Top 10 Stars Under 25 to Start Your MLB Franchise With

The talent across Major League Baseball is arguably as high as it’s ever been. It seems like almost every day, a new player bursts onto the scene and begins to make their mark on the league. Whether it’s the switch-hitting shortstop in Cincinnati or the freak athlete flying around center field in Chicago, there’s absolutely no shortage of young superstars across the league.

If MLB were to reset everything and have a redraft of every player, age would be one of the more important factors. General managers and presidents of baseball operations would prioritize players who could be their franchise cornerstone for north of the next decade. Young stars typically provide long-term value with tons of team control and insane upside.

In this article, we take on the difficult task of ranking the top 10 players under 25 who’d be first off the board in this hypothetical MLB reset. Some of these guys are just getting started in the league, while others have been doing it for years. Either way, these are the guys who could anchor a franchise for the foreseeable future.

Players Who Fell Off Our Top 10 From Last Year

Editor’s note: Last season was the first time we ranked the top 10 players under 25 years old that you would want to start your franchise with. In retrospect, our biggest mistake in making our list was doing so before the 2024 season had began.

As the old saying goes, development is not linear, and ranking baseball players who are under 25 years old could be a fool’s errand. A year ago, Evan Carter was coming off a remarkable World Series run where he was a table-setter in front of Corey Seager.

This year, Carter is off our list and is still trying to fully establish himself as a big league regular. His teammate Wyatt Langford has fallen off the list as well, after making it as a top prospect last year. Langford has been solid over the past year and a half, but is not quite at the level of the top 10 we have cooked up this season.

Jackson Holliday and Michael Harris II are the other two players who are still under 25 that fell off our list, but under different circumstances.

Not only did we have Holliday in the top 10, we ranked him at No. 6, projecting a breakout season for what was then the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. That season never came, as Holliday largely struggled during his rookie campaign.

Had we made this list after our midseason update, when James Wood was our top-ranked overall prospect in baseball, we may have done things differently. We also may have seen the continued decline of a former Rookie of the Year, in Harris.

Harris is playing his final season under 25 years old, as he turned 24 at the beginning of March. The Braves center fielder has seen his wRC+ decline every season, to the point where it is at 50 through half a season in 2025. No even his great defense can overshadow that production.

All stats updated prior to games on Monday, June 30

Honorable Mentions

Jackson Chourio – 21 Years Old

After being one of the highest-touted prospects throughout baseball, Chourio delivered in his rookie campaign, posting a 3.9 fWAR. While it was a slow start to his career, he was a huge part of the Brewers winning their division and reaching the playoffs.

From August 1st through the end of 2024, he slashed .294/.355/.526 with a wRC+ of 140. After hearing that, you may be wondering how he missed the top 10, and the answer is simple.

Up to this point, his 2025 has been fine, but nowhere near elite. He’s hitting .254 with 13 home runs and a 100 wRC+. Chourio is still extremely young and has all the talent in the world; he’s just not producing like a franchise cornerstone…yet. If he can regain his late-season form from 2024, he’ll be right back in the conversation to be in the top 10 at this time next year.

Andy Pages – 24 Years Old

Pages’ career up to this point has essentially been the inverse of Chourio’s. While his rookie season was underwhelming, his 2025 has been absolutely amazing. He’s already more than doubled his fWAR from last season, seeing it go from 1.3 to 2.9 in almost 40 less games.

This is in large part due to his improved plate discipline. His strikeout rate has dropped from 24.4% to 19.8%. He’s also already launched 16 home runs, compared to 13 last season. Pages is breaking out as a staple for the future of the Dodgers and has already been voted in as a National League All-Star finalist.

The Top 10

10. Julio Rodriguez – 24 Years Old (Last Year: No. 1)

A little over a year ago, Julio Rodriguez was at the top of this list. Since then, inconsistency has pushed him to barely making the top 10. After hitting 28 and 32 home runs in his first two seasons, he only hit 20 last year. His 2025 wRC+ of 111 is nearly 40 points lower than his rookie year and uncomfortably close to league average.

