MLB Rookie Of The Year Watch: Early AL, NL Favorites
Image credit: Kristian Campbell (Photo by Gavin Napier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The month of May is upon us, which means that one-sixth of the MLB regular season is in the books. The Red Sox have played 32 games already—more than any other team—which is 20% of their scheduled 162.
Still, 20% of an MLB season is not enough of a sample to properly evaluate player performance, especially rookie performance.
So as we take stock of the 2025 rookie class for the first time during the season, we lean a little heavier on preseason expectations than we will in future rookie evaluations.
Precedent points to the wisdom of this approach.
While many first-year players who go on to win Rookie of the Year get out of the gates hot, a number of ROY winners have gotten off to slower starts.
Here are the March/April hitting performances by eventual Rookie of the Year winners, minimum 50 plate appearances, in the 30-team era. Remember, this chart displays March/April statistics only.
| year | ROY | team | AVG | OBP | SLG | wrc+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Aaron Judge | NYY | .303 | .411 | .750 | 199 |
| 2001 | Albert Pujols | STL | .370 | .431 | .739 | 198 |
| 2019 | Pete Alonso | NYM | .292 | .382 | .642 | 165 |
| 2008 | Geovany Soto | CHC | .333 | .427 | .621 | 164 |
| 2014 | Jose Abreu | CWS | .270 | .336 | .617 | 161 |
| 2015 | Kris Bryant | CHC | .318 | .455 | .409 | 148 |
| 2023 | Corbin Carroll | ARI | .309 | .374 | .536 | 144 |
| 2008 | Evan Longoria | TB | .273 | .388 | .527 | 142 |
| 1998 | Ben Grieve | OAK | .314 | .405 | .467 | 133 |
| 2002 | Eric Hinske | TOR | .318 | .398 | .471 | 131 |
| 2006 | Hanley Ramirez | FLA | .304 | .379 | .489 | 127 |
| 2021 | Randy Arozarena | TB | .287 | .343 | .426 | 117 |
| 2001 | Ichiro Suzuki | SEA | .336 | .358 | .431 | 112 |
| 2000 | Rafael Furcal | ATL | .295 | .392 | .364 | 102 |
| 2003 | Angel Berroa | KC | .280 | .337 | .427 | 98 |
| 2023 | Gunnar Henderson | BAL | .189 | .348 | .311 | 96 |
| 2016 | Corey Seager | LAD | .250 | .311 | .396 | 89 |
| 1999 | Carlos Beltran | KC | .307 | .315 | .455 | 86 |
| 2021 | Jonathan India | CIN | .239 | .316 | .358 | 74 |
| 2004 | Bobby Crosby | OAK | .200 | .269 | .383 | 66 |
| 2022 | Julio Rodriguez | SEA | .205 | .284 | .260 | 62 |
| 2007 | Dustin Pedroia | BOS | .182 | .308 | .236 | 51 |
It certainly helps to get off to a great start, like Aaron Judge, Albert Pujols or Pete Alonso did as rookies. But future stars such as Corey Seager, Carlos Beltran and, especially, Julio Rodriguez and Dustin Pedroia overcame slow starts on their way to Rookie of the Year awards.
Some ROYs don’t even appear on the chart because they didn’t accumulate 50 PAs in April. That group includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. Other winners such as Yordan Alvarez, Ryan Braun, Carlos Correa, Ryan Howard and Buster Posey compiled no March/April statistics, because they didn’t make their season debuts until later.
All that is to say: Rookie performance during the first month of the season doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s even possible that an eventual Rookie of the Year might be in the minor leagues today, as Paul Skenes was at this time last year or as Michael Harris II was in 2022.
With the preamble out of the way, let’s review the early favorites for Rookie of the Year in the American and National leagues.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. Kristian Campbell, 2B, Red Sox
123 PA: .301/.407/.495 (156 wRC+), 4 HR, 2 SB
Campbell quickly set aside a flat spring training performance to top all rookies with four home runs, eight doubles, 19 walks, 18 runs and a .407 OBP in April. His defensive play at second base was less consistent, and he has seen occasional starts in center and left field.
2. Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics
117 PA: .325/.336/.456 (127 wRC+), 3 HR, 1 SB
Wilson rarely meets a pitch he doesn’t like, so it took him 87 plate appearances to draw his first walk this season. He makes his ultra-aggressive approach work with elite bat-to-ball skills, an all-fields approach and better-than-expected power when he pulls the ball. Wilson leads all rookies with 37 hits and 52 total bases while playing strong shortstop defense.
3. Jasson Dominguez, LF, Yankees
104 PA: .228/.317/.370 (100 wRC+), 2 HR, 3 SB
Dominguez follows Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells as the third Yankees homegrown regular unveiled in each of the last three seasons. Dominguez ranks among the rookie leaders with 11 walks, nine extra-base hits and 12 RBIs while batting mostly out of the seventh and eighth spots in the lineup.
Other Notable AL Rookies
- The Astros’ Cam Smith was learning to hit and play right field in the big leagues after being drafted 14th overall last year and then being traded for superstar Kyle Tucker in the offseason. No pressure!
- Rays outfielders Kameron Misner, Jake Mangum and Chandler Simpson filled in admirably for the injured Josh Lowe, Jonny DeLuca and Richie Palacios.
- Drafted in 2019, Astros righthander Ryan Gusto spent a full season at Triple-A last year and was up to the task of filling whatever role is needed in Houston this year, with a 3.00 ERA over four starts plus four relief appearances.
- The White Sox made righthander Shane Smith the first pick in the 2024 Rule 5 draft. The 25-year-old former Brewers prospect was getting good results in Chicago’s rotation with a four-pitch mix headlined by a sinker and changeup.
- Mariners third baseman Ben Williamson has helped stabilize the hot corner in Seattle with his strong bat-to-ball skills and defense.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Dylan Crews, RF, Nationals
108 PA: .212/.241/.356 (64 wRC+), 4 HR, 6 SB
Crews got off to a slow start before rounding into form in mid April. In his final 15 games of the month, he hit .298/.322/.561 with all four of his home runs. Crews ranks among the rookie leaders with 17 runs, six stolen bases and his four homers. He stands out for his all-around game, as he hits, runs the bases well and fields well. It also doesn’t hurt that the NL rookie field is weak this season, giving Crews plenty of time to fully rebound into a top ROY candidate.
2. Roki Sasaki, RHP, Dodgers
25.1 IP: 3.55 ERA, 20 SO, 18 BB, 3 HR
Sasaki is throwing as hard as advertised, averaging about 96 mph, and his splitter and slider are bona fide whiff pitches. Control and command have been obstacles to pure dominance—he has no more than four strikeouts in any start—but those should improve over time.
3. Luisangel Acuña, 2B, Mets
79 PA: .288/.342/.356 (101 wRC+), 0 HR, 7 SB
Acuña used an injury to Jeff McNeil to seize a share of the second base job in New York. He’s a strong contact hitter with the blazing speed to turn gappers into extra-base hits, steal bases and score runs on balls in play. Sure hands and a strong arm serve Acuña well at second base.
Other Notable NL Rookies
- Following the departure of Travis d’Arnaud, catcher Drake Baldwin looked like heir apparent to team up with Sean Murphy behind the plate in Atlanta. Baldwin made the Braves’ Opening Day roster and has more than held his own.
- Opportunity abounds in Miami, and a trio of rookies are taking advantage of playing time early in the season: hard-hitting catcher Agustin Ramirez, super utilityman Javier Sanoja—he even has three pitching appearances!—and 27-year-old cast-off first baseman/left fielder Eric Wagaman.
- Dodgers righthander Ben Casparius has provided rock-solid bullpen help with nasty stuff. He covers multiple innings in most appearances.
- The Brewers added righthander Chad Patrick in a minor trade after the 2023 season. Last year, he won International League pitcher of the year honors. This year, the 26-year-old has filled in admirably as a starter in Milwaukee’s depleted rotation.
- Called upon when Ketel Marte went on the injured list, 26-year-old Tim Tawa has supplied power while covering second base for the D-backs.
