10 MLB Prospects With Standout Contact, Chase & Exit Velocity Data Early In 2025

Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox

We’re a month into the season, and this is the best Mayer has looked in his professional career. He has the lowest chase rate of his career to date with a 25% mark, down from a year ago. Mayer’s contact metrics are also up, as his in-zone whiff this season is down to 17%. The improvement in plate skills has seen Mayer grow into his reputation as an advanced-hitting shortstop with power.

While he showed development as a power hitter in 2024, his exit velocity metrics are once again up across the board. Mayer’s 107.4 mph 90th percentile EV is up nearly a a full tick from his 2024 mark of 106.5 mph. Now on the cusp of the major leagues, Mayer is showing the blend of skills needed to make a successful jump. 

Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners

After an underwhelming and injury-plagued 2024, Emerson looks healthy in 2025. So far, his underlying data has been excellent despite mediocre results. Looking at his mix of contact, swing decision and exit velocity data gives one the feeling that an Emerson breakout is bubbling just under the surface. He’s boasted strong plate skills from the moment he entered pro ball, and his data is still in line with that. His 17.5% in-zone whiff rate and chases are up a little from last year, but it’s a worthy trade when looking at his exit velocity data.

Emerson’s 90th percentile exit velocity is up from 102.5 mph in 2024 to 106.4 mph in 2025. He also has his hardest hit batted ball of his career already this year with a 115 mph max EV. Unfortunately, Emerson’s lack of lift has led to him not optimizing his hard contact. Improving his ability to drive the ball in the air and to his pull side will be the focus for Emerson in the coming years. 

Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies

After taking the Florida State League by storm to begin 2023, Miller has struggled at points over the last two seasons. It took him some time to get adjusted to High-A last year after promotion, and he’s struggled so far over 25 games with Double-A Reading.

Despite a .216/.321/.330 line, Miller’s underlying data is quite good. His overall line has been a product of poor luck on balls in play with a .281 BABIP rate in 2025. Meanwhile, Miller is showing a balance of plate skills and power. His 18.5% in-zone whiff rate is an above-average number, and his 17.6% chase rate is excellent. Miller is also hitting the ball hard consistently with a 106.3 mph 90th percentile exit velocity that is up nearly a full mph year over year, and he’s showing strong launch angles on his hard-hit contact (11.5 degrees) and pullside contact (8.4 degrees). Despite some early struggles, Miller is showing signs of breaking out of his early-season slump. 

Jesús Made, SS, Brewers

Coming into 2025, we aggressively ranked Made among the top prospects in the game. Beyond the on-field production and scouting feedback, it was Made’s data that truly made him stand out. The young shortstop’s blend of bat-to-ball skills, on-base ability and power was outlier for a player his age, even when compared to Dominican League standouts of yesteryear.

So far this year, Made has hit .295/.404/.455 as an 17-year-old (he turned 18 on Thursday). The underlying data for Made is once again excellent, and there’s been growth year over year, as well. While some of his whiff metrics are up with the jump to a full-season level, he’s still showing above-average bat-to-ball skills and swing decisions. His power however has also taken a nice step forward. After posting a 104.2 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in 2024, that number is up to 105.9 mph in 2025.

This is an outlier marker for any teenager, let alone one with Made’s advanced plate skills. No matter how you slice it, Made looks like a superstar in the making. 

Luis Peña, SS, Brewers

While teammate Jesús Made gets a majority of the headlines, Peña might be the prospect with the most helium after the first month of play. There’s good reason for that, as well. Peña is hitting .353/.430/.500 over 18 games, and his metrics are up across the board. In particular, he has shown the ability to hit the ball harder, as evidenced by a major leap in 90th percentile exit velocity. After posting a 99 mph 90th percentile EV in 2024, he’s up 106.5 mph this year—absolutely outstanding mark for a teenager.

Peña, like Made, pairs his power with outlier skills, showing plus bat-to-ball ability and solid swing decisions. Angles, however, are still an issue for Peña, as his swing path is linear and leads to more ground balls than you would like. This is the lingering question for Peña. He’s shown a substantial improvement in how hard he hits the ball but will need to find more loft to optimize it. 

Caleb Bonemer, SS, White Sox

At points in the summer of 2023, Bonemer looked like a potential first-round pick in 2024. That didn’t come to fruition, however, as Bonemer dropped to the second round. The infielder didn’t debut following the draft, giving us our first look at him this spring.

