MLB 26-and-under power rankings: Taking stock of the young talent in each MLB organization, starting with the Phillies at No. 30

Welcome to the 2025 MLB 26-and-under power rankings.

This is our third year canvassing the baseball talent landscape using this methodology, having introduced the rankings in 2023 at FOX Sports and continued with another edition in 2024 here at Yahoo Sports. The goal remains to paint a broad picture of which organizations have the most promising collections of young hitters and pitchers who can help sustain success at the major-league level in the short and long term.

Farm system rankings and top prospect lists are classic approaches to accomplishing this objective, and such exercises do help convey which teams boast the brightest futures based on their collections of impact players developing in the minors. But looking strictly at rookie-eligible players is a limited scope. To better project each organization’s outlook, we believe it is critical to also evaluate the young players who are already in the majors and contributing. In turn, we’ve put together these 26-and-under power rankings in an effort to provide a more comprehensive overview of each organization’s talent base.

Of course, having productive young players is not the only way to succeed in the major leagues — superstar veterans remain the pillars of most successful big-league rosters, with last year’s pennant-winning Dodgers and Yankees prime examples of that. But the ability to acquire and develop young talent into productive big-league players remains the hallmark of healthy organizations across the league, whether they’re financial behemoths like the Dodgers or small-market contenders like the Guardians and Brewers. It is this fundamental element of the major-league ecosystem that motivates us to take stock of this crucial aspect of every team’s roster annually as a way to assess which teams are in particularly strong or weak positions to remain or become competitive in the near future.

Our rankings are the product of a scoring system that assigns each organization a grade in four categories:

• Young MLB hitting

• Young MLB pitching

• Prospect hitting

• Prospect pitching

In an effort to properly weigh the contributions of the players already making an impact at the big-league level, the young MLB hitting and pitching categories were scored from 0 to 10, while the prospect categories were scored 0-to-5. With success at the highest level paramount, it seems fair for teams with more young MLB talent to score higher on the whole than teams with the bulk of their promising youngsters either still in the minors or yet to establish themselves in the big leagues.

We also placed a greater emphasis on prospects expected to reach the majors in the relatively near future. While prospects thriving at the rookie levels and in A-ball can carry significant value, the longer the road ahead of them, the less likely they are to be relevant to a team’s outlook. As such, each team’s prospect grades focused on those players who have reached Double-A or above, with a handful of exceptions for elite prospects who project to move particularly quickly. Also, if a prospect-eligible player is expected to be on a team’s Opening Day roster — Dylan Crews or Jasson Dominguez, for example — we evaluated them as part of the team’s young MLB group.

After identifying the most relevant players in each of the four categories, we assigned each team scores and added them up to produce a total 26-and-under grade, with 30 the highest possible score. Following our initial round of scoring, adjustments were made based on feedback from people in and around the industry. This helped us modify certain scores and was valuable when it came to breaking ties between organizations with identical totals.

All players included for evaluation as part of these rankings are entering their age-26 seasons or younger, defined by Baseball-Reference as a player’s age on June 30, roughly halfway through the regular season. We chose 26 as the age maximum for this project to broaden the scope of evaluation and account for the majority of big leaguers who are still finding their footing as they enter their mid-20s. Outside of the select few phenoms who prove to be difference-makers before or not long after they can legally drink, most players 26 and younger are still working to establish themselves as relevant big leaguers.

Just last season, we saw bats such as Michael Busch and Wilyer Abreu make big contributions as 25- or 26-year-old rookies, while pitchers such as AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil and relief aces Mason Miller and Cade Smith made notable impacts on the mound at similar ages. With that in mind, 26 seemed like an appropriate upper limit for evaluation. These are players whose primes are, in all likelihood, still in front of them.

This cutoff does, however, result in some notable inclusions and exclusions. For example, Gil is only three months older than Astros righty Hunter Brown, but because Gil will turn 27 on June 2 and Brown won’t until Aug. 29, Gil is not part of the Yankees’ young talent, while Brown is included for Houston. It’s an imperfect demarcation, albeit a necessary one; we had to set the cutoff somewhere.

