Austin Wells, Jackson Chourio and High 25 MLB Rookies of 2024

Because the calendar will get set to flip to September, it is time for one more replace to our month-to-month MLB rookie rankings.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes and San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill stay the clear high canine on this 12 months’s rookie crop, however there was loads of shuffling behind them in latest weeks.

New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio have raised their inventory significantly with sturdy second-half showings, and that’s mirrored of their vital climb up the rankings this time round.

Future expectations, long-term upside, preseason prospect rankings and minor-league monitor information have been not a think about these rankings. The only real focus of those rankings is on every participant’s general 2024 manufacturing on the MLB degree.

These hitters all made our preliminary checklist, however fell wanting cracking the ultimate High 25:

OF Lawrence Butler, OAK
3B Junior Caminero, TB
OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC
C Adrian Del Castillo, ARI
2B Nick Gonzales, PIT
2B/SS David Hamilton, BOS
C Iván Herrera, STL
OF Rece Hinds, CIN
1B/2B Spencer Horwitz, TOR
2B Colt Keith, DET
OF Heston Kjerstad, BAL
OF Wyatt Langford, TEX
C Korey Lee, CWS
IF Nick Loftin, KC
1B/OF Joey Loperfido, HOU/TOR
C Kyle McCann, OAK
OF Parker Meadows, DET
OF Andy Pages, LAD
C Pedro Pagés, STL
OF Wenceel Pérez, DET
SS Brayan Rocchio, CLE
1B Nolan Schanuel, LAA
IF/OF Daniel Schneemann, CLE
SS Max Schuemann, OAK
OF Michael Siani, STL
IF Weston Wilson, PHI

These pitchers all made our preliminary checklist, however fell wanting cracking the ultimate High 25:

SP Spencer Arrighetti, HOU
SP Valente Bellozo, MIA
SP Hayden Birdsong, SF
RP Spencer Bivens, SF
SP/RP Ben Brown, CHC
RP Cam Booser, BOS
SP/RP José Buttó, NYM
SP Jonathan Cannon, CWS
SP/RP Cooper Criswell, BOS
RP Declan Cronin, MIA
RP Hans Crouse, LAA
SP Joey Estes, OAK
RP Tyler Ferguson, OAK
RP Ryan Fernandez, STL
SP Robert Gasser, MIL
SP Kyle Harrison, SF
RP Tim Herrin, CLE
SP DJ Herz, WAS
RP Porter Hodge, CHC
SP/RP Grant Holmes, ATL
RP Bryan Hudson, MIL
RP Bryce Jarvis, ARI
SP Jared Jones, PIT
RP Orion Kerkering, PHI
RP Bryan King, HOU
SP Landon Knack, LAD
RP Jacob Latz, TEX
RP Kyle Leahy, STL
RP Luke Little, CHC
RP Yuki Matsui, SD
RP Erik Miller, SF
RP Kyle Nicolas, PIT
RP Dedniel Núñez, NYM
SP Mitchell Parker, WAS
RP Randy Rodríguez, SF
SP Yariel Rodríguez, TOR
SP River Ryan, LAD
RP Eduardo Salazar, LAD/WAS
SP Christian Scott, NYM
RP Justin Slaten, BOS
SP/RP Mitch Spence, OAK
RP Hunter Stratton, PIT
SP Randy Vásquez, SD
RP Victor Vodnik, COL
SP Matt Waldron, SD
RP Danny Younger, NYM

Is Mason Miller a rookie?

In line with the rookie leaderboards at MLB.com and FanGraphs, he’s a part of this 12 months’s rookie class, however a fast take a look at his Baseball Reference page reveals the next line:

The confusion appears to stem from what number of days of service time he accrued final 12 months whereas spending roughly 4 months on the injured checklist, and whether or not his retroactive placement on the injured checklist to Might 8 meant that Might 8 counted as a day of service time or not.

It is a convoluted state of affairs that may very well be simply resolved with one fast press launch from Main League Baseball, however so far that has not occurred.

