By Grant Brisbee, Chad Jennings and Levi Weaver
Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.
My kids are getting into baseball cards, and I (Chad) randomly bought them a couple of packs of Donruss the other day. The boys ripped open the packs and discovered two words I remember from my own childhood: “Rated Rookie,” a baseball card staple since the 1980s.
Generally speaking, this season hasn’t been a great one for rookies. Not compared to the Paul Skenes/Jackson Merrill double dip last year, or the Gunnar Henderson/Corbin Carroll combo the year before.
But there’s been an uptick in rookie attention since Nick Kurtz started mashing baseballs in Sacramento and the Red Sox finally brought Roman Anthony to Boston. Last week, the Nationals activated outfielder Dylan Crews from the IL, the Mets called up starter Nolan McLean from the minors and Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee had a two-homer game to punctuate an incredible first two weeks in the majors (he added a game-winning homer on Sunday). The Brewers have been the hottest team in baseball with key rookies in the lineup and the rotation.
This week’s Power Rankings are brought to you by Rated Rookies: the top rookie on each team.
Record: 78-45
Last Power Ranking: 1
Top Rookie: OF Isaac Collins
With apologies to All-Star Jacob Misiorowski, four other Brewers rookies have been worth more fWAR this year: pitchers Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick, 3B Caleb Durbin, and Collins.
Collins is a pretty clear winner here, for reasons laid out in much greater detail by Tyler Kepner, but let’s simplify it: Collins leads all NL rookies in fWAR, at 3.0. (Bonus Brewers praise: Patrick leads all rookie pitchers, at 2.0.)
What’s more, he’s having this rookie season at 28 years old after seven years in the minor leagues. (It would have been eight if not for the cancelled 2020 season).
Only five players have won Rookie of the Year at 28 or older. (The oldest: Sam Jethroe, who won it in his age-33 season in 1950.) But all five had fairly extensive prior experience in the Negro Leagues or overseas. Collins would be one of a kind. — Levi Weaver
Record: 71-54
Last Power Ranking: 2
Top Rookie: LHP Jack Dreyer
Two teams in, and you’ve already reached the “Who?” stage of this exercise. That’s understandable, though. The Dodgers are so good, they typically don’t have a lot of opportunities to give rookies extended looks. Dreyer also gets extra obscurity points because he’s a 26-year-old left-handed reliever, the kind of player who seems to shuffle through every team’s roster in every season.
Dreyer has been a key contributor out of the Dodgers’ bullpen, though, and there’s a great chance by the end of the postseason, you’ll know exactly who he is. He’ll be the guy coming in to face a team’s best left-handed hitter in a high-leverage spot. The Dodgers have Alex Vesia as their primary high-leverage reliever, but Dreyer should still be among the most important rookies in these rankings, that’s for sure. — Grant Brisbee
Record: 72-53
Last Power Ranking: 3
Top rookie: RHP Mick Abel
The Phillies are most certainly not in the midst of a youth movement. Rookie reliever Max Lazar has been helpful (an 80-grade name with decent numbers out of the bullpen). Otto Kemp has helped fill in at the infield corners (his best stretches have been pretty good). Still, the most impactful Phillies rookie was first-round pick Abel, whose prospect resurgence led to six big-league starts before serving as a centerpiece of the team’s trade deadline blockbuster for closer Jhoan Duran. — Chad Jennings
Record: 73-53
Last Power Ranking: 5
Top rookie: RHP Braydon Fisher
This Blue Jays team really doesn’t have many impactful rookies. Addison Barger has hit his way onto the radar, but he actually got more than 200 at-bats last year. (He just didn’t have nearly the same offensive impact.) So, the best Blue Jays rookie has probably been Fisher, a versatile reliever who’s generated a lot of strikeouts in a setup role and in multi-inning appearances. The Blue Jays got him last year from the Dodgers in a minor trade for Cavan Biggio. — Jennings
Record: 74-53
Last Power Ranking: 6
Top Rookie: …RHP Troy Melton?
If you had asked me in late April, I would have expected to plug Jackson Jobe in here, but he was just OK in May, and hasn’t pitched since the 28th of that month due to Tommy John surgery.