Also, while making 26 the cutoff generally achieves the goal of keeping this exercise focused on ascendant talents, some unusual outliers appear. The most glaring example is Juan Soto, who astonishingly still qualifies for this evaluation, having turned 26 this past October during his standout postseason with the Yankees. He has since signed the largest contract in North American sports history to anchor the Mets’ lineup for the next decade-plus, and he has already been a main character in the majors for quite some time.

The Dodgers’ 26-year-old right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto is another unique situation along these lines, having already signed a titanic free-agent deal that feels out of place relative to the vast majority of players in this project. That said, if one of the primary purposes of these rankings is to highlight the players whose best years could still be ahead of them, such is the case for Soto and Yamamoto, just as it is for their less compensated peers.

With all that prologue out of the way, let’s get to it. Below, in addition to noting the scores for each team in each category, we’ll highlight a handful of key players who fit in each bucket and contributed significantly to their organization’s place in the rankings.

Let’s begin at the bottom of the list.

30. Philadelphia Phillies (total score: 10/30) | 2024 rank: 23

• Young MLB hitters (2/10): OF Johan Rojas, C Rafael Marchan

• Young MLB pitchers (2/10): RHP Orion Kerkering, RHP Michael Mercado

• Prospect hitters (2/5): SS Aidan Miller, OF Justin Crawford, OF Gabriel Rincones Jr.

• Prospect pitchers (4/5): RHP Andrew Painter, RHP Moisés Chace, RHP Mick Abel, RHP Seth Johnson

How are the Phillies, a team with three consecutive playoff appearances, dead last on our list? A lot of it has to do with roster construction. The Phillies are built around a bevy of veterans on big contracts: Bryce Harper; Kyle Schwarber; Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler; Aaron Nola. Being in win-now mode means depleting the farm system in favor of bolstering the big-league roster. Also, a trio of impact players in Philly — Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh and Jesus Luzardo — miss our cutoff by a few months. There simply aren’t any open spots for young Phillies to seize playing time, which is a good problem that 20 other clubs would happily have.

Still, Rojas, an elite defensive center fielder who can’t hit, and Marchan, a talented but oft-injured catcher, have the tools to develop into every-day big leaguers. Rojas had a horrendous .601 OPS in 363 plate appearances last year, the sixth-lowest mark among hitters with that much playing time. He’ll continue to get chances to fail just because his glove is such a game-changer, but the Phillies’ offseason addition of Max Kepler is likely to push Rojas out of the starting lineup. Marchan impressed during a month-long MLB stint in 2024, but injuries have limited him to an average of 181 plate appearances per season since 2021. Expect him to make the Opening Day roster as J.T. Realmuto’s backup. Kerkering is a high-leverage reliever with a dastardly slider and a high-90s heater. Still just 23, he has already thrown in huge spots for the Phils and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

The Phillies’ middle-of-the-road farm system is built around a duo of potential impact pieces in Miller and Painter, yet it’s notably light in terms of depth. Painter, a 6-foot-7 right-hander, was the story of spring training in 2023 and looked primed to make his MLB debut that year. Then a barking elbow led to Tommy John surgery and robbed Painter of nearly two whole seasons. He looks back to his old self this spring and should help the big-league club this year. Miller, an infielder who can really rake, could also push his way to Citizens Bank Park in 2025. Chace throws unleaded gasoline that could play in an MLB bullpen right now, but the Phillies appear content to develop him as a starter for now. — J.M.

29. Colorado Rockies (total score: 11/30) | 2024 rank: 30

• Young MLB hitters (4/10): SS Ezequiel Tovar, 1B Michael Toglia, C Hunter Goodman, OF Jordan Beck

• Young MLB pitchers (1/10): RHP Seth Halvorsen, LHP Luis Peralta, RHP Victor Vodnik, RHP Angel Chivilli

• Prospect hitters (3/5): 3B/OF Charlie Condon, SS/OF Cole Carrigg, 2B Adael Amador, OF Yanquiel Fernández, C Drew Romo

• Prospect pitchers (3/5): RHP Chase Dollander, LHP Carson Palmquist, RHP Gabriel Hughes, LHP Sean Sullivan

The Rockies continue to exist in their own universe, as an organization that often seems more interested in selling tickets and craft beer than winning ball games. Colorado hasn’t made the playoffs since 2018, the second-longest drought in the National League, and while some intriguing young bats have percolated to the majors, it’s unlikely the Rox will end their schneid anytime soon in the loaded NL West. But they finished dead last in our rankings the past two years, so, well, this is progress.

