10 MLB Players Primed For Their First 30-Homer Season in 2025
Twenty-three different MLB players who hit 30 home runs during the 2024 season, with New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (58 HR) and Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (54 HR) leading their respective leagues en route to MVP honors.
From that group, Gunnar Henderson (37) and Josh Naylor (31) were the only players who slugged 30 homers for the first time in their career.
Who will reach that milestone for the first time in 2025?
Here, we've highlighted the 10 players who are most likely to have their first 30-homer season this year. Our picks are based on previous track record, batted-ball metrics and early trends to start the new season.
Lawrence Butler, Athletics
1 of 10
2024 HR Total: 22
Lawrence Butler began the 2024 season on the Athletics roster, but he was eventually demoted back to the minors in mid-May with a .179 average and .555 OPS over 121 plate appearances.
He returned a month later, and from July 1 through the end of the year, he hit .302/.346/.597 with 18 doubles, 20 home runs, 49 RBI and 14 steals in 301 plate appearances over his final 73 games.
The 24-year-old was rewarded with a seven-year, $65.5 million extension in March. After slugging 20 home runs over the final three months in 2024, a 30-homer season is well within reach.
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays
2 of 10
2024 HR Total: 6
During a breakout 2023 season in the minors, Junior Caminero hit .324/.384/.591 with 31 home runs and 94 RBI in 117 games between High-A and Double-A, raising his prospect profile considerably in the process.
He began the 2024 season as the No. 3 prospect in the sport, and he took over as the Tampa Bay Rays' starting third baseman after they traded Isaac Paredes to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline.
In 43 games, Caminero posted a 105 OPS+ with nine doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI over 177 plate appearances. With a 30-homer season on his resume in the minors, the 21-year-old has the tools to become the offensive face of the Rays franchise.
Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox
3 of 10
2024 HR Total: 13
With a strong 6'4", 244-pound frame and a smooth left-handed swing built for power, Triston Casas certainly looks the part of a middle-of-the-order slugger.
As a rookie, he slugged 24 home runs and finished third in 2023 AL Rookie of the Year. A terrific second half that year made him a popular breakout picking heading into the 2024 season.
Instead, a rib cage injury limited him to 63 games, though he still managed a 120 OPS+ and 13 home runs in 243 plate appearances. A fully healthy season should give him a great shot of reaching the 30-homer milestone for the first time.
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Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees
4 of 10
2024 HR Total: 24
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has flashed an electric mix of power and speed during his first five seasons in the majors. He was fantastic after joining the New York Yankees at the trade deadline last year, as he had a 130 OPS+, 11 home runs and 18 steals in 46 games.
The 27-year-old has dealt with some injury issues, topping 125 games played just once in his career, but he has averaged 29 home runs and 35 steals per 162 games over the course of his career.
If he can stay healthy for a full season while taking aim at Yankee Stadium's favorable right field dimensions, a 30-homer season is doable.
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates
5 of 10
2024 HR Total: 21
In terms of raw power and physical tools, Oneil Cruz stacks up to any player in baseball, as evidenced by his top-tier ranking in average exit velocity (95.5 mph, 99th percentile) and hard-hit rate (54.9%, 97th percentile).
The 26-year-old logged a 113 OPS+ with 34 doubles, 21 home runs, 76 RBI and 22 steals last season, although he also struck out 181 times at a 30.2 percent clip over 599 plate appearances.
If he can take another step forward with his contact skills and turn more of those empty at-bats into something productive, stardom awaits.
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
6 of 10
2024 HR Total: 25
One of the most exciting players in baseball, Elly De La Cruz led the majors with 67 steals last season, posting a 119 OPS+ with 36 doubles, 10 home runs, 25 home runs, 76 RBI and 105 runs scored in a 5.2-WAR season.
There are still some holes in his game, most notably his 218 strikeouts and 31.3 percent strikeout rate, but De La Cruz is just scratching the surface of his tremendous raw power potential.
Playing half his games in the hitter's paradise that is Great American Ball Park raises De La Cruz's home run ceiling. He should steadily improve his over-the-fence output in the coming years as he settles in as a big leaguer.
Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals
7 of 10
2024 HR Total: 19
An 11th-round pick out of Old Dominion in 2019, Vinnie Pasquantino turned in a breakout season on the other side of the cancelled 2020 minor league season, hitting .300/.394/.563 with 37 doubles, 24 home runs and 84 RBI in 116 games between High-A and Double-A.
He has continued to hit every step of the way while rising the ranks to emerge as one of the key bats in the middle of the Kansas City Royals lineup alongside Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez.
The 27-year-old hit .262/.315/.446 with 30 doubles, 19 home runs and 97 RBI in 131 games last season. While Kauffman Stadium is not the friendliest home ballpark for a power hitter, the tools are there for a significant home run uptick.
Michael Toglia, Colorado Rockies
8 of 10
2024 HR Total: 25
It took Michael Toglia some time to develop into a big league regular after he was taken No. 23 overall in the 2019 draft, but he finally turned in a breakout season last year while staking his claim to the Colorado Rockies' everyday first base job.
He hit just .218 with a .311 on-base percentage, but he slugged 25 home runs in 458 plate appearances while posting eye-popping batted-ball metrics. He ranked in the 90th percentile or better in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, barrel rate and expected slugging percentage.
Interestingly, he actually posted better numbers on the road (59 G, .772 OPS, 17 HR) than he did at Coors Field (57 G, .761 OPS, 8 HR), so his power production was not simply a product of his environment.
Mark Vientos, New York Mets
9 of 10
2024 HR Total: 27
Mark Vientos and Brett Baty both failed to claim the everyday third base job during the 2023 season, and Vientos ended up back at Triple-A to open the 2024 campaign with Baty and Joey Wendle handling third base duties to start the year.
However, when those two both failed to produce, he got another shot in late April. He seized the opportunity this time around by hitting .266/.322/.516 for a 134 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 27 home runs and 71 RBI in 111 games.
The 25-year-old capped off his breakout season by hitting .327/.362/.636 with five home runs and 14 RBI in 13 games in the playoffs. Thirty home runs should be well within reach after his 27 last year came in only 454 plate appearances.
James Wood, Washington Nationals
10 of 10
2024 HR Total: 9
With an athletic 6'7", 234-pound frame and terrific bat speed given his long levers, James Wood was built to be a middle-of-the-order home run hitter. He could develop into a franchise cornerstone for the Washington Nationals.
He made his MLB debut on July 1 last year at the age of 21, and while he hit only nine home runs as a rookie, he did it while posting a .264/.354/.427 line and 122 OPS+ as one of the most productive rookie hitters in baseball.
During his final full season in the minors in 2023, he logged an .874 OPS with 28 doubles, 26 home runs and 91 RBI in 129 games between High-A and Double-A. With plenty of room to add strength to his frame, his power production should continue to climb in the coming years, but a jump right to a 30-homer season is not out of the realm of possibility.
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