Looking over the remainder of the roster, there aren’t a ton of rookies to choose from, and the ones with positive fWAR are even more rare.
Enter Melton, who didn’t debut until July 23. In five games (three starts), he has pitched 22 1/3 innings, posting a 2.82 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Pretty good!
Look, if Jacob Misiorowski can be an All-Star after five starts, Melton can be our Tigers pick here. It’s not like he’s costing anyone else a spot. — Weaver
Record: 70-53
Last Power Ranking: 4
Top Rookie: RHP Cade Horton
Matt Shaw has made a case for himself in the second half, but Horton has also been nearly unstoppable since the All-Star break, and he had a good first half. In fact, it was Horton’s success that made their deadline search for starting pitching a bit less desperate.
I wrote this, of course, before Horton took the mound against the Brewers Monday afternoon. I should know better than to definitively say anything before the Brewers have their say. Horton left with a blister in the third inning with Milwaukee leading 1-0 and the bases loaded.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t change the fact that — if the Cubs are, in fact, a postseason team — they now have a pretty solid third starter behind Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd. — Weaver
Record: 69-56
Last Power Ranking: 9
Top Rookie: RHP David Morgan
Well, it was Ryan Bergert, who gave the Padres 35 innings of quality right-handed relief, but he was traded to the Royals in the Freddy Fermin deal. One of the reasons the Padres felt comfortable trading him, though, was the emergence of Morgan, another funky, gas-throwing right-hander from the organization’s funky, gas-throwing-right-hander factory.
He could be a featured reliever in the postseason, but he’ll be fighting for innings in an absurdly deep bullpen. He needs a nickname to stand out. From now on, he’s Zip Tie. Ol’ Zip Tie Morgan, coming in to hold the lead in the eighth. His 98-mph fastball is the stuff of legends. “There goes Zip Tie Morgan, one of the greats.” We’ll workshop it and get back to you next week. — Brisbee
Record: 68-58
Last Power Ranking: 8
Top rookie: OF Roman Anthony
This was set up to be the year of Kristian Campbell — he played second base on Opening Day — but his hot start faded, and Campbell’s been in Triple A since mid-June. Carlos Narváez became the big surprise behind the plate, and he still looks like a potential mainstay, but his offensive numbers have dipped month by month. Ultimately, the Red Sox will remember this season as the year of Anthony’s arrival. He was called up in June, got hot in July and signed a long-term extension in August. He might already have replaced Rafael Devers as the offensive cornerstone of the franchise. — Jennings
Record: 69-56
Last Power Ranking: 10
Top Rookie: OF Cam Smith
It’s been quite the accelerated timeline for Smith. Consider that on April 3, 2024, he struck out twice against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, and on April 3, 2025, he struck out twice against Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins. He was traded from the Cubs to the Astros somewhere in there, too. That’s a lot of life to pack into one calendar year.
So while Smith isn’t exactly roasting American League pitching yet, and he’s in an extended slump (.442 OPS in his last 113 at-bats), he’s graded on a curve here. He has no right to be as helpful as he already is. — Brisbee
Record: 68-58
Last Power Ranking: 7
Top Rookie: IF Cole Young
Young has the prospect pedigree, as the Mariners drafted him in the first round, and he’s been a top-100 prospect in every major list for the last three preseasons. So while at a glance, he might look like an overmatched rookie with a .600-something OPS, that’s not the whole story. He’s also a solid defensive second baseman with a 99 OPS+, which is roughly the league average. That’s the description of a player who’s helping the Mariners in their postseason chase.