Let’s begin with Brenton Doyle, who ages out of our list but is still worth a mention because his 2024 offers something of a blueprint for Colorado’s other young hitters. The speedy center fielder was an offensive zero in 2023 but took a massive leap forward in ‘24 in large part because the Rockies let him iron out the bumps at the big-league level. That’s a good lesson in developing bats such as Beck and Goodman, who both struggled as rookies last season.

In contrast, Tovar, a slick-fielding shortstop, and Toglia, a first baseman built like a mid-major power forward, took key steps forward. Tovar won a Gold Glove, but more importantly, he delivered average production at the plate. Still only 23, he’s an under-the-radar All-Star pick this year. Toglia, who clocked 25 homers, is a weird player. Tyler O’Neill was the only person in MLB who either struck out or walked in a higher percentage of plate appearances in 2024. If Toglia could just tone the Ks down …

Cultivating impact pitching in the thin air of Coors Field is, admittedly, a difficult proposition. Yet the Rockies also have a reputation for being behind the times when it comes to developing arms, particularly on the starting side. Notably, they don’t have a single 26-and-under arm in the projected rotation. Dollander, a consensus top-five pitching prospect with a special fastball, could change that soon. The ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft, the hard-throwing righty has enjoyed a smooth, linear climb up the minors and could show up in Denver this season.

Elsewhere on the farm, the Rockies are hoping for a bounce-back showing from Condon, the No. 3 pick last July. The strapping Georgia Bulldog won the Golden Spikes award for the top player in college baseball, thanks to a preposterous .433/.556/1.009 line. But upon arrival in pro ball, Condon looked stiff, tired and overmatched, with an awful .518 OPS in 25 games, though a thumb injury might have played a part. Getting Condon, who has a cathedral ceiling, back on track is priority No. 1 for Colorado’s player development group this season. — J.M.

28. Chicago White Sox (total score: 11/30) | 2024 rank: 26

• Young MLB hitters (1/10): C Korey Lee, 2B Lenyn Sosa, 3B Miguel Vargas, SS Colson Montgomery

• Young MLB pitchers (2/10): RHP Jonathan Cannon, RHP Sean Burke, RHP Drew Thorpe, RHP Shane Smith

• Prospect hitters (4/5): C Kyle Teel, C Edgar Quero, OF Braden Montgomery, INF Chase Meidroth, 1B Tim Elko, 3B Bryan Ramos

• Prospect pitchers (4/5): LHP Hagen Smith, LHP Noah Schultz, RHP Jairo Iriarte, RHP Grant Taylor, RHP Wikelman Gonzalez

The White Sox were historically bad in 2024, sinking to embarrassing depths that the organization will hope to never plummet to again. A series of trades and some strong recent draft picks have the farm system looking stronger, but the complete lack of players whom we know for sure to be good major leaguers keeps Chicago near the bottom of these rankings. While there are some promising pieces in place, we’re still a long way from knowing which players will form the core of the next good White Sox team — let alone how long it will take for such a team to come to fruition.

Chicago’s epic collective failure in 2024 was predominantly rooted in its abysmal offense, and it’s not readily apparent which young hitters could emerge as above-average big-league bats in the short term. Lee and Vargas have flopped offensively since being acquired via trade. Sosa had a strong September last year and was tremendous in the Venezuelan Winter League, but his upside is limited. Ramos scuffled in his brief debut stint and is now at least temporarily blocked by veteran Josh Rojas, so it’s unclear when we’ll see him back in the mix.

