In a league dominated by towering sluggers, triple-digit heaters and highlight-reel superstars, baseball still finds room for the grinders, the gamers, the scrappy glue guys and the certified pests who never take a pitch off and somehow always seem to be in the middle of a rally, a web gem, or a gritty win.
Today, I present a roster of players who embody those traits. The All-Scrappy Team. This group may not jump off the page in terms of stature or raw tools, but they do all the little things right, play with heart, and offer immense value that doesn’t always show up in a surface-level stat read.
They’re the players you hate playing against but love to have on your team. And come October, we might just look back and realize that these guys were the reason their teams kept winning.
Here are the 2025 All-Scrappy selections, 40 games into the season.
Pitcher: Logan Webb – San Francisco Giants
Webb isn’t the flashiest ace. He doesn’t light up radar guns or go viral with wipeout stuff, but he’s arguably one of the most dependable starters in the game.
After stumbling early in his career (5.3 ERA across 19 starts in 2019–20), Webb has posted a staggering 19.1 WAR since 2021, including a 1.3 WAR through his first seven starts in 2025, including five quality starts, which ties him for the third-most in MLB.
At 6’1″, 223 pounds, and a former 4th-round pick, Webb embodies the bulldog archetype. He is steady, composed, and fiercely competitive. He’s the guy you believe will manage a quality start, no matter the matchup.
Catcher: Austin Hedges – Cleveland Guardians
Forget the batting average. Hedges is hitting just .174 with a .704 OPS in 2025, and that’s perfectly fine. A career .186 hitter, he’s always been a glove-first backstop, but few fans realize just how much he brings behind the dish.
Since 2018, Hedges ranks 5th among catchers in Blocks Above Average (49) and 3rd in Framing Runs (62). He’s also 11th in strike % since 2015 (50.7%). He makes pitchers better, full stop. A vocal leader and elite game-caller, Hedges is the rare catcher who can control a game without swinging the bat.
First Base: Luis Arraez – San Diego Padres
Arraez is on a historic tear, as he is gunning for a fourth-straight batting title in 2025 after winning three in a row with three different teams (Twins, Marlins, Padres).
Though he’s batting under .300 early this year, his career average sits at .321 and he’s struck out just 29 times in 150 games last season. In fact, he’s tallied fewer than 200 strikeouts in his entire MLB career. At just 5’10”, 175 pounds, Arraez has defied traditional scouting metrics his whole career. He may be light on power, but he is mighty with barrel control. He just flat-out hits.
Second Base: Andrés Giménez – Toronto Blue Jays
Giménez might be ice-cold at the plate to start 2025, hitting under .200 with a .575 OPS, but his glove hasn’t skipped a beat. He leads all second basemen with a 0.7 defensive WAR, already flashing the elite form that earned him a Platinum Glove and 3 Gold Gloves in Cleveland.
A former key piece in the Francisco Lindor trade, Giménez has stolen 108 career bases, including back-to-back 30-steal seasons. His 7.2 WAR breakout in 2022 remains one of the best all-around seasons by a second baseman in recent memory. He’s due for a bounce back, and even if it doesn’t come, his glove and baserunning carry real value.
Shortstop: Geraldo Perdomo – Arizona Diamondbacks
Not a top-tier prospect and hitting under .200 in 2022, Perdomo flipped the script in 2023 with an All-Star nod and a .273 average with a 3.4 WAR in just 98 games last season.
Now in 2025, he’s taken another leap, slashing .286/.372/.487 with an .859 OPS and a 2.3 WAR (best among MLB shortstops), including 0.7 DWAR. He puts the ball in play and provides high-effort defense every single night. At 25 years old, Perdomo could be turning into one of the more well-rounded shortstops in baseball, even if few realize it.
Third Base: José Ramírez – Cleveland Guardians
Yes, he’s an established veteran star on this list, but even J-Ram came up as an overlooked 5’8″ switch-hitter who had to earn his place.
Still with the Guardians 11 years after debuting, Ramírez has racked up 52.3 WAR, 6 All-Star selections, 5 Silver Sluggers and 260 career home runs.
Through 40 games in 2025, he has a .775 OPS and 0.5 WAR, but he’s still the emotional engine of a Guardians squad that keeps punching above its weight. He’s walked 612 times to 743 strikeouts and swiped 251 bases, making him one of the most productive and scrappiest infielders in the league.
Left Field: Steven Kwan – Cleveland Guardians
Another Guardian, another grinder. Kwan debuted in 2022 with elite bat-to-ball skills, but he’s becoming much more than a push hitter. In his first three full seasons, he picked up 3 Gold Gloves, made an All-Star team and never struck out more than 75 times in a season.
He’s off to a blistering 2025 start, hitting .330+ with an .854 OPS, and already tallying 4 home runs, putting him ahead of pace for a career high (14 in 2024). He leads all left fielders in WAR (2.0) and has a near 1:1 career BB/K ratio (196 BB / 201 K). Kwan is a relentless pest at the top of the order.
Center Field: Pete Crow-Armstrong – Chicago Cubs
PCA has arrived. Listed at 6’0”, 185 pounds, the former Mets prospect plays with fearless energy.
After a somewhat rocky 2024 debut (.234 AVG, .670 OPS, 10 HR), PCA began to find his footing late, and has since translated that into an explosive start in 2025: 9 HR, 12 SB, .841 OPS and a 2.1 WAR through 38 games to lead all center fielders, with a .7 DWAR to boot.
His elite defense, fiery mentality, and flair for big moments (like dismantling the defending champion Dodgers in their recent series) make him a scrappy centerpiece for the Cubs.
Right Field: Sal Frelick – Milwaukee Brewers
The Boston College product stands just 5’8”, 188 pounds, but plays huge. He posted a 2.1 WAR in 2024 despite an OPS under .700. This year, he’s batting near .300 with 13 BB to 16 K, showing off one of the league’s best contact rates. Even with early defensive metrics lagging in 2025, Frelick’s short swing, speed,and never-quit style make him a classic scrapper.
Utility: Tommy Edman – Los Angeles Dodgers
The ultimate gamer. Edman, 5’9”, 193 pounds, was a Gold Glover in St. Louis before joining the star-studded Dodgers and winning NLCS MVP in 2024 on the way to a World Series title. He’s hit 8 HR in just 30 games this season (career-high is 13), showing more power to go with his trademark defense and base-stealing. Whether he’s playing short, second, or center, Edman’s gritty approach stands out even in LA’s galaxy of stars.
What Do You Think of Our All-Scrappy Team?
This team won’t win any Home Run Derbies or top Statcast leaderboards, but they might just grind their way into October. These players fuel wins.
We’ll circle back at season’s end to see how the 2025 All-Scrappy Team performed — but safe bet: they’ll be leading their teams in hustle stats and intangibles once again.
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