Then you remember that he’s just 21, the same age as a college player. He’s been just fine so far, but the ceiling is much, much higher. — Brisbee
Record: 67-57
Last Power Ranking: 12
Top rookie: SP Will Warren
Expectations were sky high for outfielder Jasson Domínguez, who’s been solid but not great as the team’s left fielder (which might be just fine, considering he’s only 22). It’s really been rookie starter Warren who has helped the Yankees the most. He’s stabilizing the team’s shaky rotation by making all of his starts and looking like a viable big-league starter. He’s been more good than great, but that’s what the Yankees needed from him. — Jennings
Record: 66-58
Last Power Ranking: 11
Top rookie: INF Ronny Mauricio
Third base has been a revolving door of young Mets. None of them has been an individual standout, but they’ve all kept the team above water at the position (they’re almost perfectly middle-of-the-pack in third base WAR, which isn’t awful for a team without a set third baseman). Mauricio, who debuted in 2023 but spent all of last year on the IL, has been especially good against righties while playing strong defense. He has not been a singular difference-maker, but he’s been a nice piece of the puzzle. — Jennings
Record: 66-60
Last Power Ranking: 14
Top Rookie: RHP Chase Burns
With Rhett Lowder missing the whole year (so far) recovering from injury — and especially after Hunter Greene hit the IL earlier this season — the Reds needed a strong “next man up” contribution from somewhere. They got it from Burns, the second pick in last year’s draft.
The right-hander has been electric since his debut. In five starts, he has struck out at least 10 hitters in four of them — and the lone exception was the game at Bristol Motor Speedway that was postponed in the bottom of the first inning.
The Reds will continue to be careful with Burns’ workload, as it’s his first year in pro ball — he’s currently on the IL with a flexor strain — but the future appears to be incandescent for the 22-year-old rookie. — Weaver
Record: 64-60
Last Power Ranking: 13
Top Rookie: LHP Erik Sabrowski
It took some internal debate to make this decision. After all, Joey Cantillo has pitched 66 1/3 innings, recently transitioning from relief to the starting rotation. He’s been worth more bWAR and fWAR than Sabrowski.
But Sabrowski has been utterly dominant out of the bullpen. Going into Monday’s action, his 1.06 ERA in 17 innings actually raised his career ERA to 0.61. (He didn’t allow an earned run in 12 innings last year.) He has a 12.18 K/9, and with Emmanuel Clase on leave for a sports betting investigation, he has been a godsend to the Cleveland bullpen. — Weaver
Record: 62-64
Last Power Ranking: 15
Top Rookie: RHP Jack Leiter
I almost forgot that Leiter still qualified as a rookie, but he had 14 1/3 innings of eligibility left after last year, so he counts.
Leiter is a good case study for not sounding the “BUST” alarm after 30 or so innings in the big leagues. He’s been a big part of the Rangers’ pitching success, making 21 starts in a rotation that leads the league in ERA.
Another reason Leiter gets the nod is … there aren’t any other options. I mean, sure, 10 other rookies have suited up for the Rangers, but the only other one with positive bWAR is Michael Helman (0.2 bWAR), who is hitting .182 and is currently in the minor leagues. It’s Leiter and nobody else. — Weaver
Record: 64-61
Last Power Ranking: 20
Top Rookie: LHP Noah Cameron
Hat tip to MLB’s research team for this one: since 1893, Cameron is only the second pitcher to go 6 1/3 innings or more and allow one or fewer runs in his first four big-league starts.
Cameron has an interesting profile as a starter. He doesn’t strike out a ton of hitters — just 78 in 98 1/3 innings — and his walk rate of 2.6 per nine innings is good, but not overwhelmingly so. But hitters are batting just .209 (.597 OPS) against his repertoire of cutter, changeup, curveball, slider and four-seam fastball that only averages 92.3 mph.
The trick? He uses all five pitches at least 16 percent of the time or higher, with the fastball getting the most usage at just 27.4 percent. — Weaver
Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 17
Top rookie: OF Jake Mangum
You might think this would go to Junior Caminero, but the Rays’ 22-year-old third baseman exceeded rookie limits last season. Instead, we had to pick from a trio of outfielders who have played larger-than-expected roles due to injuries. It’s basically a toss-up between Mangum (0.7 fWAR), Kameron Misner (0.4 fWAR) and Chandler Simpson (0.4 fWAR). All of them can run. Misner hit some early homers, Simpson has hit for average and Mangum provided some all-around value. In Rays style, the rookies have been role players, doing their part to keep the team competitive. — Jennings
Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 16
Top Rookie: IF Christian Koss
The 27-year-old Koss was a surprise addition to the Opening Day roster after impressing the Giants all spring, but his Cactus League success didn’t translate, and he was optioned back to Sacramento in June with a .541 OPS.