That debut look as been excellent, as Bonemer is hitting .275/.404/.462 while showing power, getting on-base and limiting strikeouts. Under the hood, it looks even better, as Bonemer is displaying a nice blend of skills. His 14.2% in-zone miss rate is excellent, and he’s limited his exposure to whiffs outside the zone with a 22.6% chase rate, which is an above-average mark. Where Bonemer stands out is in his exit velocity data, with a 105.4 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in his professional debut.

Beyond his raw power, Bonemer has a knack for finding the barrel, with an average launch angle on his hard-hit batted ball events of 14.3 degrees. This has led to an outstanding barrel rate so far of 19.7%. This combination of skills gives Bonemer the look of one of the top breakouts names of 2025. 

Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Diamondbacks

The D-backs’ 2024 supplemental first-round pick was a favorite of analysts in front offices last draft season. Waldschmidt showed a nice blend of plate skills and power while performing like an outlier in athletic testing. So far, that blend of hitting ability and athletic ability has led to success.

Over the first 29 games of 2025, he’s hit .290/.481/.516 with five home runs. The data backs this production thanks to a good blend of bat-to-ball ability, on-base skills and power. Waldschmidt’s in-zone contact rate of 15.6% is plus, while his outstanding chase rate of 11.2% is one of the best in the minor leagues. Meanwhile, his 106 mph 90th percentile exit velocity is in line with what he showed his junior season at Kentucky and bodes well for continued power production.

Waldschmidt hit his way onto the back end of the Top 100 Prospects in the first month of the season. Alongside Slade Caldwell, the D-backs’ 2024 draft class is shaping up to be a good one. 

Carter Jensen, C, Royals

Despite an excellent season at the plate in 2024, Jensen still slides under the radar among offensive-minded catching prospects. While Jensen’s overall line of .226/.294/.331 is underwhelming, he shows an excellent blend of contact, swing decisions and power. He’s currently running an in-zone whiff rate of 17.3% to go with a 19.8% chase rate, hinting that his current strikeout rate of 26% is likely a touch high.

Power-wise, Jensen has shown little in game, but his 107 mph 90th percentile exit velocity is plus. His hard-hit launch angle of 7.5 degrees is another marker of forthcoming success. Jensen has struggled to elevate the ball to his pull side, presenting a reason for some of Jensen’s struggles in 2025, but there’s still a nice underlying blend of skills to buy into despite the performance issues. 

James Tibbs III, OF, Giants

The Giants’ 2024 first-round pick was known for his balance of hitting traits coming out of Florida State, and so far, that’s held true as a professional. Tibbs is hitting .211/.367/.347 over his first 27 games, but that’s likely a product of his .224 batting average on balls in play.

This lack of success is flying in the face of skills based metrics. Tibbs has an outstanding strikeout-to-walk ratio of 22 walks to 17 strikeouts, and the under-the-hood data falls in line with those numbers. Tibbs’ 13.3% in-zone whiff rate is outstanding, and he pairs it with a plus chase rate of 18.9%. This limits Tibbs exposure to strikeouts and hints at his plus on-base skills.

A 90th percentile exit velocity of 106.1 mph ranks as plus, and he’s shown the ability to elevate on his hardest-hit contact with a hard-hit launch angle of 15.8 degrees. Tibbs is struggling so far to hit the ball to his pull side, likely a root cause for his struggles so far. 

Aroon Escobar, 2B, Phillies

The Phillies infielder just missed inclusion as a Top 100 Prospect, but he is likely to be added shortly with upcoming graduations. The infielder took Florida by storm this spring and has yet to release his grip on the Florida State League.

Over 25 games, Escobar has hit .309/.427/.526 with five home runs and a 14.5% walk rate to a 19.7% strikeout rate. There’s not much to poke holes in regarding Escobar’s season to date, and, if anything, the under-the-hood data makes an even more compelling case for Escobar as one of the game’s surging prospects. He has a 10.3% in-zone whiff rate, which is an outstanding double-plus marker, to go with a 24.1% chase rate, which limits his exposure to whiffs outside the strike zone.

Where Escobar’s data truly jumps off the page is in exit velocity data, as he’s posted a 90th percentile exit velocity of 105.6 mph this season in addition to a 90.6 mph average. It’s an outlier blend of skills at the plate and is so far leading to lots of successful outcomes for Escobar.