MLB all-under-25 team: Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Giants well-represented

Major League Baseball has seen an influx of promising young talent over the past few years, with several players establishing themselves as future superstars.

While players such as Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr., 26, and the New York Yankees' Juan Soto, 25, have already achieved a great deal of success in a short period of time, there are even younger stars who deserve recognition for their talent and contributions.

With that in mind, we've assembled a roster of the top players under 25, mostly based on their production rather than their future outlook. Here's who made our starting lineup.

(Statistics and records are through games on 6/12 | Age of each player in parentheses.) 

Catcher

Logan O'Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels (24) | Even though outfielder Brandon Marsh has been productive for Philadelphia, the Phillies might have regrets about trading O'Hoppe for him in 2022, especially now that J.T. Realmuto is injured. O'Hoppe has major injury concerns of his own, though when he has played, he has shown promise.

In 112 games, O'Hoppe is slashing a respectable .255/.312/.467 with a .779 OPS, 22 home runs and 59 RBI, though his production since May 1 may be what we should expect from him. In that 30-game span, O'Hoppe has a .271 batting average with 29 hits, six homers and 18 RBI. There isn't much exciting young talent on the Angels, but O'Hoppe has the potential to be a key building block in their rebuild.

First base 

Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox (24) | Despite the fact that Casas hasn't played since April due to torn cartilage in his left rib cage, we're considering the entire body of work for this selection. Before his injury, Casas posted a slash line of .244/.344/.513 with six home runs and 10 RBI in 22 games.

That output leads us to believe Casas' dominant second half of last season wasn't an anomaly. In 54 games after the 2023 All-Star break, Casas had the third-highest OPS among players with at least 180 at-bats (1.077) and slashed .317/.417/.617 with 15 home runs and 38 RBI. 

Second base

Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers (24) | Turang is a major contributor to the Brewers' seven-game division lead. After flashing potential last season, he has enjoyed a massive breakout year, showcasing his offensive, defensive and base-running prowess. In 64 games, Turang is slashing .294/.358/.403 with three home runs, 24 RBI and 24 stolen bases and amassed 2.2 fWAR, the most of any second baseman under 25.

Turang has unquestionably performed like an All-Star, though he could ultimately find himself as one of the biggest snubs of this year's voting cycle. 

Third base

Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals (24) | While he might not be the biggest threat at the plate, Garcia is one of the top fielding third basemen in the majors and arguably the best base runner at his position. In 67 games this season, Garcia is slashing .251/.301/.371 with five homers, 36 RBI and 16 stolen bases, the second most by a third baseman. Additionally, according to Baseball Savant, Garcia ranks in the 98th percentile in base-running run value and the 95th percentile in Outs Above Average.

There's still plenty of time left in the season, but Garcia has made a strong case to be considered the American League's Gold Glove Award winner for third base.

Shortstop

Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (23) | With names such as Gunnar Henderson, Elly De La Cruz and Anthony Volpe excelling this season, shortstop is undoubtedly the toughest starting spot to decide on. However, Witt's all-around skill set gives him the edge over Henderson in particular to earn this selection.

Witt, MLB’s leader in triples last season, is on track to earn his first career All-Star nod and potentially garner votes in MVP balloting. In 68 games this season, Witt has a .326 batting average, tied for the highest among qualified hitters, a 157 wRC+ (MLB average is 100) and 4.4 fWAR, the third most in the majors. Additionally, Witt's 10 Outs Above Average rank second among players, trailing only Texas' Marcus Semien. 

Outfield

Baltimore's Colton Cowser (24), Seattle's Julio Rodriguez (23), San Francisco's Heliot Ramos (24) | 

A contender for American League Rookie of the Year, Cowser has only made a formidable lineup much more potent. Although Cowser has the 10th-highest strikeout rate among qualified hitters (30.1%), he is productive at the plate, slashing .234/.324/.436 with eight home runs and 29 RBI. Cowser's 2.1 fWAR this season is also a higher figure than what stars such as Corey Seager, Jose Altuve and Cody Bellinger have produced. 

While Rodriguez is having a disappointing season by his standards, slashing .268/.318/.344 with five homers and 25 RBI, it's impossible to dismiss his accomplishments over the past two seasons and overall talent. After all, the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year already has two All-Star selections and two top-seven MVP finishes. 

Ramos, a first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, struggled mightily during his first two stints in the majors, producing -0.6 fWAR in 34 games entering this season. However, Ramos has already accumulated 1.6 fWAR in just 32 games since being recalled last month, producing six home runs, 24 RBI and a slash line of .305/.385/.500.  

Designated hitter 

Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles (22) | Did you think we were going to exclude the best position player under 25 from our list? After taking home American League Rookie of the Year honors last season, Henderson has emerged as a potential MVP candidate and could be headed for a top-five finish for the award.

There hasn't been a better leadoff hitter in baseball this season than Henderson, who is slashing .273/.373/.598 with 21 home runs, 47 RBI and eight stolen bases. Henderson's 4.5 fWAR this season isn't just the most by a player under 25, it's the second most among hitters, behind Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. In all likelihood, Judge will earn MVP this season if he continues his torrid home run pace, but expect Henderson to be a perennial contender for the award over the next decade. 

Starting rotation 

Pittsburgh RHP Paul Skenes (22), Seattle RHP Bryan Woo (24), Orioles RHP Grayson Rodriguez (24), Pittsburgh RHP Jared Jones (22), Cincinnati RHP Hunter Greene (24) | 

Good luck getting hits, let alone scoring runs, off this pitching staff. Overall, our pitchers have a combined 3.01 ERA this season, which would rank fourth in starter ERA among teams. 

Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, has somehow exceeded the lofty expectations placed on him to begin his career, posting a 2.43 ERA with 46 strikeouts in six starts. The 22-year-old and fellow Pirates flamethrower Jones (3.27 ERA in 13 starts) have the potential to establish themselves as the top pitching duo in baseball for the foreseeable future. 

Another promising young Mariners pitcher, Woo has been plagued by injuries to begin his career. Nonetheless, when healthy, he has been nothing short of dominant, and through six starts this season, he has a 1.07 ERA. As Daniel Kramer of MLB.com pointed out, that's the lowest ERA of any pitcher in Mariners history through their first six starts of a season. 

Contrary to Skenes, Rodriguez and Greene — two former first-round picks — haven't lived up to the hype they received when they were drafted. Even so, the two have shown glimpses of frontline starter potential and could finally be putting it all together. So far this season, Rodriguez and Greene have a 3.27 ERA and 3.61 ERA, respectively. 

Bullpen

Philadelphia RHP Orion Kerkering, (23), San Francisco RHP Randy Rodriguez (24) 

Kererking and Rodriguez are relatively unheralded, but they're more than deserving of our two bullpen spots.

Although Kerkering has only pitched 22.2 innings this season, he has posted a 1.19 ERA with 24 strikeouts and already accumulated 0.7 fWAR, the most of any reliever 24 or younger.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez has appeared in just 14 games this season, posting a 3.05 ERA and 2.36 FIP, as well as 0.3 fWAR. He has relied heavily on his effective four-seam fastball-slider combo, which has helped him rank in the 92nd percentile in barrel rate and the 94th percentile in expected ERA, per Baseball Savant.