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Nick Kurtz (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
This year, all the top rookies play for American League clubs.
That is a contrast to the 2024 season, when the top overall rookies were all National Leaguers: Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio.
In this final rookie update for 2025, Baseball America ranks its three favorites for Rookie of the Year in each league and presents an overall top 20 ranking that accounts for what has happened through five months this season and what we expect will happen in September.
American League Rookie of the Year
1. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
A four-homer game. The rare rookie with a 1.000 OPS at the 350-plate appearance threshold. One of the highest slugging percentages to the opposite field of the Statcast era. Kurtz has accomplished a lot as an Athletics rookie. His batting performance bears a striking resemblance to the 22-year-old version of Yordan Alvarez, back when he was AL Rookie of the Year in 2019.
2. Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox
Anthony has reached a new level in the second half, hitting four of his six homers and posting a wRC+ north of 150. His groundball rate is down sharply, and his pull rate is up dramatically. That’s bad news for the rest of the American League, because Anthony also is a .300 hitter with a .400-plus OBP in the second half.
3. Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics
A hit-by-pitch on July 8 resulted in a hand contusion and took a bite out of Wilson’s production. He managed just a .409 OPS for the month of July before finally going on the injured list. Back and healthy as of Aug. 22, Wilson’s production has rebounded, and he’s back to his high-contact, all-fields ways.
National League Rookie of the Year
1. Drake Baldwin, C, Braves (PPI Eligible)
Baldwin is the lone rookie with a chance to reward his club with a PPI draft pick if he wins a Rookie of the Year trophy this year. He would be a fine choice in a weak NL rookie field. Baldwin’s expected wOBA trails only Kurtz and Anthony, and he’s shown above-average defensive skill and a high level of adaptability as a 24-year-old catcher who’s still learning the ropes.
2. Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs
Called up on May 10, Horton has held a rotation spot all season while picking up the pace in his last handful of starts. In July and August, he has gone 5-2 with a 1.11 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 15 walks in 48.2 innings. Horton’s swinging-strike rate is one of the highest among rookie starters this side of Chase Burns and Jacob Misiorowski.
3. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Brewers
The NL Rookie of the Year field is wide open. Baldwin and Horton look like the favorites to us, but even that is not set in stone. Brewers aspiring No. 1 starter Misiorowski is one possibility. He’s the hardest-throwing rookie starter with off-the-charts fastball and breaking pitch quality—but he’s also run up an 8.16 ERA in his last four starts.
Also in play here: Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins, a minor league Rule 5 draft find who is on the upswing after a slow start in Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw and Marlins catcher Agustin Ramirez, who is a powerful hitter but shaky defender.
Top 20 Rookies
With the AL and NL favorites in order, we’re also ranking the top 20 MLB rookies entering September, regardless of league. Note that Baldwin and Smith are the lone PPI-eligible players on the list.
1. Nick Kurtz 1B, Athletics (AL ROY WINNER)
2. Roman Anthony, RF, Red Sox (AL ROY FINALIST)
3. Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics (AL ROY FINALIST)
4. Drake Baldwin, C, Braves (NL ROY WINNER)
5. Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs (NL ROY FINALIST)
6. Will Warren, RHP, Yankees
Warren’s been baseball’s steadiest rookie arm all season, and he bounced back in August (3.54 ERA through 20.1 innings) after scuffling in July. Warren leads all rookies in strikeouts (146), is tied for first in fWAR (2.1) and is second in innings (131).
7. Jasson Dominguez, LF, Yankees
While he hasn’t necessarily met the sky-high (and probably unfair) expectations, the 22-year-old has been roughly a league-average contributor at the plate while sticking as the Yankees’ everyday left fielder despite some ghastly outfield defensive metrics. Dominguez flashes impressive power, speed and arm strength. Now, he needs to start putting it all together more frequently.
8. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Brewers, (NL ROY FINALIST)
9. Kyle Teel, C, White Sox
Teel’s been quite impressive since debuting in early June. The 23-year-old amassed 1.6 fWAR through 53 games and is surging in August, slashing .319/.388/.444 with a pair of homers through 21 games. His 127 wRC+ through Aug. 28 ranked third among qualified rookies. Between Teel and Edgar Quero, the White Sox have one of baseball’s most enviable young catching duos locked in for the long haul.
