By Joe Browne

*To clarify, while 2024 is absolutely baked into these lists, they are far from the sole factor. These lists are meant to be a projection of how I believe these players will perform in 2025.

1. Jose Ramirez, Guardians

It is difficult to see anyone besides Ramirez topping this list. Ramirez has consistently put up MVP caliber after MVP caliber season en route to building himself a resume that may be Hall of Fame worthy when it is all said and done. The driving offensive force in Cleveland’s run to the ALCS a season ago posting a remarkable slash at .279/.335/.537 and tying his career high by smacking thirty nine homers. Also, falling just one homerun shy of the historic 40/40 club as he swiped forty one bags. 2025 could finally be the year that Ramirez takes home AL-MVP honors following his seventh season fishing within the top ten of voting. Ramirez will continue to cement himself as an all time great in 2025 and beyond. 

2. Austin Riley, Braves

Riley was consistently one of the best hitters in the game from 2021-2023 before a blip year in 2024. The 2024 campaign for Riley was an injury riddled and overall down season. Only playing in 110 games and posting his worst numbers across the board since becoming an everyday player in 2021. A respectable slash at .256/.322/.461 and nineteen homers is nothing to scoff at, just not the numbers we have come accustomed to with Riley. The reason why he is so high on this list is because of the belief that Atlanta’s lineup will overall be much better in ‘25. Every main hitter in the Braves lineup aside from Ozuna had down-years in ‘24. Also, the return of 2023 National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. will be a big shot in the arm for them. On top of that, Riley’s peripherals were on par with the rest of his career last season he just lacked results. Indicating that Riley ran into some bad luck and is due for a big time bounce back year in 2025. 

3. Rafael Devers, Red Sox

As Devers is in the midst of his prime it is abundantly clear he is one of the best pure hitters in all of baseball. Coming off another great year in 2024, Devers has cemented himself at the top of this list for years to come. While he has proved that his defense will always be subpar, his consistent offensive production over the years has more than made for it. The Red Sox arguably have improved the most out of any club this offseason; be on the lookout for Devers in big-time moments this season. 

4. Royce Lewis, Twins

Unfortunately, it is not smart to expect a full season out of Lewis but for the sake of the list it is a must. The former first overall pick is primed for a breakout campaign in 2025. In only 152 career games thus far, Lewis has slashed .268/.327/.497 en route to accumulating a 4.0 fWAR. For a player with that little of a sample size those numbers are exceptional. Even if Minnesota could get just 130 of the 162 games from Lewis in 2025, the production could be exceptional. 

5. Manny Machado, Padres

Even as Machado begins to play into his thirties, he can still hang with the best of them at the hot corner. Machado improved on a bit of a down 2023 with a much better 2024 season. Especially in the second half of the season where he really began to hit his stride. Manny slashed .286/.333/.543 and popped sixteen homers after the all star break last year. Also, his batted ball data improved from past seasons. With a few more strong seasons under his belt, Manny is well on his way to a surefire Cooperstown bid. 

6. Alex Bregman, Free Agent

Coming off a down-year in 2024, Bregman has struggled to find a new home thus far in free agency. 2024 was undoubtedly his worst full season in the bigs. The main issue for Bregman last season was his alarming dip in on-base percentage. He went from a .373 OBP from 2016-2023 to a lowly .315 in 2024. Despite that massive dip, Bregman still possessed an elite eye at the dish and only struck out 12% of the time. This massive fall-off in OBP led to his OPS being significantly lower than it has been in the past and reflected in his overall numbers. I still have full belief in Bregman’s ability to play at an elite level and hopefully he can find a new club soon for him to prepare for 2025. 

7. Matt Chapman, Giants

In his first year with San Francisco, Chapman was just about as good as we have ever seen him. Chapman accumulated a 7.0+ bWAR for the first time since 2019 and posted his best numbers across the board since that season. A major part of the wins he contributed to the Giants was on the defensive side of the ball. Historically, Chapman is one of the best we have ever seen at third base and 2024 was no different posting an elite eleven outs above average. Also, Chapman’s batted ball data was exceptional which could lead for an encore performance offensively. The elite defense will always serve as a backbone for Chapman’s value and anything extras he does offensively is a huge bonus.  

8. Mark Vientos, Mets

The entire look on Mark Vientos has completely flipped in the last calendar year. Vientos went from a player who was considered too good for triple A but not good enough for the big leagues to a cornerstone of the Mets future. While it is still unclear whether Vientos will play first or third base this year, he will find himself right in the middle of the Mets order. In just 413 AB’s Vientos smacked twenty seven homers and posted a .838 OPS. Including a good amount of those to right field showing off his elite power. He also added five more homers in the playoffs and they all came in big spots. The defense at third and swing and miss needs improvement but with experience it can come. Vientos proved himself not just to Mets fans in 2024 but also to all of the other fans in baseball. 

9. Isaac Paredes, Astros

Houston’s new third baseman comes off a down year split between Tampa Bay and Chicago. Paredes is primed for a breakout in Houston due to the home ballpark’s dimensions. He has hit a grand total of zero homeruns in his career that were not to his pull side of left field. Houston offers the shortest distance down the left field line which is going to play right into Paredes’ strength of pull hitting. Also, his elite eye at the plate is going to help him get on base consistently and be a driving force for Houston’s new-look lineup. The biggest downside with Paredes is his inability to hit the ball hard which has continually hurt him in his career. Expect 30-35 homers for Paredes in his first year in Houston. 

10. Max Muncy, Dodgers

The veteran Muncy rounds out the list coming off a shortened yet very productive 2024. As Muncy enters his mid-30’s it begins to get difficult to see him continuing to put up great numbers for LA. A power hitter like Muncy who has an elite eye and walks just about as much as anyone without striking out is very rare. Muncy has been a starter for the Dodgers for the last seven seasons. That is extremely impressive given the Dodgers commitment to always trying to improve their roster. Muncy has proved his value time and time again and stuck around for the long haul in LA.

Sources:

Baseball Reference

Baseball Savant

FanGraphs

Statmuse