Since getting called back up this month, he’s hit .351/.381/.561, while playing sparkling defense and running the bases well. With Matt Chapman back on the IL, Casey Schmitt will shift back to third, opening up second base for Koss. His September at-bats might be the difference between him entering the offseason as the de facto utility infielder for the 2026 team or someone who has to win another spring battle. — Brisbee
Record: 62-64
Last Power Ranking: 18
Top Rookie: C Yohel Pozo
A backup catcher with five home runs and a .431 slugging percentage? That’s every team’s dream. It’s a very boring dream, mind you, but that’s all you really want from an understudy backstop, and Pozo has delivered.
Special recognition goes to pitcher Michael McGreevey, who has the greatest name of all time for an angry parent to say. “Michael McGreevey, you get down here this instant,” rolls off the tongue already, but then you find out his middle name is Stephen. It’s perfect. Michael Stephen McGreevey, my stars. I’m going to start yelling it at my kids when I’m mad, it’s so good. — Brisbee
Record: 60-66
Last Power Ranking: 19
Top Rookie: LHP Kyle Backhus
This is not a Diamondbacks season that’s overflowing with rookies. The highest WAR for a Diamondbacks rookie position player is 0.4, which belongs to Tim Tawa, a 26-year-old utility player with a .200/.262/.355 slash line. It’s pretty bleak in terms of rookie contributions, and it’s not much better on the pitching side.
Enter left-handed reliever Backhus, who went undrafted out of college and is now the proud owner of 18 1/3 innings and a pretty nifty K/BB ratio of 20/3. He’s the winner by default, the two sweetest words in the English language. — Brisbee
Record: 60-65
Last Power Ranking: 25
Top Rookie: OF Bryce Teodosio
The Angels haven’t given a lot of at-bats or innings to rookies this year, with Ryan Zeferjahn’s 47 innings pacing the pitching staff, and Christian Moore’s 103 plate appearances the most among position players. Neither of them has been any good, though, so it’s hard to call them their “top” rookies.
Enter Teodosio, who has played 13 games for the Angels this season and has been pretty OK. Just two seasons ago, he was a 24-year-old undrafted player with a .614 OPS, even though he was repeating the level as a Rocket City Trash Panda in Double A. That’s the kind of profile that gets a player cut in the middle of a minor-league season, so it’s remarkable that he even got to the majors in the first place. If he keeps playing this well, he’ll stick around for a bit, too. — Brisbee
Record: 56-69
Last Power Ranking: 23
Top rookie: C Drake Baldwin
This might be the easiest decision of the whole bunch; the A’s and Brewers have strong Rookie of the Year favorites, but they also have a couple of runner-up possibilities. Baldwin has been one of the only bright spots in a lost season for the Braves. AJ Smith-Shawver has also been helpful (he’s still a rookie), and Spencer Schwellenbach would have been a strong alternative (he exhausted rookie eligibility last year), but Baldwin is the standout. He seems to be the latest Braves cornerstone, forcing the team to get slightly creative in giving regular at-bats to him and Sean Murphy. — Jennings
Record: 59-66
Last Power Ranking: 22
Top rookie: OF Jakob Marsee
Just this once, let’s do something almost all of you have never even considered doing outside of maybe the trade deadline: click the Marlins team page on FanGraphs. Look at the name with the fourth-highest position WAR on the team, then look at the number of games he’s played. Marsee made his big league debut on Aug. 1, and already has accumulated more fWAR than every Marlins hitter except Kyle Stowers, Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez. His WAR is already higher than Jesús Sánchez, the guy Marsee basically replaced in the lineup after the trade deadline! Tip of the cap to catcher Liam Hicks, third baseman Graham Pauley and reliever Lake Bachar, but Marsee’s first three weeks have been as productive as some players’ first three months. — Jennings
Record: 58-66
Last Power Ranking: 21
Top Rookie: IF Luke Keaschall
Even after missing more than three months with a broken arm, Keaschall is still a runaway obvious choice for most impactful Twins rookie. Going into Monday’s action, he was hitting .343/.429/.522 (.951 OPS) with as many walks (eight) as strikeouts.
