Predicting 10 Top MLB Prospects Who Will Debut Next in 2025 Season
The 2025 MLB rookie class has been a bit of a letdown to this point, but that could change in the coming weeks thanks to an influx of exciting young talent arriving in the majors.
Roman Anthony (Red Sox), Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox), Jac Caglianone (Royals), Kyle Teel (White Sox), Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), Cole Young (Mariners) and Christian Moore (Angels) have all been promoted to the big leagues for the first time over the last few weeks.
Which top prospects could be next to join them?
Ahead we've highlighted 10 prospects on the cusp of their first MLB call-up, based on their performance in the upper levels of the minors and their path to playing time on the big league roster.
Included is where each player ranked in Bleacher Report's recently updated Top 100 prospect list.
3B Brady House, Washington Nationals
1 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 87
It's only a matter of time before Brady House is manning the hot corner for the Washington Nationals, and he will join a promising young offensive core that already includes James Wood, CJ Abrams and Luis GarcĂa Jr.
Originally drafted as a shortstop with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 draft, House quickly outgrew the position and his 6'4", 208-pound frame, strong arm and plus power potential make him a clean fit at third base.
The 22-year-old tallied 21 doubles, 19 home runs and 66 RBI in 129 games in the upper levels of the minors last year, but hit just .241/.297/.402 along the way.
Those numbers have improved to a .301/.351/.524 line with 14 doubles, 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 62 games at Triple-A so far this year, and while his 73 strikeouts and 27.2 percent strikeout rate do raise some eyebrows, he has been productive enough to get a look in the big leagues.
That fact that Nationals third basemen are hitting a punchless .253/.314/.382 with two home runs and 23 RBI on the year only furthers his case for a promotion.
RHP Miguel Ullola, Houston Astros
2 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 83
Signed for just $75,000 back in 2021, Miguel Ullola is the latest in a long line of under-the-radar prospects with big fastballs to develop into quality prospects in the Houston Astros system.
With a lively upper 90s fastball that is lethal up in the zone and a hard-biting slider, Ullola has piled up 501 strikeouts in 359.2 innings over five professional seasons, and he has continued to miss bats in the upper levels of the minors.
In 11 starts at Triple-A this year, he has a 3.19 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 42.1 innings, though his 26 walks and 14.2 percent walk rate raises some questions about whether he will be able to stick in a starting role.
"He has a special fastball and could become a mid-rotation starter if he can find more control, or perhaps will follow the Bryan Abreu path to Houston's bullpen if he can't," wrote MLB.com in his preseason prospect profile.
Regardless of what his long-term role ends up being, he has the stuff to get big league hitters out right now.
LHP Quinn Mathews, St. Louis Cardinals
3 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 64
The St. Louis Cardinals have been better than expected this season in what was expected to be a retooling year, but with a 3-8 record and a minus-20 run differential in their last 11 games, they have started to slide.
In other words, they could still wind up being sellers at the trade deadline.
Starting pitchers Erick Fedde (13 GS, 3.53 ERA, 73.2 IP) and Miles Mikolas (13 GS, 4.48 ERA, 66.1 IP) are both free agents at the end of the year and will be obvious trade candidates if they opt to sell.
That would open a spot in the starting rotation for one of their young arms, and Quinn Mathews stands as the best of the bunch.
The 24-year-old posted a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 143.1 innings across four minor league levels last year in his pro debut. He missed a month in April this year with a shoulder injury, but he is back stretching out his arm at Triple-A Memphis in preparation for his MLB debut later this year.
1B/OF C.J. Kayfus, Cleveland Guardians
4 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 55
C.J. Kayfus was not even the top prospect on his college team, playing alongside third baseman Yohandy Morales during his time at the University of Miami, though he was still a third-round pick in the 2023 draft.
In his first full professional season last year, he hit .291/.393/.511 with 26 doubles, 17 home runs and 92 RBI in 108 games between High-A and Double-A, emerging as one of the top young bats in the Cleveland farm system.
He hit .364/.475/.591 with nine extra-base hits in 18 games at Double-A to open the year before earning a quick promotion to Triple-A, and he has not missed a beat there with a .307/.377/.540 with eight doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI in 154 plate appearances.
The 23-year-old has started games at first base and both corner outfield spots, and he would provide an immediate upgrade in right field, where the team has lacked a consistent everyday option for more than a decade.
The position has produced a .182/.232/.277 line this season, with Nolan Jones and Johnathan Rodriguez currently splitting time after Jhonkensy Noel was optioned to the minors.
OF Justin Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies
5 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 43
Center field has been a revolving door for the Philadelphia Phillies since Shane Victorino was patrolling the position from 2008-13, but they might have a long-term answer in the form of rising prospect Justin Crawford.
The son of former All-Star Carl Crawford, he is hitting .349/.416/.448 with 16 extra-base hits and 23 steals in 52 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and he has produced every step of the way since going No. 17 overall in the 2022 draft.
With a 55-hit, 75-speed offensive profile and the tools to develop into a plus defender, he has a high floor, though his ceiling will depend on whether he can make enough consistent hard contact to be more than just a singles hitter.