There may be some precedent right here, as Keibert Ruiz was considered rookie-eligible heading into the 2022 season and Vegas sportsbooks have been even actively taking bets on him early within the season, just for it to finally be clarified that he had exceeded rookie limits the earlier 12 months primarily based on lively service time.

Baseball Reference had it proper from the beginning in that case, so I am inclined to imagine there’s a cause they nonetheless haven’t altered that line on Miller’s web page.

For now, I am going to proceed to work beneath the idea that he’s not rookie eligible.

If he was, he would slot into the highest 10 in these rankings.

25. OF James Wooden, Washington Nationals

Stats: 50 G, 130 OPS+, .275/.374/.429, 15 XBH (5 HR), 30 RBI, 0.8 WAR

Wooden seems the a part of a future middle-of-the-order star, settling in properly because the Nationals on a regular basis left fielder since making his MLB debut on July 1. The 21-year-old has lots to dwell as much as because the prospect centerpiece of the blockbuster deal that despatched Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres on the 2022 deadline, however he’s off to a pleasant begin.

24. SS Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins

Stats: 47 G, 138 OPS+, .349/.428/.436, 11 XBH (1 HR), 17 RBI, 22 SB, 2.0 WAR

A High 100 prospect previous to the 2020 season when he was nonetheless a member of the Padres group, Edwards was traded twice earlier than discovering an everyday position with the Marlins this season. He took over because the group’s beginning shortstop after veteran Tim Anderson was minimize free, and whereas he has bottom-of-the-scale energy, his contact expertise and elite pace have been on full show.

23. RP Justin Martinez, Arizona Diamondbacks

Stats: 50 G, 6 SV, 8 HLD, 2.02 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 11.2 Ok/9, 58.0 IP, 1.8 WAR

Armed with a high-octane sinker that averages 100.1 mph and a splitter that has generated a 52.7 % whiff price, there isn’t a query Martinez has late-inning stuff, and the D-backs turned to him to shut video games when Paul Sewald hit a tough patch. The 23-year-old was signed for simply $50,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, and on the time he was comparatively new to pitching having simply moved to the mound after beforehand enjoying within the outfield.

22. OF Jhonkensy Noel, Cleveland Guardians

Stats: 43 G, 154 OPS+, .254/.326/.602, 17 XBH (12 HR), 23 RBI, 1.1 WAR

Is there a greater nickname in baseball proper now than the one given to the hulking 6’3″, 250-pound Noel? “Large Christmas” has lengthy been one among baseball’s greatest power-hitting prospects with a 32-homer season in 2022 and a 27-homer follow-up in 2023, however the query has all the time been whether or not he would make sufficient contact to make the most of that energy. The 23-year-old is putting out at a 31.1 % clip in his first big-league motion, however that hasn’t stopped him from launching 12 dwelling runs in 132 plate appearances.

21. SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers

Stats: 14 GS, 2.92 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP, 17 BB, 84 Ok, 74.0 IP, 1.7 WAR

Yamamoto has not pitched since June 15 when he left his begin towards the Kansas Metropolis Royals after simply two innings with what turned out to be a rotator cuff pressure. He started a rehab project at Triple-A on Wednesday and can probably make at the least yet another begin earlier than the group considers activating him, however the larger purpose will probably be getting him prepared for the postseason.

20. 3B Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers

Stats: 111 G, 104 OPS+, .243/.341/.398, 31 XBH (9 HR), 45 RBI, 7 SB, 2.2 WAR

Ortiz was a part of the NL Rookie of the Yr race over the primary two months of the season, however his manufacturing has dipped. For the reason that begin of July, he’s hitting .191/.275/.305 with simply 9 extra-base hits in 149 plate appearances, and he has been moved all the way down to the No. 9 spot within the batting order. The 26-year-old nonetheless has an especially brilliant future, although, and he may take over at shortstop subsequent 12 months if Willy Adames walks in free company.

