Pete Crow-Armstrong and MLB's All-Breakout Team for the 2025 Season
It's time to announce Bleacher Report's 2025 MLB All-Breakout Team.
There are still a handful of games remaining in the regular season, but the year's biggest breakouts are already well-established. The All-Breakout Team consists of one player at each position, five starting pitchers and one relief pitcher.
The idea is to focus on players who have achieved a level of success they hadn't previously approached.
Since that means focusing on guys who have MLB experience prior to this year, no rookies were eligible to be included in this article. Otherwise, this quickly turns into an article about the top rookie at each position, and the idea here was to shine some light on guys who have taken their game up a notch.
Along with our picks at each position are a handful of honorable mentions who are also deserving of recognition.
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Catcher: Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies
1 of 14
Stats: 134 G, 124 OPS+, .280/.326/.528, 60 XBH (30 HR), 87 RBI
WAR: 3.6
Hunter Goodman had huge seasons in the minors in 2022 (.926 OPS, 36 HR, 106 RBI) and 2023 (.919 OPS, 34 HR, 111 RBI), but that production did not immediately translate to MLB success.
After hitting a combined .192/.233/.409 with a strikeout rate hovering around 30 percent over 301 plate appearances in 2023 and 2024, he was not guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster. However, he won the second catcher spot alongside veteran Jacob Stallings, and ended up being Colorado's lone All-Star en route to a 30-homer campaign.
Honorable Mentions: Dillon Dingler (DET), Carson Kelly (CHC), Tyler Heineman (TOR)
First Base: Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays
2 of 14
Stats: 103 G, 142 OPS+, .316/.394/.478, 34 XBH (12 HR), 54 RBI
WAR: 3.1
Jonathan Aranda has been sidelined since the end of July with a fractured wrist, but he did more than enough over the first four months of the season to earn a spot on the All-Breakout Team.
A consensus Top 100 prospect during his time in the minors, he hit .222/.309/.382 in 333 plate appearances in sporadic MLB action over the past three years, and he was well on the other side of peak hype when the season started. Now he looks like a long-term building block in Tampa Bay with club control through 2029.
Honorable Mentions: Kyle Manzardo (CLE), Kody Clemens (MIN)
Second Base: Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles
3 of 14
Stats: 142 G, 99 OPS+, .250/.321/.390, 41 XBH (17 HR), 55 RBI
WAR: 1.4
The second base position is thin on star talent across baseball right now, but Jackson Holliday took a significant step forward this year after struggling in his first taste of the big leagues in 2024.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft is still only 21 years old and miles ahead of the developmental curve, and he was one of the most consistent performers in the Orioles lineup while serving as the team's primary leadoff hitter.
Honorable Mentions: Lenyn Sosa (CWS)
Third Base: Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals
4 of 14
Stats: 150 G, 125 OPS+, .289/.353/.457, 57 XBH (16 HR), 70 RBI
WAR: 5.3
Slugger Junior Caminero has had a loud 44-homer, 108-RBI season for the Tampa Bay Rays, but dramatic home/road splits helped serve as a tie-breaker of sorts at the position where Maikel Garcia has also taken his game to new heights in 2025.
Garcia, 25, ranked 128th out of 129 qualified hitters with a 75 OPS+ in 626 plate appearances last season, making his breakout performance one of the most surprising in recent memory. Aside from his massive uptick in offensive impact, he has also posted elite defensive metrics and should be headed for a Gold Glove win.
Honorable Mentions: Junior Caminero (TB), Addison Barger (TOR), Brett Baty (NYM)
Shortstop: Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks
5 of 14
Stats: 152 G, 135 OPS+, .289/.391/.461, 53 XBH (19 HR), 97 RBI
WAR: 6.8
Geraldo Perdomo was an All-Star in 2023, so his standout production has not exactly come out of nowhere, but how many people were predicting him to be the NL WAR leader among position players on Sept. 18?
An elite .391 on-base percentage and more walks (91) than strikeouts (75) speak to his growth as a hitter, and he also has more home runs this season than he did over the first 401 games of his career.
Honorable Mentions: Brooks Lee (MIN)
Outfield: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
6 of 14
Stats: 147 G, 120 OPS+, .247/.289/.484, 70 XBH (29 HR), 90 RBI
WAR: 5.9
Pete Crow-Armstrong hinted at a breakout performance on the horizon during a strong final two months of the 2024 season, but his status as a legitimate NL MVP candidate during the first half of the season represented an enormous step forward.
His production at the plate has dipped during the second half, but he is still one home run away from becoming the first Cubs player with a 30/30 season since Sammy Sosa in 1995. He is also a lock for a Gold Glove, and perhaps NL Platinum Glove honors to boot.
Outfield: Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins
7 of 14
Stats: 117 G, 149 OPS+, .288/.368/.544, 49 XBH (25 HR), 73 RBI
WAR: 3.6
Infielder Connor Norby looked like the prize of the 2024 deadline deal that sent Trevor Rogers to the Orioles when he finished last season as the best hitter in the Marlins lineup, but it's Kyle Stowers who now looks like a franchise cornerstone after being plucked from the Baltimore farm system in that same trade.
