Top 5 Young Players to Watch in 2025
5: Lawrence Butler (Athletics)
This up and coming 24-year-old has become a rising star in the MLB over the past season. A speedy six-foot three outfielder with speed and power potential had some great moments in the 2024 season, complemented by the offensive prowess of Brent Rooker. While on the surface, it may appear that Butler is an average player, a deeper look reveals a gem. To reveal this gem, we must look at his team: the Athletics posted a 32-32 record after the All Star Break—certainly a lot better than what anyone would expect of the impoverished Oakland team. With assistance from Mason Miller and Rooker, the A’s could build an unexpectedly competitive team in the upcoming 2025 MLB season, with Butler at the heart of the lineup. Playing 125 games in the 2024 season, he posted 22 homeruns with 18 stolen bases and an .807 OPS. Pretty solid numbers, all things considered, and he’s got real potential for a 20/20 season, maybe even a 30/30 season in his near future as he develops into his prime.
4: Jackson Holliday (Orioles)
Even though this 21-year-old had a disappointing rookie season last year, this top prospect certainly has a bright future. On a team full of young talent with players like Rutschman, Westburg, Henderson, and Cowser, he fits right into the mix. With a .928 OPS in the minors, the hype and expectation around him was big, but he failed to deliver. So far in the majors he’s put up an abysmal .566 OPS with 5 homeruns in 190 at-bats, so fans should want to keep their eye on him, furthermore, he’s made the starting lineup for the Orioles and is hungry for a 2025 campaign reminiscent of his minor league success. However, it’s equally possible that Holliday will take a while to get adjusted to the big leagues or never be able to reach the level people anticipated him to get to at any point in his career.
3: Paul Skenes (Pirates)
Of course, everyone is watching the rookie sensation that put up a sub-2 ERA his rookie year with a blazing fastball and impressive strikeout numbers. However, what people should be watching is how he responds to his rookie success—will he continue his reign of dominance as a potential NL Cy Young winner? Or will he fall into a sophomore slump? It’s not uncommon for pitchers to have an unexpected bad season or injury that puts them out of the spotlight, especially relative to position players. It’s probable that the rest of the league will adapt to Skenes’ pitching and start hitting off him more than last year. How Skenes will respond to this will determine his season, and potentially his career. However, if Skenes puts up historically impressive numbers again, everyone better start waking up and realizing they’ve got a generational pitcher on their hands.
2: Elly de la Cruz (Reds)
Elly has shown every sign of superstar level talent over his two seasons. A cycle, a 20/60 season, elite speed, arm strength and power, he’s got all the tools he needs to succeed as a pseudo-Mike Trout of the infield. The 23-year-old dominated last season, playing in 160 games with an OPS of .809 and all the while making flashy plays at short. Based off the looks of it, Elly is only going to get better as he advances towards his prime, and he’s got real potential to win MVPs, Silver Sluggers, and Gold Gloves at some points in his career. To be honest, we all know he’s going to be great, but like any nice sports car, it drives nicely but needs maintenance. Will Elly’s career be plagued by injury and down seasons or will he continue to dominate the league and put up incredible numbers? These upcoming seasons will tell.
1: Wyatt Langford (Rangers)
One of the top prospects in 2024, Langford came into the season with incredibly, maybe even unreasonably high expectations. With a 1.118 OPS in the minors and some elite speed, the bar was set high as he came to join the World Series winning team. However, Langford's rookie campaign didn’t start as hot as most had hoped. He didn’t hit his first homerun until his 27th game, and even then, it was an inside-the-parker. But it’s this key thing that makes Langford different from most young players in the league. He didn’t have early blowup success like Cruz or Skenes, but he also didn’t completely fall flat like Holliday. He played the whole season and finished with a .740 OPS with 16 home runs and 19 stolen bases. Langford, even with high expectations and a slow start, pushed through the disappointment and kept grinding, maintaining his composure. Sure enough, it paid off. He stuck with it and won AL Player of the Month and AL Rookie of the Month in September—all while competing against players like Bobby Witt Jr., Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto. Langford has shown his ability, even as a young player, to be able to push through severe slumps and come out on top—something that Skenes, Holliday, or Cruz have been able to prove, either because they haven’t fallen into a slump or gotten out of it.
Keeping this in mind, Rangers fans should be excited for the power-speed youngster to take the field with ambition to dominate, potentially putting up a 20/20 season, maybe better.
