There were ample rookie storylines in the 2025 season.
Eight members of the 2024 Draft class climbed to the Majors quickly in their first full seasons. One of them, A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz, established himself as one of the most powerful left-handed bats in the game, regardless of experience, while his teammate Jacob Wilson gave the club a high-contact pillar for the future. The Brewers rode rookies Isaac Collins, Caleb Durbin, Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick (among others) to baseball’s best record.
First-year players took center stage in the postseason with Cam Schlittler (Yankees) and Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays) putting up historic performances on the mound despite limited MLB time.
To honor the best of this year’s class, here are MLB Pipeline’s picks for the 2025 All-Rookie First and Second Teams:
C: Drake Baldwin, Braves
In a down year for Atlanta, Baldwin was a serious bright spot behind the plate, with a .274/.341/.469 line and 19 homers in 124 games. His 3.1 fWAR was third-highest among rookies as he married power with contact from the left side after winning the Braves’ Opening Day backstop job out of spring.
1B: Nick Kurtz, Athletics
Last year’s fourth overall pick led this year’s rookie class with his .619 slugging percentage, 1.002 OPS, 36 homers, 86 RBIs, 63 walks, 64 extra-base hits and 260 total bases in 117 games after debuting with the A’s on April 23. Only Matt Olson (4.7) had a higher fWAR among all MLB first basemen than Kurtz (4.6), and his 170 WRC+ was third-highest among MLB hitters with at least 400 plate appearances, behind only Aaron Judge (204) and Shohei Ohtani (172).
2B: Luke Keaschall, Twins
Keaschall debuted on April 18 and then missed three months with a fractured right forearm. But when he was on the field, he certainly made the most of his MLB playing time. The 23-year-old finished with a .302/.382/.445 line, four homers and 14 steals in his 49 games. He was the only rookie second baseman to receive more than 200 plate appearances and post an above-average wRC+ — his was 134.
3B: Caleb Durbin, Brewers
Acquired from the Yankees in the offseason deal for reliever Devin Williams, Durbin stood out most for his incredible bat-to-ball skills, solid defense at the hot corner and above-average speed in his first MLB campaign. In other words, he was a solid fit for this year’s Brewers. Durbin hit .256/.334/.387 with 11 homers and 18 steals in 136 games.
SS: Jacob Wilson, Athletics
The 2023 sixth overall pick lived up to his reputation as a high-contact hitter with a .311 average that finished third-best in the Majors and a 7.5 percent strikeout rate that ranked second, behind only Luis Arraez’s 3.1. He didn’t produce loud exit velocities — also as expected — but even then, his 13 homers were second-most among rookie shortstops.
OF: Roman Anthony, Red Sox
Anthony debuted with the Red Sox on June 9 and became the club’s most reliable bat down the stretch before a left oblique strain ended his season in early September. He hit .292/.396/.463 with eight homers in his 71 MLB games and was the only rookie besides Kurtz to post a WRC+ of 140 or higher over 300 PA or more. Anthony was also worth 6 Outs Above Average in the outfield corners, per Statcast, adding to his value in his age-21 campaign.
OF: Isaac Collins, Brewers
A Minor League Rule 5 pick before the ’23 season, Collins worked as a utilityman in Milwaukee’s system but became one of the game’s best defensive left fielders this season, finishing with 5 Outs Above Average per Statcast (second behind Steven Kwan’s 6 at the position). His best offensive skill was his unwillingness to chase outside the zone; his 12.9 percent walk rate ranked second among rookies, behind Anthony (13.2) He finished with a .263/.368/.411 slash line, nine homers, 16 steals and 2.6 fWAR/2.1 bWAR in 130 games.
OF: Jakob Marsee, Marlins
Marsee debuted with Miami on Aug. 1 and came flying out of the gate, producing a .352/.430/.629 slash line, 18 extra-base hits and nine steals in 30 games that month. He finished the season hitting .292/.363/.478 with five homers and 14 steals in 55 games while grading out well for his range and arm strength in center field. That well-rounded performance helped him earn the final outfield spot on this squad.
DH: Colson Montgomery, White Sox
There was a time within this calendar year when the White Sox sent Montgomery back to their Arizona complex for an in-season reset after a rough start at Triple-A Charlotte. It worked wonders. Montgomery finished with 21 homers in only 71 games, tied for second-most among rookies and tied for 10th-most in the Majors after his July 4 debut. His .529 slugging percentage trailed only Kurtz among rookies, and while he gets a DH designation here, it’s worth noting that he showed superior range at shortstop, with 6 Outs Above Average at the position per Statcast.
SP: Cade Horton, Cubs
From July 20 through the end of the season, Horton didn’t allow more than two earned runs in any of his final 12 starts, posting a 1.03 ERA over 61 1/3 innings in that span. His 2.67 season ERA was the lowest among rookie starters (min. 100 IP), and he finished with a 1.08 WHIP, 97 strikeouts and only 33 walks in 118 frames on the whole. A right rib cage fracture kept him out of the start of the postseason, but he’s set up to be a key piece of future Cubs rotations.
SP: Noah Cameron, Royals
Cameron was one of the most durable and consistent rookie performers on the mound this season. Not only did he finish fifth among rookies with 138 1/3 innings, he pitched to a 2.99 ERA over that span, second-best among Royals starters with at least 100 innings (behind only Kris Bubic’s 2.55). The 26-year-old southpaw worked with a deep five-pitch mix, using each of his offerings between 14 and 26 percent of the time in the bigs.
RP: Matt Svanson, Cardinals
Working as a multi-inning option at times out of St. Louis’ bullpen, Svanson posted the lowest ERA (1.94), WHIP (0.88) and batting average-against (.160) among rookies with at least 60 innings pitched. He fanned 68 in his 60 1/3 innings, relying on an east-west approach with his sinker/sweeper/cutter mix.
C: Carlos Narváez, Red Sox
1B: Troy Johnston, Marlins
2B: Hyeseong Kim, Dodgers
3B: Matt Shaw, Cubs
SS: Chase Meidroth, White Sox
OF: Daylen Lile, Nationals
OF: Jake Mangum, Rays
OF: Denzel Clarke, Athletics
DH: Kyle Teel, White Sox
SP: Chad Patrick, Brewers
SP: Shane Smith, White Sox
RP: Mike Vasil, White Sox