The 27-year-old has been sidelined since Aug. 15 with a strained oblique or his numbers would look even better, and elite batted-ball data suggests his breakout performance is the real deal.
Outfield: Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics
8 of 14
Stats: 148 G, 125 OPS+, .277/.347/.475, 56 XBH (24 HR), 89 RBI
WAR: 3.8
James Wood was also a strong contender for the third outfield spot, but his production has dropped off significantly since the All-Star break, and he has racked up a MLB-high 210 strikeouts in 149 games.
Tyler Soderstrom opened the season as the Athletics starting first baseman after initially being drafted and developed as a catcher, and he learned to play a standout left field (6 DRS, 2 OAA) on the fly after Nick Kurtz was promoted from the minors while putting together a breakout season at the plate.
Honorable Mentions: James Wood (WAS), Trent Grisham (NYY), Andy Pages (LAD), Jo Adell (LAA), Gavin Sheets (SD), Jake Meyers (HOU), Noelvi Marte (CIN), Mickey Moniak (COL)
Starting Pitcher: Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles
9 of 14
Stats: 16 GS, 8-2, 1.43 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 24 BB, 93 K, 100.2 IP
WAR: 5.6
Trevor Rogers has been a frontline MLB starter in the past, posting a 2.64 ERA with 157 strikeouts in 133 innings during his rookie season in 2021 to finish runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year voting and earn an All-Star selection.
However, he struggled to a 5.09 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 249.1 innings in the three years that followed, and opened the 2025 season in the minors. He joined the MLB rotation on May 24 with 6.1 shutout innings of two-hit ball, and he has been one of the best pitchers in the majors during the second half.
Starting Pitcher: Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds
10 of 14
Stats: 27 GS, 9-7, 2.88 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 42 BB, 143 K, 156.1 IP
WAR: 5.3
Andrew Abbott had a 3.06 ERA in 103 innings through his first 18 starts last season before getting shelled over his final seven starts and inflating his final numbers, so while he has been a standout starter in the past, this is the first time he has maintained that production for a full season.
The 26-year-old was an All-Star for the first time this year, and he authored one of the 12 complete game shutouts that have been recorded in 2025, blanking the Guardians in a three-hitter back on June 10.
Starting Pitcher: Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians
11 of 14
Stats: 30 GS, 11-5, 3.06 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 81 BB, 161 K, 161.2 IP
WAR: 3.6
Gavin Williams was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 draft and the No. 19 prospect in baseball at the start of the 2023 season, so his emergence as the workhorse of the Cleveland Guardians staff this year has been a step toward living up to lofty expectations.
The 6'6", 250-pound right-hander leads the Cleveland staff with 13 quality starts, and since the All-Star break, he is 6-1 with a 2.10 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.
Starting Pitcher: Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals
12 of 14
Stats: 20 GS, 8-7, 2.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 39 BB, 116 K, 116.1 IP
WAR: 3.2
Kris Bubic might be the ace of the All-Breakout Team rotation if a rotator cuff strain had not brought his season to an early end in late July, but he still did more than enough over 20 starts to earn a spot on the staff.
After missing most of the 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, he returned in a relief role last year, but the Royals moved him into the rotation to fill the spot occupied by Brady Singer and he ended up earning a surprise All-Star selection.
Starting Pitcher: Quinn Priester, Milwaukee Brewers
13 of 14
Stats: 27 G, 22 GS, 13-2, 3.25 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 47 BB, 118 K, 146.2 IP
WAR: 3.0
A former first-round pick with a top prospect pedigree, Quinn Priester struggled to a 6.46 ERA in 94.2 innings with the Pittsburgh Pirates before he was flipped to the Boston Red Sox for another former top pick in Nick Yorke at the 2024 deadline.
He was traded again during the offseason, going to Milwaukee in exchange for two prospects and a compensatory draft pick, and he has emerged as a key arm in the Brewers rotation. With a 2.81 ERA in 64 innings over his last 11 starts, he has made a compelling case to join Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff in the playoff rotation.
Honorable Mentions: Matthew Liberatore (STL), Griffin Canning (NYM), Ryne Nelson (ARI), Randy Vásquez (SD), Janson Junk (MIA)
Relief Pitcher: Daniel Palencia, Chicago Cubs
14 of 14
Stats: 52 G, 22/25 SV, 3.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 51.0 IP
WAR: 0.5
The Cubs entered the season with veteran Ryan Pressly penciled into the closer's role and Porter Hodge also in the mix for late-inning work, but it ended up being Daniel Palencia who stabilized the bullpen by emerging as a shutdown option in the ninth inning.
The 25-year-old had a 6.14 ERA in 10 appearances during the 2024 season and was not expected to be anything more than organizational depth heading into the season, so his emergence has been a pleasant surprise. Now the question is whether he can put a shoulder strain in the rearview before the playoffs get underway.
Honorable Mentions: Adrián Morejón (SD), Randy Rodriguez (SF), Gabe Speier (SEA), Brendon Little (TOR)