19. SP Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves

Stats: 15 GS, 3.72 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP, 18 BB, 102 Ok, 87.0 IP, 1.7 WAR

The No. 5 spot within the Atlanta rotation was a revolving door till Schwellenbach made his MLB debut on Might 29, and he has settled in properly because the season has progressed. For the reason that begin of July, he has a 2.60 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 55.1 innings with seven high quality begins in 9 outings. The 24-year-old’s emergence has given the group a rotation constructing block heading into an offseason the place Max Fried and Charlie Morton are each free brokers.

18. IF/OF Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Pink Sox

Stats: 129 G, 90 OPS+, .259/.290/.404, 37 XBH (13 HR), 61 RBI, 17 SB, 2.5 WAR

Whereas the .290 on-base share and three.1 % stroll price depart lots to be desired, Rafaela has been an especially invaluable participant for the Pink Sox this season. The 23-year-old has supplied some thump on the backside of the lineup whereas enjoying elite protection in heart discipline and filling in capably over 578 innings of motion at shortstop. The eight-year, $50 million extension he signed in April seems like a shrewd transfer by the Boston entrance workplace.

17. OF Jacob Younger, Washington Nationals

Stats: 122 G, 87 OPS+, .255/.314/.338, 25 XBH (3 HR), 30 RBI, 30 SB, 2.8 WAR

Chicago Cubs rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong has obtained loads of hype due to his highlight-reel protection and top-of-the-scale pace, however Younger has primarily the identical toolbox and has been the much more productive rookie. His 12 Defensive Runs Saved rank fifth amongst all outfielders and his 30 steals are good for fourth on the NL leaderboard.

16. SP Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins

Stats: 23 GS, 3.85 ERA (109 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 38 BB, 102 Ok, 117.0 IP, 2.1 WAR

After making a single spot begin in 2022 and 2023, Woods Richardson has damaged by way of to shore up the again of the Minnesota rotation and assist ease the lack of Sonny Grey in free company. The 23-year-old has been a high-ceiling prospect since he was taken within the second spherical of the 2018 draft, and the Twins acquired him together with Austin Martin within the deal that despatched José Berríos to Toronto on the 2021 commerce deadline.

15. C Austin Wells, New York Yankees

Stats: 91 G, 116 OPS+, .256/.347/.426, 25 XBH (10 HR), 38 RBI, 2.3 WAR

It has been a story of two seasons for Wells in his first 12 months because the Yankees beginning catcher.

The 25-year-old has clearly turned a nook, and whereas he would possibly climb all the best way to the highest of the AL Rookie of the Yr race, he has as a lot upward momentum as anybody in these rankings.

14. SP Tobias Myers, Milwaukee Brewers

Stats: 20 GS, 2.99 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP, 28 BB, 94 Ok, 108.1 IP, 2.1 WAR

Earlier than this 12 months, Myers was greatest generally known as the pitcher the Rays gave as much as purchase a younger Junior Caminero from Cleveland previous to the 2022 season. He additionally hung out with the Giants and White Sox earlier than touchdown in Milwaukee previous to final 12 months. The 26-year-old has held down a rotation spot for 20 begins, and whereas his 4.15 FIP speaks to some regression to come back, he has been a useful piece of the puzzle for the NL Central leaders.

13. OF Wilyer Abreu, Boston Pink Sox

Stats: 104 G, 128 OPS+, .269/.338/.500, 44 XBH (14 HR), 51 RBI, 7 SB, 2.9 WAR

Abreu missed two weeks in June with an ankle harm and took a while to shake off the rust as soon as he returned, however he has been a gentle offensive contributor for the Pink Sox for a lot of the 12 months. The 25-year-old has additionally considerably outperformed Alex Verdugo, who he successfully changed in proper discipline after he was traded to the New York Yankees in the course of the offseason.