Twins fans have suffered a lot over the last 12 months, but Keaschall’s arrival (then re-arrival) has been a welcome breath of electrified air. Minnesota could use the excitement, athleticism and spark that the rookie has provided (and will hopefully continue to provide for years to come). — Weaver
Record: 58-67
Last Power Ranking: 27
Top rookie: RHP Tomoyuki Sugano
Even though he’s 35 years old with ample experience in Japan, Sugano still counts as a rookie in the big leagues. And he’s been a solid back-end starter. If there were a more traditional rookie to single out from the Orioles, we might have gone that route, but corner infielder Coby Mayo hasn’t hit much and fill-in starter Brandon Young has a 5.68 ERA. Sugano was actually one of the few things that more or less worked for the Orioles this season. — Jennings
Record: 56-70
Last Power Ranking: 26
Top Rookie: 1B Nick Kurtz
Here’s a good way to describe what kind of player Kurtz has been: After his four-homer game, he had a 15-game homer drought. His OBP was still .409 during that stretch. He’s having one of the greatest rookie seasons of all-time, and if he keeps hitting like this, he’ll be in the conversation with Fred Lynn, Ichiro Suzuki, Aaron Judge and Dick Allen for the second-best rookie season ever (behind Mike Trout, of course).
When you’re in Las Vegas in 2030 for the Cornet Players Guild National Convention and Open Mic Jam, don’t forget to catch an A’s game. While you’re there, don’t forget how good Kurtz was as a rookie. If it’s a weekday game in the middle of summer, talk with the other six people in your section and remind them, too. — Brisbee
Record: 53-73
Last Power Ranking: 24
Top Rookie: RHP Braxton Ashcraft
Since his debut in late May, Ashcraft has quietly been a solid addition to the Pirates’ bullpen. Going into Monday’s action, the 25-year-old righthander was 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA and 2.66 FIP in 19 games.
As of Aug. 9, the Pirates have decided to see if Ashcraft can be as effective as a starter. So far, the answer seems to be yes; in his first two starts — 3 1/3 innings in the first against the Reds and five innings in the second against the Cubs — he has allowed just one run per outing. — Weaver
Record: 45-80
Last Power Ranking: 28
Top Rookie: RHP Shane Smith
The thing about this year’s White Sox is that there are actually a lot of options to choose from for this exercise. Here’s their fWAR leaderboard among rookies, going into Monday’s games:
Shane Smith: 1.3
Chase Meidroth: 1.2
Grant Taylor: 1.1
Colson Montgomery: 1.0
We’ll go with Smith, whose career began as an undrafted free agent with the Brewers in 2021 before the White Sox took him with the first pick of the Rule 5 draft last December. By July, he was representing the White Sox in the All-Star Game. That’s a pretty nifty pickup for basically free. — Weaver
Record: 50-74
Last Power Ranking: 29
Top rookie: RHP Brad Lord
Lord has bounced between the bullpen and the rotation in his first taste of the big leagues. He’s been better as a reliever, but his most recent move back to the rotation has been encouraging. However, the most telling Nationals rookie has been Dylan Crews, the touted outfielder who played right at replacement level for two months before going on the IL. Crews just returned to the lineup and will try to salvage his anticipated rookie season as the Nats try to finish better than they’ve played so far. — Jennings
Record: 36-89
Last Power Ranking: 30
Top Rookie: IF Warming Bernabel
Warming Bernabel. It’s part of a direction included in step five of NYT Cooking’s “8 Great Festive Appetizers.” It’s the name of a briefly famous 1980s actor who was in that sitcom that had that restaurant. It’s the name of 18 unrelated ska bands across the country between 1994 and 1999.
Now it’s the name of a player who’s been one of the best parts of an otherwise forgettable Rockies season. He’s hitting for average and power, while showing off impressive bat-to-ball skills and putting the ball in play. It’s early in his career, but that sure sounds like a player who is absolutely made for Coors Field. Be the first in your fantasy league to get on the Warming Bernabel train. — Brisbee
(Top photo of Paul Skenes: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)