This is a list not of the 50 best players in MLB — Rob Manfred does not play baseball — but, rather, of the top 50 people set to influence the 2025 MLB season. Think of these individuals as the predominant characters in your favorite TV show, with the season premiere airing on Thursday.
On this list are All-Stars, prospects and some players you’ve maybe never heard of, as well as owners, managers, front-office execs and four guys named Jackson (that’s one more than last year).
The hope is that this list — here’s the first half, Nos. 50-26 — helps you sort out what to know and whom to care about as the 2025 MLB season begins.
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Famous Dodgers
25. Mookie Betts, Dodgers shortstop
24. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers first baseman
Neither of these Cooperstown-bound icons appeared in the Tokyo Series against the Cubs. Betts was sent back to the States due to a serious stomach issue that caused him to lose 18 pounds. He’s only now starting to turn a corner. Freeman was a late scratch due to a rib problem, the same ailment he played through during the World Series. Both are expected to be in the lineup on Opening Day, but these early-season hurdles are a reminder that Betts and Freeman aren’t young bucks anymore.
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Betts, who turns 33 in October, will be the second-oldest every-day shortstop in baseball this season, behind only San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts. Freeman, 36 in September, is the third-oldest first baseman, behind Cleveland’s Carlos Santana and New York’s Paul Goldschmidt. Eventually, age-based decline will arrive, as it does for every player. And with age, injuries become more frequent.
Is this the year that happens for either Betts or Freeman? Because at this point, time seems to be the only force powerful enough to stop Mookie, Freddie and the Dodgers.
An old ‘Stro and a young ‘Stro
23. Cam Smith, Astros right fielder
22. José Altuve, Astros left fielder
Smith was just 4 years old when Altuve joined the Astros as an international free agent back in 2007. In the nearly two decades since, the diminutive Venezuelan has completely reshaped the organization that took a chance on him — two World Series titles, seven ALCS appearances, seven AL West crowns and, one day, a statue outside the stadium. But the tides of change are crashing all around Altuve, the only holdover from the 2017 championship squad. After stalwarts Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker departed in the winter, Altuve, who turns 35 in May, is tasked with keeping the Astros’ competitive window propped open.
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Smith should help that cause. Drafted 13th overall by the Chicago Cubs in 2024, the Florida State product has had quite the supersonic rise. Despite appearing in just 32 minor-league games for Cubs affiliates last season, Smith was the key return in the trade that sent Tucker out of Houston. Offensively, Smith looked like a game-changer in spring training and made the big-league club out of camp. Smith played third in college and during his brief pro stint last year but has since moved to right field, where things will surely be a little choppy as he gets used to his new surroundings. Still, the bat could be magic. Astros teammate Mauricio Dubon even referred to Smith as “the next 60-homer guy.” That’s preposterously high praise considering that only six players have ever cranked 60 in a year, but it shows just how much hype there is around Smith right now.
[2025 MLB preview: Expert picks for World Series, Cy Young, MVP, more]
The man tasked with jump-starting the Cubs
21. Kyle Tucker, Cubs right fielder
The Cubs are one of only three teams to not have a single player with an fWAR above 5.0 since 2021 (the lowly White Sox and injury-plagued Twins are the others). That stat perfectly encapsulates the problem on the North Side — and why the Cubs pushed the chips in to acquire Tucker, who will be a free agent at season’s end.
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He’s not the most scintillating personality, but Tucker rakes like a true superstar. His .888 OPS since 2021 is 10th in baseball behind a cavalcade of MVP candidates such as Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Betts. Another superb campaign should put Tucker, still only 28 years old, on the precipice of a landmark contract that should eclipse the $300 million mark. What that means for the Cubs is anyone’s guess.
Where can I watch the game?
20. Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner
19. Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN president
The four-letter network has been carrying MLB games since 1990, but it opted out of that contract in February, which means 2025 could be the final season of “Sunday Night Baseball.” There’s still a chance that ESPN and MLB renegotiate a new deal for a smaller figure; part of the rationale behind the network’s opt-out was the $550 million per year price for MLB rights. That’s a massive sum compared to the $85 million per year that MLB charges AppleTV and the $10 million it charges Roku.