Still only 21 years old, the Phillies won't want to rush him to the big leagues, but he could force his way into the MLB picture if he continues to produce against Triple-A pitching.
Expect him to be untouchable at the trade deadline, and a second-half boon to the Philadelphia roster.
SS Carson Williams, Tampa Bay Rays
6 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 21
Widely regarded as the best defensive shortstop in the minor leagues, Carson Williams established himself as one of the top prospects in all of baseball last year with a strong season at the plate while making the leap from High-A to Double-A.
He hit .256/.352/.469 with 20 doubles, 20 home runs, 69 RBI and 33 steals in 115 games, and he was among the club's final cuts during spring training after getting a long look.
A potential early call-up with a strong start to the year, he instead hit an ugly .173/.277/.341 with 78 strikeouts in 206 plate appearances over his first 51 games through the end of May.
After whiffing 144 times at a 28.5 percent clip in 115 games last year, strikeouts remain a major hole in his game, so a 37.9 percent strikeout rate to start the year was a significant red flag.
However, he is hitting .303/.395/.606 over 39 plate appearances in June, and if he can keep swinging a hot bat he will find himself in Tampa Bay.
C Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles
7 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 14
After years of inexplicably ignoring the international market, the Baltimore Orioles made a splash in 2021 when they signed Samuel Basallo to a then-record $1.3 million bonus out of the Dominican Republic.
Following a pair of nondescript seasons in rookie ball, he broke through with a huge offensive season in 2023 when he posted a .953 OPS with 26 doubles, 20 home runs and 86 RBI across three minor league levels.
He hit .278/.341/.449 with 25 doubles, 19 home runs and 65 RBI between Double-A and Triple-A, splitting his time defensively between catcher and first base, though it's his bat that will ultimately carry him to the majors.
With a .965 OPS and 14 home runs through 41 games at Triple-A this season, he has nothing left to prove at the plate in the minors, and with Adley Rutschman blocking his path behind the plate his immediate future will be at first base or designated hitter.
As recently as this past offseason, he looked like a potential trade chip for an Orioles team in need of reliable starting pitching, but a disappointing start to the year could shift focus back to developing in-house young talent.
1B Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants
8 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 10
A standout two-way prospect coming out of high school, Bryce Eldridge has turned his full attention to hitting in pro ball and wasted little time establishing himself as one of the game's most prolific offensive prospects.
The 20-year-old looks the part with an imposing 6'7", 240-pound frame, and he absolutely raked last season with a .291/.374/.516 line and 27 doubles, 23 home runs and 92 RBI in 116 games across four minor league levels.
Sent back to Double-A to start the year, he batted .280/.350/.512 with eight doubles, seven home runs and 20 RBI in 34 games before he was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento.
The Giants recently cut ties with LaMonte Wade Jr. and are now relying on journeyman veteran Dominic Smith as the primary starter first base. He is off to a solid start, but it's a small sample size, and Eldridge remains the future at the position.
If he gets things going at Triple-A after hitting .138/.235/.345 over his first eight games, he could quickly find himself in the majors and hitting in the middle of the lineup for a contending Giants team.
RHP Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies
9 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 9
Andrew Painter was the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball and very much in the running for a spot in the Opening Day rotation heading into the 2023 season when a UCL sprain during spring training landed him on the injured list.
After three months of rehabbing the injury, he went under the knife for Tommy John surgery, and he did not return to the mound until the 2024 Arizona Fall League where he won Pitcher of the Year honors by posting a 2.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 15.2 innings.
The Phillies have monitored his workload closely this year at Triple-A, and he has logged just 37.1 innings in 10 starts, posting a 4.82 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 41-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
He could be utilized in a multi-inning relief role when he first breaks into the big leagues as a means of continuing to limit his innings, with guys like Chris Sale, Corbin Burnes, and Walker Buehler starting their big league careers in similar fashion.
The Phillies bullpen has a 4.56 ERA (24th in MLB) and 14 blown saves in 34 chances, and Painter could be the in-house answer to improving the relief corps.
RHP Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates
10 of 10
B/R Top 100 Rank: 2
The Pittsburgh Pirates were not shy about promoting their top young arms last season, with Jared Jones breaking camp as part of the Opening Day rotation and Paul Skenes making his MLB debut on May 11.
So why is Bubba Chandler still in the minors?
The 22-year-old closed out the 2024 campaign with seven starts at the Triple-A level, posting a 1.83 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 39.1 innings to seemingly put himself on the doorstep for his MLB debut in 2025.
It has been more of the same in the early going this year, with a 2.63 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 51.1 innings over 13 starts to solidify his status as baseball's top pitching prospect.
The Pittsburgh rotation has been a strength this year with a 3.59 ERA that ranks seventh in the majors, and Paul Skenes, Andrew Heaney, Bailey Falter and Mitch Keller are firmly locked into four spots, with Mike Burrows currently serving as the No. 5 starter.
An injury to one of those veterans or a couple shaky starts from Burrows might be all it takes to pave the way for Chandler to finally make his debut.