The most intriguing position players are the ones we have yet to see in the majors. Chicago’s first-round pick in 2021, Montgomery has arrived at an interesting juncture in his development. After excelling in the low minors and rocketing up prospect lists, he mostly struggled across a full season in Triple-A in 2024 as a 22-year-old, occasionally flashing high-end tools but striking out far too often to produce at a consistent level. In perhaps any other organization, Montgomery would likely return to Triple-A to refine his hit tool. But in an organization with so few proven pieces ahead of him at his position, there’s a clear path for the young infielder to break camp as Chicago’s starting shortstop, hence his inclusion in the young hitters group.

Montgomery will need to learn how to hit big-league pitching at some point, so perhaps it’s best to start giving him reps right away. Conversely, pushing a hitter too quickly can sometimes stunt their development. Whether spending most or all of 2025 in the majors will hurt or help Montgomery as he looks to prove himself as Chicago’s shortstop of the future will be a crucial storyline to monitor for this franchise.

In addition, there will be substantial focus this year on the trio of hitting prospects acquired from Boston in the Garrett Crochet blockbuster: Teel, Meidroth and Montgomery the outfielder. Teel and Quero, also acquired via trade, are a formidable duo of catching prospects who could reach Chicago in 2025. While each has hit well in the minors, it’s difficult to project virtually any catcher to be a legitimate difference-maker in the lineup due to the physical demands of the position. Meidroth is an on-base machine who can handle multiple infield spots, a high-probability contributor with modest upside. A switch-hitter with big power and a rocket arm in right field, Montgomery has a star-level ceiling but has yet to play a professional game; it’s far too early to crown him as a future anchor of the White Sox’s lineup.

For now, there is far more optimism on the mound. The headliners are Smith and Schultz, arguably the two best left-handed pitching prospects currently in the minor leagues. The 6-foot-9 Schultz carved opposing hitters with high velocity, a wicked slider and far better command than anticipated last year; he reached Double-A at age 20 and thrived. Smith parlayed a spectacular junior year at the University of Arkansas into being selected fifth by Chicago last summer. He should join Schultz in the upper minors to start this season and could pitch his way to the big leagues in short order. The organization that produced Chris Sale and Garrett Crochet just might have two more uniquely dynamic lefties on the way.

Beyond the splendid southpaws, both Cannon and Burke already look like steady innings-eaters, with Burke offering more swing-and-miss potential. Iriarte and Gonzalez also have nasty stuff, but their ideal roles are yet to be determined. And Taylor has built buzz since coming back from elbow surgery. It’s not impossible to envision a strong pitching staff coalescing in Chicago in the not-so-distant future. Whether the Sox can amalgamate an offense to support it remains to be seen. — J.S.

27. Miami Marlins (total score: 11/30) | 2024 rank: 21

• Young MLB hitters (2/10): SS Xavier Edwards, 3B Connor Norby, 2B Otto Lopez, INF Javier Sanoja

• Young MLB pitchers (5/10): RHP Eury Perez, LHP Ryan Weathers, RHP Max Meyer, LHP Andrew Nardi

• Prospect hitters (2/5): C Agustin Ramirez, 1B Deyvison De Los Santos, INF Jared Serna, OF Victor Mesa Jr.

• Prospect pitchers (2/5): LHP Thomas White, RHP Adam Mazur, LHP Robby Snelling, LHP Dax Fulton

It’s hard to fathom that the Marlins have appeared in the postseason more recently than the Red Sox, Cubs and Giants, among others, but president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has executed an extreme makeover of this roster — to the point that very few members of that 2023 playoff squad are still around just 16 months later. Since the beginning of last season, Miami has traded 14 players from its 40-man roster in exchange for 23 prospects, the majority of whom have yet to reach the majors. The result of this staggering amount of trades is a big-league roster bereft of proven talent, making it likely that the 2025 season will be the difficult nadir of this deep rebuild. It’s now on Bendix and new skipper Clayton McCullough to correctly identify which players can be core pieces for the long haul and nurture them into capable and impactful big leaguers.

