Ranking Pete Crow-Armstrong, MLB's Top 10 Candidates for Most Improved Player of 2025
It's odd that Major League Baseball does not have a Most Improved Player Award similar to the one handed out at the end of each NBA season.
More than perhaps any other sport, baseball is a game of incremental progression, with most players taking a few years to find their footing and unlock their full potential.
So, who would win 2025 Most Improved Player honors if that award was introduced?
Ahead, we've ranked the top 10 candidates, based on their overall progression from 2024 to 2025.
Rookies and players with limited previous MLB experience such as Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler were not eligible for inclusion, since they had no real baseline performance to gauge their improvement.
The focus here was on who has improved the most, not simply who is the best player, so while guys such as Cal Raleigh and Cristopher Sánchez are enjoying career years, their improvement is on a smaller scale relative to their 2024 production. The same is true of young stars James Wood and Junior Caminero, who have simply continued on the upward trajectory they showed a year ago.
Trimming the list to 10 players was extremely difficult, so let's start with some honorable mentions who just missed the cut.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 11
Pitchers
SP Griffin Canning, NYM
SP Matthew Liberatore, STL
RP Gabe Speier, SEA
Hitters
OF Jo Adell, LAA
2B Jackson Holliday, BAL
DH Kyle Manzardo, CLE
UT Zach McKinstry, DET
OF Noelvi Marte, CIN
OF Jake Meyers, HOU
OF Mickey Moniak, COL
OF Andy Pages, LAD
IF/OF Ceddanne Rafaela, BOS
DH Ben Rice, NYY
UT Daniel Schneemann, CLE
DH Gavin Sheets, SD
IF Lenyn Sosa, CWS
10. RP Randy Rodríguez, San Francisco Giants
2 of 11
2024: 35 G, 5 HLD, 4.30 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 53 K, 52.1 IP, -0.2 WAR
2025: 48 G, 13 HLD, 1.66 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 66 K, 48.2 IP, 1.8 WAR
Over six seasons in the minors, Randy Rodríguez struck out 355 batters in 261.2 innings, but he also issued 152 walks for a 13.3 percent walk rate, and those command issues clouded his long-term outlook.
He took a step forward with his control at Triple-A last season and made his MLB debut on May 4. And while he continued to miss plenty of bats, he also missed in the zone too frequently and allowed a .253 average and .440 slugging percentage with his fastball.
An uptick in the spin rate on his fastball (2,518 to 2,662 rpm) has made that a more effective pitch this year, earning him an All-Star selection and the closer's role after Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval were both traded at the deadline.
9. 3B/OF Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays
3 of 11
2024: 225 PA, 69 OPS+, .197/.250/.351, 18 XBH (7 HR), 0.4 WAR
2025: 379 PA, 117 OPS+, .261/.310/.491, 43 XBH (18 HR), 1.4 WAR
Addison Barger sent his prospect stock soaring during the 2022 season when he hit .308/.378/.555 with 33 doubles, 26 home runs and 91 RBI in 124 games across three minor league levels, but a right elbow injury limited him in 2023 and he struggled mightily in his first MLB action a year ago.
The 25-year-old did not make the Opening Day roster out of camp, but he was promoted in mid-April and quickly played his way into a starting role at third base, eventually settling into his current super-utility role where he bounces between the hot corner and right field.
The surface-level production has been great, and even more promising are his batted-ball metrics, as he ranks among the MLB leaders in hard-hit rate (93rd percentile), average exit velocity (91st percentile) and expected slugging (86th percentile).
8. RP Daniel Palencia, Chicago Cubs
4 of 11
2024: 10 G, 1 SV, 6.14 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, 16 K, 14.2 IP, -0.2 WAR
2025: 42 G, 16 SV, 1.85 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 46 K, 43.2 IP, 1.0 WAR
The Cubs opened the season expecting some combination of incumbent Porter Hodge and newcomer Ryan Pressly to handle the closer's role in a revamped bullpen, but it's hard-throwing Daniel Palencia who has settled into the ninth-inning job.
After posting a 1.20 ERA with three holds in 13 appearances, he got his first save opportunity on May 19 and promptly coughed up a 7-6 lead when he allowed two hits, one walk and two earned runs.
Despite that initial stumble, manager Craig Counsell turned to him again two days later, and he slammed the door with a perfect ninth inning for his first save of the year. Since that point, he has converted 16 of 17 save chances with a 1.61 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 9.6 K/9 in 28 appearances.
7. SP Quinn Priester, Milwaukee Brewers
5 of 11
2024: 11 G, 7 GS, 4.71 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 33 K, 49.2 IP, -0.1 WAR
2025: 23 G, 18 GS, 3.48 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 100 K, 124.0 IP, 2.0 WAR
The No. 18 overall pick in the 2019 draft and a Top 100 prospect prior to the 2021 (No. 58) and 2022 (No. 88) seasons, Quinn Priester never quite delivered on lofty expectations during his time with the Pirates.
After logging a 6.46 ERA in 94.2 innings in the majors between 2023 and 2024, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the 2024 deadline in exchange for infielder Nick Yorke in a swap of former top prospects.
The 24-year-old was flipped again on April 7 when he was traded to the Brewers in exchange for a pair of prospects and the No. 33 overall pick in the 2025 draft, and he has been a staple in the rotation. His 124 innings rank second on the roster, and he could be on track to start a playoff game, depending on the health of Jacob Misiorowski.