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Elsewhere in the TV right world, things are very much in flux. For fans, however, 2025 presents a refreshing, encouraging new era of ballwatching. Fans of 27 teams (all but Houston, Baltimore and Washington) can watch their favorite clubs in-market on MLB.TV, without the infuriating blackouts that for so long frustrated fans across the country. That, amid all the confusion around local TV carriers, bankruptcies and the ESPN situation, is unequivocally a good thing.
The ace?
18. Jacob deGrom, Rangers starting pitcher
17. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Rangers starting pitcher
Being an ace in this economy? Preposterous. These days, pitchers are trying with all their might on every single pitch. That means starters run out of gas more quickly than ever, and teams are wary of letting starters work three times through a lineup. As such, starting pitchers are throwing fewer and fewer innings. That dynamic makes it significantly more difficult to bestow the “ace” label on any given hurler.
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But here are two dudes who, by the end of the season, could be members of the upper, upper echelon. DeGrom, of course, has been there before. His run with the Mets from 2018 to 2021 was historically dominant: 1.94 ERA across 91 starts, with 774 strikeouts in 581 innings. Since then, however, injuries have limited him to 20 starts. But during spring training, deGrom looked like deGrom. If — and that’s an if the size of Jupiter — he stays healthy, watch out.
For Yamamoto, it’s a similar deal. The Japanese 26-year-old was phenomenal in his debut season last year, but he spent a stretch on the IL and finished the season with just 90 innings across 18 starts. That 5 IP per start rate is well below what anybody would consider the “ace” threshold. Still, the stuff is so scintillating that if the Dodgers let Yamamoto off the leash, he could certainly challenge for the NL Cy Young Award.
The ace!
16. Tarik Skubal, Tigers starting pitcher
Ask a big leaguer who the best pitcher in the world is, and most will say Skubal. Some will say Zack Wheeler or Paul Skenes or “healthy deGrom,” but Skubal is easily the most common answer. That’s because the reigning AL Cy Young has two different, elite fastballs that sit around 97 mph, with a devastating changeup to boot.
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A year ago, Skubal’s brilliance helped carry an undermanned Tigers team to a surprise postseason run. What can he do for an encore? Here’s the list of pitchers to win consecutive Cy Youngs: deGrom, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson (four straight), Greg Maddux (four straight), Jim Palmer, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez.
It’s also worth noting that Skubal is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season. Another stupendous year should put him in line for either a massive extension with the Tigers or a huge deal in free agency. Considering the uncertainty swirling around the 2026 CBA negotiations, which appear likely to initiate a lockout, perhaps Skubal will look to play it safe and cash in soon.
The Red Sox
15. Alex Bregman, Red Sox third baseman
14. Alex Cora, Red Sox manager
13. Rafael Devers, Red Sox third baseman
Here’s a ranking of most games started at third base since 2017.
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Baseball has changed a lot over the years, but it still holds that only one (1) individual can play third base at a time. Unless that changes before Opening Day, the Red Sox have a fascinating situation on their hands.
When the Sox signed Bregman this offseason, it was generally assumed that he would move to second and Devers would stay at the hot corner. But Devers’ history of defensive mediocrity coupled with the breakout of infield prospect Kristian Campbell means that Bregman now projects to be the every-day third baseman. Devers, when asked about that possibility early in spring training, gave a firm “no” about moving to DH. And yet here the Red Sox are, on the cusp of the season, with their Plan A revolving around Devers as the regular designated hitter.
This storyline has been a bizarre, perplexing undercurrent to what has otherwise been an invigorating offseason in Boston. The Red Sox, no matter how they’re aligned, should be really good! But if Cora, one of the game’s most respected skippers, can’t keep everyone happy, this could get a bit messy. Either way, it’ll be fun to follow.
Young superstar shortstops
12. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles shortstop
11. Elly De La Cruz, Reds shortstop
10. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals shortstop
Henderson and De La Cruz were featured on this year’s “MLB The Show” cover alongside Skenes, a good sign that they’ve officially ascended to superstardom. That Witt wasn’t included probably points to him getting his own cover at some point. This trio of small-market shortstops, all of whom are young enough to remain on their parents’ insurance, is not the future of baseball. These dudes are the present.
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Henderson and Witt both made the Full Leap™ in 2024. De La Cruz, who led MLB in strikeouts, did more like a half-leap, though 25 homers and 67 steals are nothing to sneeze at. And while Henderson was excellent, Witt posted a truly all-time great season, a season that, if Aaron Judge didn’t exist, certainly would’ve earned him AL MVP.