Edwards was quietly a bright spot in 2024 as a speedy, switch-hitting shortstop with excellent contact skills but very little power to speak of. If he can improve as a defender and continue to reach base enough to bring value on the basepaths, he could entrench himself as a valuable every-day guy. Lopez is a far superior defender to Edwards but a less reliable bat; he’d be a bench guy on a better team. Norby has real power but has whiffed a bit too much at the upper levels; the same sentiment is true to the extreme for De Los Santos, who has thunderous pop but might never hit enough for it to matter. Keep an eye on Ramirez, acquired from New York in the Chisholm trade last summer, who could hit his way into significant big-league playing time in 2025. He could be an every-day, bat-first backstop if it all comes together.

But the star potential in this organization is found on the mound, as has often been the case with the Fish in recent years. Perez was marvelous as a 20-year-old rookie in 2023, and his return from Tommy John surgery later this summer will likely be one of the highlights of the season in Miami. Very few young pitchers on the planet have as high of a ceiling as Perez, and not just because he’s 6-foot-8; his combination of stuff, command and poise is simply uncommon for a pitcher his age.

Down on the farm, White could be the next big thing on the Marlins starting staff. The lefty received the 15th-largest signing bonus ($4.1M) as the 35th pick in the 2023 draft, and he quickly validated Miami’s investment, dicing up both levels of A-ball as a teenager in 2024. There’s zero reason to rush an arm such as this, but White should start 2025 in Double-A and will likely emerge as one of Miami’s best rotation options at some point in the near future. — J.S.

26. New York Yankees (total score: 11/30) | 2024 rank: 14

• Young MLB hitters (7/10): SS Anthony Volpe, C Austin Wells, OF Jasson Dominguez, UTL Oswaldo Cabrera, INF Oswald Peraza, C Ben Rice

• Young MLB pitchers (0/10): RHP Clayton Beeter

• Prospect hitters (1/5): OF Spencer Jones, C Rafael Flores, OF Everson Pereira, INF Jorbit Vivas, INF George Lombard Jr.

• Prospect pitchers (3/5): RHP Will Warren, RHP Cam Schlittler, RHP Chase Hampton, RHP Bryce Cunningham, RHP Ben Hess

The Yanks’ ranking takes a hit this year because Juan Soto, who is somehow still young enough for this exercise, is on the Mets now. Still, the Bombers’ big-league lineup boasts an impressive gaggle of 26-and-unders, which would be even stronger if Jazz Chisholm Jr. were a few months younger.

Wells, Volpe and Dominguez — who will play left this year but is still considered a center fielder in the long term — look to have the Yanks set up the middle for the next half-decade. Wells and Volpe are similar characters. Both play great defense at vital positions. Both have unscratched offensive potential yet are competent enough at present to remain valuable. And both get rave reviews in the makeup/work ethic/clubhouse department.

Dominguez is more of an unknown quantity. Perhaps the most famous amateur prospect to emerge from the Dominican Republic this century, the boxy, quick-twitch outfielder known as “The Martian” had his ascension disrupted by an ill-timed elbow surgery toward the end of 2023. He returned to the Bronx last year and featured on the playoff roster, but concerns about his outfield defense relegated him to the bench. Still just 22, Dominguez has somehow gone from overrated to overlooked. He figures to be a huge part of this upcoming Yankees season and is easily one of the more fascinating characters to watch in 2025.

The relative dearth of young pitching, both in the bigs and on the farm, is entirely linked to the Yankees’ perpetual contender status. Seemingly every July, GM Brian Cashman is dealing a promising arm or two or three to some bad team for a deadline boost. That has drained the system a bit, but this organization still has a magnificent reputation for pitching development, with Sam Briend, the club’s director of pitching, acting as mastermind. Given this team’s track record, don’t be shocked if this assortment of young arms takes a step forward or gets traded for a third baseman over the summer. Warren stands out as someone who could break into the big-league rotation this season if the injury bug hits the already stacked group of Bronx hurlers.

We’re a tick low on this offensive group. Jones has immense potential, but his 37% strikeout rate in Double-A last year has us spooked. Lombard gets rave reviews from scouts as a polished infielder with offensive potential, but he’s still a ways away from the big leagues and thus didn’t impact our grading too much. — J.M.