6. 1B Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays
6 of 11
2024: 143 PA, 109 OPS+, .234/.308/.430, 13 XBH (6 HR), 0.7 WAR
2025: 409 PA, 143 OPS+, .316/.394/.478, 34 XBH (12 HR), 3.1 WAR
Jonathan Aranda saw sporadic playing time in the majors in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and he took a minor step forward each time he was given the opportunity.
2022: 87 PA, 74 OPS+, -0.2 WAR
2023: 103 PA, 97 OPS+, 0.2 WAR
2024: 143 PA, 109 OPS+, 0.7 WAR
A .302/.390/.480 hitter over 2,301 plate appearances in the minor leagues, Aranda got an opportunity to prove himself from the jump this year when he broke camp with a spot on the Opening Day roster and served as the team's primary first baseman out of the gates.
He hit .321/.419/.577 with eight doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI over his first 25 games, and he has not looked back, earning his first All-Star selection and sitting second in the AL batting title race behind Aaron Judge (.333 BA).
5. SP Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals
7 of 11
2024: 27 G, 7 HLD, 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 39 K, 30.1 IP, 0.8 WAR
2025: 20 GS, 8-7 W-L, 2.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 116 K, 116.1 IP, 3.2 WAR
Left-hander Kris Bubic made his MLB debut during the 2020 season, and after his first four years in the majors, he logged a 4.85 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 325 innings working primarily out of the starting rotation.
His 2023 season was cut short by Tommy John surgery, and he returned last year as one of the Royals' best relievers during their playoff push, keeping the opposition out of the scoring column in 19 of his 27 appearances.
The offseason trade of Brady Singer opened the door for him to return to the starting rotation, and he was having a Cy Young-caliber season with a vastly improved fastball and three quality breaking pitches on display until a left rotator cuff strain in late July sent him to the sidelines for the remainder of the year.
4. C Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies
8 of 11
2024: 224 PA, 68 OPS+, .190/.228/.417, 22 XBH (13 HR), -0.8 WAR
2025: 440 PA, 126 OPS+, .277/.327/.532, 50 XBH (25 HR), 2.7 WAR
Hunter Goodman has always had major raw power, and he put together huge offensive seasons in the minors in 2022 and 2023 after being selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft.
2022 (A/A+/AA): 135 G, .294/.354/.572, 71 XBH (36 HR), 106 RBI
2023 (AA/AAA): 106 G, .259/.338/.580, 64 XBH (34 HR), 111 RBI
The power potential was evident in his MLB debut last season when he launched 13 home runs in 70 games, but he posted a 64-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio while batting just .190 with an ugly .228 on-base percentage.
Improvements to his walk rate (3.6 to 6.1 percent) and strikeout rate (28.6 to 26.4 percent), along with an opportunity at regular playing time on a rebuilding team, have paved the way for his breakout performance.
3. OF Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins
9 of 11
2024: 209 PA, 67 OPS+, .208/.268/.333, 16 XBH (3 HR), -0.5 WAR
2025: 457 PA, 149 OPS+, .288/.368/.544, 49 XBH (25 HR), 3.5 WAR
Initially, it looked like infielder Connor Norby was the big prize for the Marlins in the 2024 deadline deal that sent Trevor Rogers to the Orioles, but they also acquired outfielder Kyle Stowers in that trade.
Stowers hit just .186/.262/.295 with 61 strikeouts in 172 plate appearances with the Marlins down the stretch, but his 51.3 percent hard-hit rate hinted at his offensive upside, and he broke camp this year with a starting job in the outfield.
The 27-year-old has continued to make some of the loudest contact in baseball this year, ranking among the leaders in hard-hit rate (93rd percentile) and barrel rate (98th percentile), and he has emerged as a legitimate long-term building block with club control through the 2029 season.
2. 3B Maikel García, Kansas City Royals
10 of 11
2024: 626 PA, 75 OPS+, .231/.281/.332, 39 XBH (7 HR), 1.2 WAR
2025: 506 PA, 130 OPS+, .300/.362/.466, 48 XBH (11 HR), 4.2 WAR
With a 75 OPS+ last season, Maikel Garcia ranked 128th out of 129 hitters who tallied enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, with 37 steals and 84 runs scored propping up an otherwise dismal offensive performance.
Despite those struggles, the Royals stuck with the 25-year-old as the team's everyday third baseman entering the year, and he has rewarded their faith with one of the most unexpected breakout performances of the 2025 season.
His expected batting average (.293, 94th percentile) speaks to the quality and consistency of his contact this year, and to that point, he also ranks near the top of the MLB leaderboard in strikeout rate (91st percentile), whiff rate (91st percentile) and chase rate (92nd percentile).
1. OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
11 of 11
2024: 410 PA, 89 OPS+, .237/.286/.384, 29 XBH (10 HR), 2.3 WAR
2025: 501 PA, 134 OPS+, .261/.300/.522, 63 XBH (27 HR), 6.4 WAR
Even if things never clicked at the plate, Pete Crow-Armstrong still profiled as an everyday center fielder, with the potential to have a Kevin Kiermaier-esque impact on the defensive side of the ball.
The 23-year-old hit .284/.337/.466 with 16 extra-base hits in 197 plate appearances over the final two months of the 2024 season, but he got off to a slow start at the plate once again this year, once more raising questions about his long-term ceiling.
Those questions were quickly erased when he caught fire at the plate and entered the All-Star break with 25 home runs and 27 steals to earn a starting spot in the NL outfield at the Midsummer Classic.
Crow-Armstrong has slowed a bit during the second half, but he is still on pace for the first 30/30 season by a Cubs player since Sammy Sosa in 1995 and a top-five finish in NL MVP balloting. He looks like the future face of the franchise on the North Side.
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