The 25 Best Players in Major League Baseball Under Age 25
By Kyle Koster
The 25 best players in Major League Baseball under the age of 25. Some are household names. Others have flown under the radar. Rankings based on a combination of career accomplishments, position value, future potential and, of course, a certain je ne sais quoi only the list creator can understand.
No. 1 | Manny Machado, 24 | 3B | Baltimore Orioles
Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base. Hits for average. Hits for power. What’s not to like? Finished in the top-5 of American League MVP voting in consecutive seasons. Blasted 35 homers in 2015 and 37 in 2016 while posting .861 and .876 OPS, respectively. Somehow underappreciated.
No. 2 | Bryce Harper, 24 | RF | Washington Nationals
Came back to earth in 2016 after a historically great 2015 in which he hit .330 with 42 homers and a 1.109! OPS to win the MVP. Led the National League in intentional walks as opposing teams must game-plan around him.
No. 3 | Mookie Betts, 24 | INF-OF | Boston Red Sox
Finished second in AL MVP race in 2016. Led the league in total bases while winning a Gold Glove. Was four steals shy of joining the 30-30 club.
No. 4 | Aaron Sanchez, 24 | SP | Toronto Blue Jays
Went 15-2 while leading the AL in ERA. Allowed the fewest home runs per 9 in baseball. Should put up even better numbers if allowed to eat up more innings.
No. 5 | Noah Syndergaard, 24 | SP | New York Mets
Pitches with veteran poise. No reason to think he won’t lower his 2.89 career ERA. Nearly impossible to touch up with the long ball.
No. 6 | Francisco Lindor, 23 | SS | Cleveland Indians
Captured a Gold Glove at the most demanding position. Carries a .306 career batting average. If his power numbers jump, he’s a serious MVP candidate.
No. 7 | Corey Seager, 22 | SS | Los Angeles Dodgers
Finished third in National League MVP voting. Won the NL Rookie of the Year. Ridiculously high ceiling. God help opposing pitchers if .308/26/72/.877 is the floor.
No. 8 | Carlos Correa, 22 | SS | Houston Astros
Model of consistency through two years while putting up a .829 OPS. Look for a 25 HR/100 RBI campaign.
No. 9 | Rougned Odor, 23 | 2B | Texas Rangers
Is so much more than The Punch. Blasted 33 homers from a non-power position. Would be an incredible player if he practiced discipline at the plate.
No. 10 | Xander Bogaerts, 24 | SS | Boston Red Sox
Set a career highs last season in OBP, SLG, OPS, HR, and RBI. How will he do without the protection of David Ortiz?
No. 11 | Kyle Schwarber, 23 | LF | Chicago Cubs
Small sample size (278 regular season plate appearances), but his postseason runs have been epic. How much damage can he do in a healthy year?
No. 12 | Jose Ramirez, 24 | 3B | Cleveland Indians
Came out of nowhere to hit .312 in 2016 with an .825 OPS. Has the clutch gene.
No. 13 | Trea Turner, 23 | CF | Washington Nationals
Hit .342 with 13 homers and 33 steals in 73 games. Could be looking at a member of the 30-70 club.
No. 14 | Michael Fulmer, 23 | SP | Detroit Tigers
Faded a bit toward the end of his rookie year but put together two of the hottest months in memory. Tigers will need him to creep closer to the 200-inning mark.
No. 15 | Nomar Mazara, 21 | RF | Texas Rangers
If there’s such a thing as a quiet breakout year, Mazara had it. His 20-homer rookie season may be a career low. Has remarkable size.
No. 16 | Gary Sanchez, 24 | C | New York Yankees
Twenty homers in 203 at-bats. If he keeps up that pace,he’ll be the greatest player of all-time. No pressure.
No. 17 | Javier Baez, 24 | 2B | Chicago Cubs
Defensive wizardry at any position. Joe Maddon would be smart to not mess with happy and leave his young stud at second base.
No. 18 | Roberto Osuna, 22 | RP | Toronto Blue Jays
Perhaps the least recognized player on this list. Closed 36 games for a playoff team. Boasts 2.63 career ERA and a stingy .926 WHIP.
No. 19 | Joc Pederson | CF | Los Angeles Dodgers
Expecting to take some heat on having Pederson so low. He has incredible power and a .847 OPS to brag about. The strikeouts, plus a .210 batting average in 2015, are a concern.
No. 20 | Addison Russell, 23 | SS | Chicago Cubs
Twenty-one homers and 95 RBI in 2016. Rocket for an arm. Overlooked member of the World Champions.
No. 21 | Wilson Contreras, 24 | C | Chicago Cubs
The same could be said for Contreras. Put up a .845 OPS in limited action. Sky’s the limit for his future.
No. 22 | Andrew Benintendi, 22 | LF | Boston Red Sox
“Second coming of Fred Lynn.” – The Sports Guy, probably
No. 23 | Vince Velasquez, 24 | SP | Philadelphia Phillies
Going out on a limb here. Velasquez will figure it out this year. Has swing-and-miss stuff. Find some odds on him leading the league in strikeouts and take a chance. Has fanned 10.1 per 9 during his young career.
No. 24 | Maikel Franco, 24 | 3B | Philadelphia Phillies
Twenty-five homers and 88 RBIs in his first full year. Look at all these Phillies on the list!
No. 25 | Julio Urias, 20 | SP | Los Angeles Dodgers
Made Major League debut while still a teenager. Went 5-2 with 3.39 in 18 appearances. Will be a crusty old veteran by age 25.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Drury, Joe Ross, Michael Conforto, Dansby Swanson, Miguel Sano, Daniel Norris, Tim Anderson