SP Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays
23 of 26
Age in 2020: 29
Career Stats
| 26/20 | 11-6 | 3.65 | 1.171 | 28 | 111 | 130.2 | 2.0 |
Player Overview
A torn ACL will keep Marcus Stroman sidelined for the entire 2015 season, but he should return next season to once again lead a young Toronto Blue Jays staff that includes the likes of Drew Hutchison, Daniel Norris and Aaron Sanchez.
It's not inconceivable that any of those four pitchers could wind up cracking this list five years from now, but in terms of current ability and overall upside, Stroman looks like the best of the bunch once he's back healthy.
Despite being undersized at 5'8" and 180 pounds, Stroman went 11-6 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.171 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 130.2 innings last season.
SP Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves
24 of 26
Age in 2020: 29
Career Stats
| 74/71 | 31-23 | 3.23 | 1.154 | 117 | 389 | 454.0 | 6.9 |
Player Overview
Part of a tremendous National League rookie class in 2013, Julio Teheran went 14-8 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.174 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 185.2 innings to finish fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.
The right-hander followed that up with an even better sophomore campaign, earning a spot on the NL All-Star team and going 14-13 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.081 WHIP and 186 strikeouts in 221 innings.
The Atlanta Braves wisely locked him up with a six-year, $32.4 million deal prior to last season, and with a reasonable $12 million club option tacked on at the end, there's a good chance he's fronting the Atlanta staff through the 2020 season.
CF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
25 of 26
Age in 2020: 28
Career Stats
| 512 | .306/.397/.549 | 593 | 242 (102) | 318 | 389 | 107 | 29.4 |
Player Overview
A strong case can be made for Mike Trout being the best all-around player in the game right now as a 23-year-old, so it's hard to imagine just how good he could potentially be five years from now.
Detractors will point to his increased strikeout rate and decrease in batting average last season, but he still posted a .939 OPS with 36 home runs, 111 RBI and 115 runs scored.
That was good for 7.9 WAR and earned him the first MVP award in what could someday be a trophy case full of them.
Despite a subpar start by the Los Angeles Angels, Trout is on a roll once again in 2015, hitting .318/.432/.545 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 19 games.
SP Michael Wacha, St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 26
Age in 2020: 28
Career Stats
| 37/31 | 12-7 | 2.86 | 1.135 | 56 | 171 | 192.0 | 3.8 |
Player Overview
Many have already pegged Michael Wacha as the heir apparent to Adam Wainwright atop the St. Louis Cardinals rotation, but with Wainwright lost for the season to an Achilles injury, the team will need Wacha to step into that role sooner rather than later.
Wacha made a name for himself during the 2013 postseason, when he outdueled Clayton Kershaw twice in the Championship Series to win MVP honors and help lead the Cardinals to the World Series.
Expected to take a big step forward last season, he instead suffered a shoulder injury that cost him 68 games and slowed his progression.
He's been terrific so far this season, going 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA and 0.934 WHIP through his first three starts, and for the Cardinals' sake he'll need to keep it up.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.
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