By Grant Brisbee, Chad Jennings and Levi Weaver<\/p>\n
Every week,\u200b we\u200b ask a selected group of our baseball\u200b writers\u200b \u2014 local and national \u2014 to rank the teams from first to worst<\/a>. Here are the collective results.<\/p>\n 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: \u201cRated Rookie,\u201d a baseball card staple since the 1980s.<\/p>\n Generally speaking, this season hasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s Power Rankings are brought to you by Rated Rookies: the top rookie on each team.<\/p>\n Record: 78-45 With apologies to All-Star Jacob Misiorowski, four\u00a0other Brewers rookies have been worth more fWAR this year: pitchers Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick, 3B Caleb Durbin, and Collins.<\/p>\n Collins is a pretty clear winner here, for reasons laid out in much greater detail by Tyler Kepner<\/a>, but let\u2019s simplify it: Collins leads all NL rookies in fWAR, at 3.0. (Bonus Brewers praise: Patrick leads all rookie pitchers, at 2.0.)<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, he\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n 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. \u2014 Levi Weaver<\/p>\n Record: 71-54 Top Rookie: LHP Jack Dreyer<\/p>\n Two teams in, and you\u2019ve already reached the \u201cWho?\u201d stage of this exercise. That\u2019s understandable, though. The Dodgers are so good, they typically don\u2019t have a lot of opportunities to give rookies extended looks. Dreyer also gets extra obscurity points because he\u2019s a 26-year-old left-handed reliever, the kind of player who seems to shuffle through every team\u2019s roster in every season.<\/p>\n Dreyer has been a key contributor out of the Dodgers\u2019 bullpen, though, and there\u2019s a great chance by the end of the postseason, you\u2019ll know exactly who he is. He\u2019ll be the guy coming in to face a team\u2019s 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\u2019s for sure. \u2014 Grant Brisbee<\/p>\n Record: 72-53 Top rookie: RHP Mick Abel<\/p>\n 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\u2019s trade deadline blockbuster for closer Jhoan Duran. \u2014 Chad Jennings<\/p>\n Record: 73-53 Top rookie: RHP Braydon Fisher<\/p>\n This Blue Jays team really doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t have nearly the same offensive impact.) So, the best Blue Jays rookie has probably been Fisher, a versatile reliever who\u2019s 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. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n Record: 74-53 Top Rookie: \u2026RHP Troy Melton?<\/p>\n 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\u2019t pitched since the 28th of that month due to Tommy John surgery<\/a>.<\/p>\n Looking over the remainder of the roster, there aren\u2019t a ton of rookies to choose from, and the ones with positive fWAR are even more rare.<\/p>\n Enter Melton, who didn\u2019t 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!<\/p>\n Look, if Jacob Misiorowski can be an All-Star after five starts, Melton can be our Tigers pick here. It\u2019s not like he\u2019s costing anyone else a spot. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n Record: 70-53 Top Rookie: RHP Cade Horton<\/p>\n 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\u2019s success that made their deadline search for starting pitching a bit less desperate.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> in the third inning with Milwaukee leading 1-0 and the bases loaded.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, it doesn\u2019t change the fact that \u2014 if the Cubs are, in fact, a postseason team \u2014 they now have a pretty solid third starter behind Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd. \u2014\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n Record: 69-56 Top Rookie: RHP David Morgan<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. 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\u2019s funky, gas-throwing-right-hander factory.<\/p>\n He could be a featured reliever in the postseason, but he\u2019ll be fighting for innings in an absurdly deep bullpen. He needs a nickname to stand out. From now on, he\u2019s Zip Tie. Ol\u2019 Zip Tie Morgan, coming in to hold the lead in the eighth. His 98-mph fastball is the stuff of legends. \u201cThere goes Zip Tie Morgan, one of the greats.\u201d We\u2019ll workshop it and get back to you next week. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n Record: 68-58 Top rookie: OF Roman Anthony<\/p>\n This was set up to be the year of Kristian Campbell \u2014 he played second base on Opening Day \u2014 but his hot start faded, and Campbell\u2019s been in Triple A since mid-June. Carlos Narv\u00e1ez 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\u2019s 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. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n Record: 69-56 Top Rookie: OF Cam Smith<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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\u2019s a lot of life to pack into one calendar year.<\/p>\n So while Smith isn\u2019t exactly roasting American League pitching yet, and he\u2019s in an extended slump (.442 OPS in his last 113 at-bats), he\u2019s graded on a curve here. He has no right to be as helpful as he already is. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n Record: 68-58 Top Rookie: IF Cole Young<\/p>\n Young has the prospect pedigree, as the Mariners drafted him in the first round, and he\u2019s 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\u2019s not the whole story. He\u2019s also a solid defensive second baseman with a 99 OPS+, which is roughly the league average. That\u2019s the description of a player who\u2019s helping the Mariners in their postseason chase.<\/p>\n Then you remember that he\u2019s just 21, the same age as a college player. He\u2019s been just fine so far, but the ceiling is much, much higher. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n Record: 67-57 Top rookie: SP Will Warren<\/p>\n Expectations were sky high for outfielder Jasson Dom\u00ednguez, who\u2019s been solid but not great as the team\u2019s left fielder (which might be just fine, considering he\u2019s only 22). It\u2019s really been rookie starter Warren who has helped the Yankees the most. He\u2019s stabilizing the team\u2019s shaky rotation by making all of his starts and looking like a viable big-league starter. He\u2019s been more good than great, but that\u2019s what the Yankees needed from him. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n Record: 66-58 Top rookie: INF Ronny Mauricio<\/p>\n Third base has been a revolving door of young Mets. None of them has been an individual standout, but they\u2019ve all kept the team above water at the position (they\u2019re almost perfectly middle-of-the-pack in third base WAR, which isn\u2019t 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\u2019s been a nice piece of the puzzle. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n Record: 66-60 Top Rookie: RHP Chase Burns<\/p>\n With Rhett Lowder missing the whole year (so far) recovering from injury \u2014 and especially after Hunter Greene hit the IL earlier this season \u2014 the Reds needed a strong \u201cnext man up\u201d contribution from somewhere. They got it from Burns, the second pick in last year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n The right-hander has been electric since his debut. In five starts, he has struck out at least 10 hitters in four of them \u2014 and the lone exception was the game at Bristol Motor Speedway that was postponed in the bottom of the first inning.<\/p>\n The Reds will continue to be careful with Burns\u2019 workload, as it\u2019s his first year in pro ball \u2014 he\u2019s currently on the IL with a flexor strain<\/a> \u2014 but the future appears to be incandescent for the 22-year-old rookie. \u2014\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n Record: 64-60 Top Rookie: LHP Erik Sabrowski<\/p>\n 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\u2019s been worth more bWAR and fWAR than Sabrowski.<\/p>\n But Sabrowski has been utterly dominant out of the bullpen. Going into Monday\u2019s action, his 1.06 ERA in 17 innings actually raised his career ERA to 0.61. (He didn\u2019t 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<\/a>, he has been a godsend to the Cleveland bullpen. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n Record: 62-64 Top Rookie: RHP Jack Leiter<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Leiter is a good case study for not sounding the \u201cBUST\u201d alarm after 30 or so innings in the big leagues. He\u2019s been a big part of the Rangers\u2019 pitching success, making 21 starts in a rotation that leads the league in ERA.<\/p>\n Another reason Leiter gets the nod is \u2026 there aren\u2019t 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\u2019s Leiter and nobody else. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n Record: 64-61 Top Rookie: LHP Noah Cameron<\/p>\n Hat tip to MLB\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Cameron has an interesting profile as a starter. He doesn\u2019t strike out a ton of hitters \u2014 just 78 in 98 1\/3 innings \u2014 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.<\/p>\n 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. \u2014\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n Record: 61-64 Top rookie: OF Jake Mangum<\/p>\n You might think this would go to Junior Caminero, but the Rays\u2019 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\u2019s 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. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n Record: 61-64 Top Rookie: IF Christian Koss<\/p>\n 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\u2019t translate, and he was optioned back to Sacramento in June with a .541 OPS.<\/p>\n Since getting called back up this month, he\u2019s 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. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n Record: 62-64 Top Rookie: C Yohel Pozo<\/p>\n A backup catcher with five home runs and a .431 slugging percentage? That\u2019s every team\u2019s dream. It\u2019s a very boring dream, mind you, but that\u2019s all you really want from an understudy backstop, and Pozo has delivered.<\/p>\n Special recognition goes to pitcher Michael McGreevey, who has the greatest name of all time for an angry parent to say. \u201cMichael McGreevey, you get down here this instant,\u201d rolls off the tongue already, but then you find out his middle name is Stephen. It\u2019s perfect. Michael Stephen McGreevey, my stars. I\u2019m going to start yelling it at my kids when I\u2019m mad, it\u2019s so good. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n Record: 60-66 Top Rookie: LHP Kyle Backhus<\/p>\n This is not a Diamondbacks season that\u2019s 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\u2019s pretty bleak in terms of rookie contributions, and it\u2019s not much better on the pitching side.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s the winner by default, the two sweetest words in the English language<\/a>. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n Record: 60-65 Top Rookie: OF Bryce Teodosio<\/p>\n The Angels haven\u2019t given a lot of at-bats or innings to rookies this year, with Ryan Zeferjahn\u2019s 47 innings pacing the pitching staff, and Christian Moore\u2019s 103 plate appearances the most among position players. Neither of them has been any good, though, so it\u2019s hard to call them their \u201ctop\u201d rookies.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s the kind of profile that gets a player cut in the middle of a minor-league season, so it\u2019s remarkable that he even got to the majors in the first place. If he keeps playing this well, he\u2019ll stick around for a bit, too. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n Record: 56-69 Top rookie: C Drake Baldwin<\/p>\n This might be the easiest decision of the whole bunch; the A\u2019s 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\u2019s 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. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n Record: 59-66 Top rookie: OF Jakob Marsee<\/p>\n Just this once, let\u2019s do something almost all of you have never even considered doing outside of maybe the trade deadline: click the Marlins team page<\/a> on FanGraphs. Look at the name with the fourth-highest position WAR on the team, then look at the number of games he\u2019s 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 Jes\u00fas S\u00e1nchez, 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\u2019s first three weeks have been as productive as some players\u2019 first three months. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n Record: 58-66 Top Rookie: IF Luke Keaschall<\/p>\n 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\u2019s action, he was hitting .343\/.429\/.522 (.951 OPS) with as many walks (eight) as strikeouts.<\/p>\n
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