12. RP Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians

Stats: 62 G, 20 HLD, 2.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 12.3 Ok/9, 63.0 IP, 2.0 WAR

11. RP Hunter Gaddis, Cleveland Guardians

Stats: 63 G, 27 HLD, 1.65 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 8.3 Ok/9, 60.0 IP, 2.2 WAR

The Guardians have baseball’s greatest bullpen with a 2.82 ERA that’s greater than a half run higher than the Brewers (3.35) and Braves (3.36) who slot in behind them on that leaderboard. Nearer Emmanuel Clase is having a tremendous season, however the rookie tandem of Smith and Gaddis additionally deserves a ton of credit score for the job they’ve achieved because the group’s main setup choices.

Smith ranks sixth amongst certified relievers with a 35.4 % strikeout price, whereas Gaddis leads all rookies and ranks seventh within the majors with 27 holds. They’re additionally two of the 17 pitchers throughout baseball who’ve made at the least 60 appearances in 2024.

10. SS Tyler Fitzgerald, San Francisco Giants

Stats: 70 G, 155 OPS+, .292/.347/.557, 38 XBH (14 HR), 29 RBI, 16 SB, 2.7 WAR

Fitzgerald was an afterthought within the spring battle between veteran Nick Ahmed and prospect Marco Luciano for the shortstop job. Quick ahead to August and Ahmed has been launched, Luciano is in Triple-A and Fitzgerald is likely one of the most efficient rookies in baseball. The 26-year-old solely appeared among the many Giants’ High 30 prospects as soon as, checking in at No. 28 previous to the 2020 season, however he has emerged as a invaluable younger piece at a premium place.

9. SP Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers

Stats: 24 GS, 3.33 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 36 BB, 112 Ok, 135.1 IP, 2.3 WAR

Stone gained the No. 5 starter job out of spring coaching and has been a stabilizing presence in a Dodgers rotation that has used 17 totally different starters on the 12 months. The 25-year-old has tossed a team-high 135.1 innings and the Dodgers are 16-8 in his 24 begins. It will likely be fascinating to see how he components into the Dodgers playoff plans, assuming Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto each return earlier than the beginning of the postseason.

8. 1B Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs

Stats: 125 G, 117 OPS+, .254/.340/.439, 42 XBH (16 HR), 50 RBI, 2.8 WAR

Busch crushed Triple-A pitching final season, however and not using a clear path to enjoying time on a stacked Dodgers roster he was deemed expendable and flipped to the Cubs in trade for prospects Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope. The 26-year-old has been the Cubs beginning first baseman from the bounce this 12 months, and with membership management by way of the 2029 season, he must be a staple in the midst of the North Siders lineup.

7. OF Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles

Stats: 125 G, 121 OPS+, .247/.324/.446, 40 XBH (19 HR), 57 RBI, 8 SB, 2.5 WAR

It has been a roller-coaster season for Cowser, with the league adjusting to him after a blistering begin, just for him to make the mandatory changes on his finish and return to a stable degree of manufacturing:

It is a rookie season that intently mirrors what James Outman did for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023.

6. OF Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers

Stats: 118 G, 108 OPS+, .272/.318/.444, 37 XBH (16 HR), 59 RBI, 19 SB, 3.0 WAR

Chourio is the youngest participant to seem in an MLB recreation this season, clocking in roughly three months youthful than Baltimore Orioles high prospect Jackson Holliday. The 20-year-old took his lumps early after breaking camp with a beginning job, however he’s hitting .312/.359/.520 with 15 doubles, 11 dwelling runs, 43 RBI and 12 steals in 270 plate appearances because the starting of June. With 4 extra dwelling runs and yet another steal, he’ll turn into the primary rookie in Brewers historical past with a 20/20 season.

Stats: 24 GS, 3.39 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 66 BB, 144 Ok, 124.2 IP, 2.8 WAR

Contemplating he was solely on the Opening Day roster as an harm substitute for Gerrit Cole, it has been a wildly profitable season for Luis Gil within the New York Yankees rotation.