However, it’s not like he’s been absolutely awful. In 2024, Rodriguez posted 3.9 fWAR and in 2025, so far, he’s already posted 2.7. This is largely due to his defense, which remains elite. In less than four seasons, he’s posted 37 OAA and 15 DRS.

While Julio may not be the best player under 25 anymore, he’s still one you can absolutely build around.

9. Jacob Wilson – 23 Years Old

Coming out of a mid-major in Grand Canyon University and being their highest draft pick in school history, Jacob Wilson wasn’t necessarily a household name before 2025. Fast forward to now, and he’s the leading vote-getter among shortstops in the American League.

Everybody knew the guy could hit, but he’s only exceeded expectations in his rookie campaign. He’s currently hitting .338 and showcasing the best hit tool in the game. With a 7.4 K% (top 1% in MLB) and a zone contact rate of 91.9%, he simply doesn’t miss.

Add a slightly surprising nine long balls and solid defense, and the Athletics get their shortstop of the future, whether that ends up being in Sacramento or Las Vegas. He might not have the most overpowering game, but Jacob Wilson’s skillset is as foundational as it gets in today’s MLB.

8. Junior Caminero – 21 Years Old (Last Year: No. 7)

Caminero entered the league as one of its top prospects in 2024. He flashed potential in 43 games, hitting .248/.299/.424 with six home runs. However, 2025 has been a completely different beast.

He’s already launched 20 home runs, holds a wRC+ of 127, and has cut his K% while maintaining the walk rate. He also has a max exit velocity of 116.5, which places him in the top 3% of the league.

While his glove may be lacking, his bat holds a ton of franchise cornerstone upside. He looks like the level of hitter who could anchor the middle of a good team’s lineup for the foreseeable future.

7. Riley Greene – 24 Years Old

Riley Greene had a breakout 2024 which saw him get his first All-Star appearance and help carry the Tigers into the postseason. This was in large part because of his 24 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 4.0 fWAR.

In 2025, he’s only gotten better. For the first time in his career, we’re seeing Greene hit for both average and power, with a slash line of .296/.348/.539. He’s on pace for yet another All-Star appearance and has been a key piece for what could very well be the best team in all of baseball.

Detroit went through some tough years and, now, they finally have an elite player on both sides of the ball in Greene and Tarik Skubal.

6. Jackson Merrill – 22 Years Old

After making the big league team out of spring training in 2024 and being moved to a new position in center field, Jackson Merrill handled the transition with ease. He showed elite talent racking up 11 OAA in center while slashing .292/.326/.500.

Despite losing the NL Rookie of the Year to Paul Skenes, we still saw the monster that Merrill could be in just his first year. While injuries have limited him in 2025, he’s still been excellent, hitting .294 with a 126 wRC+ in 51 games.

He’s improved his walk rate from 4.9% to 7.4% and recently signed a team-friendly extension. With the Padres having an expensive and aging core, he’s a perfect compliment for what the San Diego Padres have built over the last few seasons.

5. Pete Crow-Armstrong – 23 Years Old

After a 13-game stint in 2023 where he failed to record a hit, PCA still had an underwhelming 2024 with the Cubs. While you knew he had all the tools to be an elite baseball player, he simply failed to put it all together. However, 2025 has been a whole different story.

In the National League, Crow-Armstrong looks like the only threat to Shohei Ohtani for the MVP. His offense has finally matched the elite glove as he’s hitting .262/.299/.537 with 21 bombs, 25 stolen bases, and 62 RBIs.

Add his 12 OAA and 11 DRS to the party, and you get 3.9 fWAR before we’ve even reached July. PCA is doing everything well while playing a premium position for one of the best teams in baseball. As long as he’s manning center field for the Cubs, that franchise is in great hands.

