Five Must-Watch Rookie Hitters
Roman Anthony as a Roman Emperor according to ChatGPT
5. Agustín Ramírez, Miami Marlins | DH/C
Agustín is a 23-year-old bat-first catcher who hits from the right side. He’s one of the only Marlins who’s been exciting to watch, though he has slowed down since his .710 slugging % in April. He’s carrying a .775 OPS overall, and a .822 OPS vs RHP. Ramírez is able to combine elite bat speed with an excellent 16.1% K rate. If he can maintain both the bat speed and contact ability long term, he’ll likely have a job for years to come as a DH/1B. He will need to hack lefty starters to be more than a strong side platoon, and he’s only got a .600 OPS vs lefties in a small sample size at the MLB level. I also have doubts about his catching ability, just as the scouts do. He’s thrown out only three of 30 base stealers, has five passed balls in only 18 starts, and a mediocre 2.03 pop time. I don’t expect Agustín to survive as a catcher, but I think his bat-to-ball ability will eventually lead to him reaching competency vs lefty pitching. There probably aren’t any batting titles in the cards, but .270 with 30 HR a year seems like a reasonable expectation for the NL ROY candidate.
Agustín Ramírez Monthly Splits (bRef)
4. Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves | C
Drake has quite a few things in common with Agustín, they are both catchers and only six months apart in age. They’ve had hot starts and are considered rookie of the year contenders. Baldwin is widely considered the superior defender, though he lacks the plus arm strength. He also has better contact ability but seems unlikely to hit 30 bombs a year. The rookie catcher is hitting .303/.351/.508 in 42 games, and he’s one of the only Atlanta Braves not having a down year. Drake’s walk rate is below average at 6.9%, but he also carries elite bat speed and an impressive 15.3% K rate. Though he only had 133 plate appearances in the show, he put up an .892 OPS in AAA and raked at Missouri State as well. ZIPS projected .248/.324/.402 for Baldwin this season, but he seems to be closer to a .280/.350/.430 guy to me. If he does that as a catcher, he’ll be an All Star multiple times over.
Drake Baldwin Hitting Stats (bRef)
3. Jac Caglianone, KC Royals | 1B
Caglianone has few similarities to either of the previous two rookies, he has 70 grade power and was busy graduating from University of Florida this time last year. Cags draws comparisons to Pete Alonso often, who played in Gainesville and at Plant High. They also both play first and Caglianone has a similar 35-40 HR projection in his prime. Jac had slow pitch softball numbers at Florida, 75 HR and 189 RBI in 165 career NCAA games. He was hitting .322 with a 159 wRC+ in the minors before his callup this season, despite playing in both AA and AAA. He’s 6’5”, 250 pounds, and has hit several balls out of the stadium, sometimes even hitting adjacent buildings. Steamer projects Caglianone to hit .252/.307/.408 this year, which could be pretty close to accurate. However, I think Jac still has plenty of untapped potential, and I see him being a middle-of-the-order bat on the talented Royals club for years to come. He also has an opportunity this season that Drake and Agustín likely won’t, October baseball.
Jac Caglianone NCAA Stats (bRef)
2. Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox | RF
Roman was just called up this week, and he didn’t look great on Monday in his debut. He hit a few balls pretty well, but he chased a few pitches and made a pretty embarrassing gaffe in right field that cost the Sox a few runs. It’s likely just nerves though, Anthony should be a plus outfielder in right both by range and arm value. He has a 60 grade hit tool and 65 power, a rare combination for most young hitters. He has a career .879 OPS in the minor leagues, including a .940 OPS in AAA. One hitting comp for Anthony is Juan Soto, a left handed hitter with an exceptional eye and elite bat speed. Roman has a 19.1% BB rate in Worcester this season, and Soto is the MLB leader in walk rate at 18.7%. The Mets superstar has averaged 34 HR, 101 RBI, and a .418 OBP over his MLB career, a career that would be a great outcome for the 21-year-old Red Sox prospect. Anthony hit .316 against lefties in 2024, showing marked improvement as he did struggle against same side arms early on. The coaching staff will likely be focused on creating lift in his swing, he has had issues with hitting the ball into the ground early in his career. None of these concerns are too serious, especially when you contextualize how hard he hits the ball. Steamer projects Roman to hit .244/.340/.396 in 2025, which would make him a solid contributor with an ability to play all three outfield positions. Perhaps no other prospect in the MLB has a better shot at a Hall of Fame career than Anthony, long live the Roman Empire.
Roman Anthony Scouting Report (Baseball America)
1. Jacob Wilson, A’s | SS
The A’s have a few kids to be excited about, but probably none more than Jacob Wilson right now. He has 1st percentile bat speed, only a 2.9% barrel rate and 26.7% hard hit rate. He’s got slightly below average speed and ranks roughly average as a shortstop defensively. The son of All Star shortstop Jack Wilson, Jacob has elite bat-to-ball skills and contact ability that have translated to him hitting .366 through 272 plate appearances this season. The league was hitting .270 in 2000, compared to .244 now, so Wilson hitting .366 is analogous to a rookie 25 years ago flirting with .400. Jacob’s xBA is .311, so he’s certainly due for regression, but he should be able to hit .300 consistently because of his 99th percentile whiff rate and 100th percentile K rate. He likely won’t hit more than 15 HR in a season, but a .300 hitter competent at playing short will be in the league for a long time. He’s one of those guys who you want to see hit in extra innings when there is no open base. Seemingly more often than not, he comes through.
Jacob Wilson Hitting Rankings (Baseball Savant)