Since the beginning of the Integration Era, here’s the list of players Witt’s age (24) or younger to post an fWAR higher than the 10.4 he delivered last year:
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Mickey Mantle, 11.5 fWAR, 1956
As the kids say: That’s it. That’s the list.
Even so, you could rank this trio in any order heading into this season. De La Cruz, chase issues and all, probably still has the highest ceiling of this group. Henderson’s offensive numbers could take another little step forward with the Orioles moving their left-field wall in. Witt was the second-least efficient base stealer in MLB last year, despite being the fastest player in the league. This preposterous triumvirate is just getting started; a clutch playoff moment or two, and they’ll enter a whole other echelon.
Roki Sasaki
9. Roki Sasaki, Dodgers starting pitcher
The 23-year-old Japanese flame-thrower dominated the non-Soto portion of the offseason because (1) he’s immensely skilled and (2) he was available at a supremely low price, thanks to the international amateur market. In the end, unsurprisingly to many, the Dodgers secured yet another generational Japanese pitching talent.
But at this point, Sasaki is significantly less polished than his teammate Yamamoto was upon joining the Dodgers last winter. As showcased in his tantalizing yet volatile outing in the Tokyo Series against the Cubs, Sasaki is overflowing with ability and rough around the edges. His fastball sat in the upper 90s but had spotty command. His butterfly splitter is a unicorn offering, but he doesn’t always know where it’s going. Sasaki could be a runaway Rookie of the Year, or he could get sent to Triple-A to iron some stuff out. He’s going to be great eventually, but what happens in Year One is a total mystery.
The Braves
8. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves right fielder
7. Spencer Strider, Braves starting pitcher
In 2023, this swashbuckling duo was stupendous. Strider led MLB with 281 strikeouts. Acuña stole 73 bases, smashed 41 taters and won NL MVP. Atlanta finished with 104 wins, the best record in baseball.
In 2024, Strider made just two starts before ligament damage in his elbow required season-ending surgery. Six weeks later, Acuña tore his left ACL while running the bases. The Braves, without a top-five hitter and top-five pitcher on the planet, went on to win just 89 games.
Neither of these players will be on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster. Strider, who made two spring training starts, is expected back by late April. Acuña’s comeback should be complete by early summer. How these two play upon their returns will have an enormous impact on the Braves and, by proxy, the entire league.
Paul Skenes
6. Paul Skenes, Pirates starting pitcher
At this time last year, Skenes was in Indianapolis. He made seven Triple-A starts — including one in Toledo witnessed by just 2,805 fans — before earning the call on May 11. From that point forward, Skenes was a sensation, a mustachioed mountain with a triple-digit fastball. His starts, particularly his starts at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, were Events. Skenes started the All-Star Game, won the NL Rookie of the Year and established himself not just as one of the game’s best arms but also as one of the faces of the sport. All that in just 23 starts.
So what does the encore look like? Skenes is capital-F famous now; he went on Seth Meyers and guest-hosted “College GameDay” and attended the Super Bowl in the offseason. He enters the new year with two new pitches: a two-seam fastball and a cutter. Everyone and their step-cousin is picking him to win the NL Cy Young — and for good reason.
None of that can or will make the Pittsburgh Pirates a competitive baseball team. As a starting pitcher who plays once a week, Skenes can do only so much. Last year showed us that even if the Pirates stink, every Skenes start is relevant. But if the Buccos can hang around the playoff picture and Skenes remains excellent in Year Two, it’ll raise the entertainment value even more.
Stars slowly running out of time
5. Bryce Harper, Phillies first baseman
4. Aaron Judge, Yankees right fielder
Neither of these future Hall of Famers is getting worse at baseball. Judge will turn 33 in April; Harper will be 33 in October. The Phillies slugger remains a lock for an OPS around .900, while the Yankees captain is coming off perhaps the greatest offensive season ever by a right-handed hitter. Aging, in the physical sense, still feels a few years off for this pair. Yet the grains of sand inch ominously down the hourglass. That’s because both Judge and Harper are missing something important: a championship.