4. Gunnar Henderson – 23 Years Old (Last Year: No. 5)

Gunnar Henderson was neck-and-neck with Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge for AL MVP for a lot of 2024 before eventually regressing. He launched 37 home runs and 92 RBIs while posting a 155 wRC+ in his huge season.

He even played a solid shortstop, posting 5 DRS while being the engine of the entire Orioles’ offense. In 2025, we’ve seen a slight regression with a major power drop-off. He’s hitting .275/.347/.436 with a mere 9 home runs. While his fWAR has dropped to 2.0, he showed his ceiling, which is elite, when he posted 8.0 fWAR in 2024.

With Baltimore struggling in 2025, it’ll be interesting to see how Henderson performs across the second half. Either way, he’d be an excellent pick to start any franchise, as he’s already one of the best shortstops in the game at only 23 years old.

3. Elly De La Cruz – 23 Years Old (Last Year: Honorable Mention)

Elly saw a 2023 rookie season in which he was solid, but 2024 was his real coming out party. He launched 25 home runs, snagged 67 bags, and racked up 6.5 wins according to FanGraphs. In 2025, the young shortstop has been even better. He’s taken another leap already hitting 18 home runs and driving in 57 runs.

De La Cruz has also seen a significant improvement when it comes to his discipline at the plate, seeing his strikeout rate fall from 31.3% to 25.2%. His exit velocities remain elite, hitting a ball 119.2 mph in 2023 and another one 117.4 mph this season.

While the glove at shortstop has taken a bit of a step back, you still get elite production and run creation at a premier shortstop position. There are few players in baseball who combine power, speed, and raw electricity quite as well as Elly De La Cruz.

2. James Wood – 22 Years Old

Wood made his debut in 2024 and flashed superstar potential, posting a 120 wRC+ and 1.2 fWAR. This year, Wood has completely broken out and it’s been special. He’s hitting .283/.386/.552 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs.

His .938 OPS is fifth-best in the entire league and his hard-hit rate of 56.9% is in the top 1% of hitters. On the defensive side, he’s improved immensely, going from -7 DRS to 6 and -6 OAA to 1.

Wood is a complete players and in most cases, would be at the number one spot on this list. While the fans might not have taken notice, with him being snubbed from the fan vote, the Nationals absolutely have their face of the franchise for years to come.

1. Corbin Carroll – 24 Years Old (Last Year: No. 3)

Carroll saw a quick rise to stardom in MLB, as he won a unanimous Rookie of the Year in 2023, posting 5.3 fWAR. After being absolutely dreadful to start 2024, he had a strong finish to the year to post 4.1 fWAR in a so-called “down year”, which would be most players best season, value-wise.

Before going down with a wrist injury recently, Carroll was looking like a top-five player in the league. He was hitting .255/.341/.573 with 20 home runs, only six shy of a career high before reaching July. Despite being slightly undersized, Carroll has posted a max exit velocity of 115.8 mph, good enough to be in the top 4% of the league.

He’s already accumulated 3.5 fWAR in 2025 and looks like the future of the entire Diamondbacks organization. Carroll has shown an ability to adjust, improve, and simply dominate. There isn’t a single hole to poke in his game and he brings the complete package to the field, every day. If there were a redraft today, Corbin Carroll would be the first name off the board in terms of guys under 25 years old.

Who Aged Out of the List

Editor’s Note: Ok, you have made it to the end of the article, and were shocked to find that Bobby Witt Jr.’s name was nowhere to be found. Well, that is because Witt just turned 25 years old a few weeks ago otherwise he clearly would have checked in at the No. 1 spot.

There’s no denying that this generation of Major League Baseball players is one of the most talented we have ever seen in the history of the game. Whether they’re in their rookie year; or just entering their prime, each of these guys could be the anchor for a franchise for the better part of the next decade, or more.

From constant MVP candidates, to five-tooled freaks, the game of baseball is in an amazing place. It’s a great time to be a baseball fan, and an even better time to be a GM if you’ve got one of these guys on your roster.