10. Isaac Collins, OF, Brewers
Collins was available to any team in the 2022 minor league Rule 5 draft. Now, the 28-year-old has a legitimate case for NL Rookie of the Year. The Brewers’ latest unearthed gem has slashed .270/.368/.421 with eight homers and 15 steals through 109 games all while playing above-average defense in both corner outfield spots. Collins rarely gives away at-bats. His 12.3% walk rate through Aug. 27 trailed only Kurtz and Anthony among qualified rookies.
11. Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox
He once ranked as high as No. 14 on the Top 100 Prospects list, but those who held onto their Montgomery stock endured two consecutive seasons of troubling Triple-A whiff rates, a trip back to the team’s facility in Arizona early in the season for “swing work” and some worrying back issues. They’re getting rewarded now. Montgomery has blitzed big league pitching to the tune of 14 homers through his first 165 plate appearances—all since July 22. Only Junior Caminero (15) has more homers in that stretch among all batters.
12. Matt Shaw, 3B, Cubs
Shaw’s rookie season hasn’t been quite as prolific as some hoped, but he deserves credit for fighting his way back into regular reps at third base for the Cubs after his early-season demotion to Triple-A. Upon returning to the majors on May 19, Shaw has slashed a much more respectable .240/.293/.407 with 10 homers and a 17.5% strikeout rate in 81 games. He will get every chance to impact the Cubs’ playoff push after their modest trade deadline.
13. Cam Smith, RF, Astros
In some ways, Smith’s rookie season has been the inverse of Shaw. Smith’s stellar spring pushed him into a surprising starting role on Opening Day, and he held his own through the first half, including posting an .849 OPS in June. But the last two months have been a struggle, as Smith has hit .190/.251/.248 in 42 games since July 1. The Astros have been quite patient with Smith all season, but that approach is being tested entering the stretch run.
14. Agustin Ramirez, C, Marlins
Ramirez cooled off significantly following a white-hot start to his big league career in April. Still, his 18 homers are second among all rookies, and he sports a healthy 15.4% home run-to-fly ball ratio. However, his on-base skills and work behind the plate leave plenty of room for improvement.
15. Carlos Narvaez, C, Red Sox
Narvaez has outperformed his peripherals at the plate for most of an unexpectedly impressive rookie season in which he’s grabbed hold of the Red Sox starting catching job. In doing so, he’s entered uncharted territory: Narvaez had caught 792 innings entering Aug. 28, far surpassing his MiLB career high (524.1). Even despite slashing .187/.241/.336 in 31 games since July 1, Narvaez’s defense has graded out quite well behind the plate, and Boston is 22-9 in those games.
16. Cole Young, 2B, Mariners
Young just turned 22 years old a month ago and has earned the majority of starts at second base for the Mariners since they called him up on May 31. He hasn’t hit for much impact, but he does offer bat-to-ball skills and a solid eye (10.6% walk rate) at the bottom of Seattle’s lineup. That said, advanced defensive metrics are not keen on his work in the field so far.
17. Chad Patrick, RHP, Brewers
Patrick has become quite familiar with the Nashville-to-Milwaukee shuttle this year as he’s bounced from Triple-A to the majors, though it’s little fault of his own. The righthander is tied with Warren for the rookie lead among pitchers in fWAR (2.1) and owns a 3.60 ERA along with a 23.9% strikeout rate to 7.7% walk rate over 105 innings. Unfortunately for Patrick, opportunities in Milwaukee’s rotation are at a premium given their impressive pitching depth.
18. Caleb Durbin, 3B, Brewers
The 25-year-old has settled into a fairly regular third base role in Milwaukee and is a tough out who can provide some speed on the bases. Durbin’s 9.5% strikeout rate is second-best among qualified rookies behind only Jacob Wilson, and his 13.3% whiff percentage is in the 95th percentile of all big leaguers. His lack of power and patience are limiting, but it has still resulted in roughly league-average offensive production.
19. Shane Smith, RHP, White Sox
Smith went from Rule 5 pick to all-star thanks in large part to a hot start. The 24-year-old found June and July much tougher to traverse, but Smith is back on the upswing, going 1-0, 2.63 through 27.1 innings in August. Smith’s combination of a mid-90s fastball and 90 mph changeup has flummoxed hitters for most of the season. Finding a more effective breaking ball could help him unlock another level.
20. Noah Cameron, LHP, Royals
Other rookies may generate more whiffs, but few have been better at limiting damage than Cameron since he settled into the majors for good in May. Cameron’s .215 opponent average tops all rookie arms who have thrown at least 100 innings. A deep array of pitches from a vertical slot—including both a curveball and slider that own 28% whiff percentages—have helped Cameron avoid barrels and turn over lineups.
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