The Yankees and Phillies enter 2025 with title aspirations and the rosters to actualize them, but there’s an unfortunate possibility that this duo already missed their best shot — Harper in 2022, Judge in 2024. Winning a World Series is incredibly difficult. Ted Williams never did it, nor did Ken Griffey Jr. or Tony Gwynn. Their legacies aren’t sullied as a result. They remain legends of the sport, enshrined forever in upstate New York.
But for Harper and Judge, the stakes feel different. Maybe that’s a product of the demanding markets in which they play. Maybe it’s because they’ve been the faces of baseball for years. This will be Harper’s seventh season in Philly, equaling his tenure in Washington. Judge will be the second-oldest position player on New York’s Opening Day roster. And while both are hamstrung by the realities of this sport — one superhero does not a parade make — Judge’s and Harper’s palmarès remain unsatisfyingly incomplete. And they’d be the first to tell you as much.
Juan Soto
3. Juan Soto, Mets right fielder
$765 million.
That number, that unthinkable, ludicrous, convention-pretzling number, will follow Soto for the rest of his life. Anytime he fails — a strikeout, a baserunning flub, an outfield misplay — somebody in the crowd or watching on TV will unleash a quip about the price. Such is life as a well-paid public figure. A fair price, you’d think, for $765 million.
For so long, any conversation about Soto unavoidably routed back to his impending free agency. How much could he make? How long would the contract be? Where would he go? Now, with those questions finally answered, Soto (and the rest of us) can turn the focus elsewhere.
Because success for Soto and the franchise to which he’ll be linked for the next 15 years will be defined on the diamond. Mets owner Steve Cohen has not been shy about his dream of biting into the Yankees’ Big Apple stranglehold. Outbidding the crosstown rivals for Soto was a landmark moment in Queens, but only dog piles and parades will truly turn the tide.
Which brings us back to Soto, who earned that generational wealth because he’s a generational force. For the Mets to validate the project and live up to the supersonic expectations, they’ll need the $765 million man to earn his keep. Considering Soto’s track record, that’s a damn good bet.
Whatever Shohei Ohtani does this season will make headlines. Same goes for Rafael Devers, Paul Skenes and Vlad Guerrero Jr.
(Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports)
Vlad Jr.
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays first baseman
Guerrero’s 2025 will resemble Soto’s 2024, except in Toronto instead of New York City. The Blue Jays and their star first baseman failed to reach an extension before a self-imposed February deadline. Both parties have said they don’t expect to resume negotiations during the season, so as to avoid any major distractions.
Just last week, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro told reporters, “I think we’re going to sign him. I think we’re going to extend him.” But that optimism, at this point, doesn’t feel particularly grounded in reality. Toronto has failed, time and time again, to secure a major free agent to pair with Guerrero. The organization’s inability to secure him to an extension before he reaches the open market must be seen as an institutional failure born of near-sighted procrastination. And now, they’ll have to bid against the financial juggernauts of the sport.
If the Jays, projected by most systems as a .500 club, are supremely out of the playoff picture by the trade deadline, Guerrero’s name will dominate headlines. If Guerrero, who finished sixth in MVP voting last year, puts together another impressive season, his price will only increase. He won’t catch Soto’s $765 million, but $500 million is certainly in play.
The obvious top spot
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers two-way player
There are endless avenues to explain the scope and scale of Ohtani’s influence, but let’s keep it simple. Here is a human being whose athletic greatness has energized nations, reshaped local economies and rewritten the rules of the sport itself.
One of the many wonders of Ohtani is the constant newness he brings. That he could launch 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season was inconceivable 12 months ago. Then he did it. This year, Ohtani’s story once again contains a new chapter: his return to the mound. The two-way dynamo hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since undergoing elbow surgery in September 2023. He has thrown bullpen sessions but has not yet faced live hitters as the Dodgers continue to slow-play his pitching comeback.
How Ohtani balances his two existences will be fascinating to watch. Can he handle the logistical and physical rigors of building his arm back up while simultaneously maintaining such offensive excellence? Are there enough hours in the day to do both? Is there enough fuel in the tank? Doubting Ohtani, at this point, seems futile and ill-advised. But this is a genuinely new challenge for the man who has already conquered so much
However it plays out, Ohtani will dominate headlines and highlight reels all season. And we, the viewing public, lucky to live through this, will follow every last turn in the tale.
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