The 26-year-old missed most of 2022 and all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure, so the Yankees have understandably been fastidiously monitoring his workload, limiting him to fewer than 100 pitches in 22 of his 24 begins.

He’s at the moment sidelined with a decrease again pressure, nevertheless it sounds like his keep on the injured checklist will simply be for the minimal 15 days. The query then turns into whether or not he can safe a spot within the postseason rotation whereas additionally making a number of closing makes an attempt to construct his case for AL Rookie of the Yr honors.

Stats: 123 G, 108 OPS+, .284/.332/.423, 39 XBH (11 HR), 46 RBI, 10 SB, 4.6 WAR

Masyn Winn regarded utterly overmatched on the plate in his first style of the massive leagues final season, hitting .172 with a 28 OPS+ in 137 plate appearances after making his MLB debut on Aug. 18.

That was cause sufficient for the Cardinals to herald veteran Brandon Crawford on a one-year deal as an insurance coverage coverage at shortstop if he continued to wrestle, however he has taken the on a regular basis job and run with it this 12 months.

The 22-year-old has lengthy been considered as a possible Gold Glove defender, and he leads all shortstops with 13 Defensive Runs Saved whereas showcasing one of many strongest throwing arms in baseball.

Offensively, he has raised his OPS nearly 300 factors relative to his lackluster exhibiting down the stretch in 2023, and it now seems just like the Cardinals have their reply at shortstop for the foreseeable future.

Stats: 24 GS, 3.08 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 22 BB, 140 Ok, 140.1 IP, 2.3 WAR

Left-hander Shōta Imanaga has made a clean transition to Main League Baseball after eight seasons with the Yokohama Bay Stars within the Japanese League, and he has been a constant brilliant spot for a Chicago Cubs group that has fallen wanting expectations.

If not for 2 horrible begins in the course of the first half of the season when he allowed a mixed 19 hits and 17 earned runs throughout 7.1 complete innings, his sturdy general numbers would look even higher.

With these two duds faraway from the combination, he has a 2.10 ERA in 133 innings over his different 22 appearances, and his 14 high quality begins slot in simply forward of Paul Skenes (13) to guide all rookie pitchers.

Stats: 129 G, 126 OPS+, .292/.322/.490, 47 XBH (19 HR), 75 RBI, 14 SB, 3.6 WAR

With a .318/.348/.659 line that features 5 doubles, three triples, six dwelling runs and 21 RBI in 93 plate appearances in August, Jackson Merrill is making a compelling case to overhaul Paul Skenes within the NL Rookie of the Yr race.

For now, he stays at No. 2 in our rankings, however he is rapidly approaching “1A” territory.

The 21-year-old has been a staple within the San Diego Padres lineup since breaking camp with the group and serving because the beginning heart discipline for the group’s two video games towards the Los Angeles Dodgers within the Seoul Sequence to open the 12 months.

It is a credit score to his general baseball acumen that he’s studying tips on how to play heart discipline on the fly after spending the majority of his time at shortstop within the minors, and he is nonetheless posting elite offensive numbers.

Stats: 17 GS, 2.16 ERA (192 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, 25 BB, 130 Ok, 104.0 IP, 4.5 WAR

The hole between Paul Skenes and Jackson Merrill has narrowed significantly, however for now the Pittsburgh Pirates flame-throwing rookie nonetheless holds onto the highest spot in our rookie rankings.

The Pirates have began to handle his workload by pitching him each six days, however he has continued to dominate when he takes the mound, tossing six scoreless innings of two-hit ball with 9 strikeouts towards the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 22.

He has allowed greater than two earned runs simply twice in 17 begins, one among which was his MLB debut, and on high of his pristine 2.16 ERA he has additionally restricted opposing hitters to a .198 common and .575 OPS throughout 400 plate appearances.

With a sturdy 6’6″, 235-pound body and an elite repertoire of pitchers, he must be a perennial Cy Younger contender and the face of the franchise for a Pirates group on the rise within the coming years.