2025 MLB Rookie of the Year candidates: Jasson Domínguez, Dylan Crews, Andrew Painter and more contenders

Pittsburgh Pirates righty Paul Skenes and New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil have been named the 2024 Rookies of the Year. The two races were wide open for different reasons: the National League class was stacked — Skenes beat out the equally deserving Jackson Chourio and Jackson Merrill — while the American League class lacked a blow-you-away rookie. Maybe MLB and the BBWAA should have scrapped the AL award this year and given two NL awards? The NL had the far superior rookie class.

Anyway, no award gets you excited about the future the way Rookie of the Year does. It’s a young player being recognized for his greatness, and great young players are what sports hopes are built on. With that in mind, here’s a look ahead at the 2025 rookie class, and who could be in the running for the 2025 Rookie of the Year awards.

American League

2B Kristian Campbell, Red Sox: We could have gone with several other Red Sox prospects here, though Campbell appears to have a clearer path to MLB playing time than outfielder Roman Anthony, catcher Kyle Teel, and shortstop Marcelo Mayer both because second base is wide open in Boston and because he’s a right-handed hitter. The Red Sox lineup is very left-handed heavy at the moment and Anthony, Teel, and Mayer are all lefty bats. Campbell, 22, was the biggest breakout prospect in the minors in 2024, slashing .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers while climbing from High Class-A to Triple-A.

OF Jasson Domínguez, Yankees: Even if the Yankees re-sign Juan Soto, they still have another outfield spot to fill, and it would seem Domínguez has a leg up on that job. Still only 21, Domínguez got into only 18 big league games this past season and didn’t perform well at the plate or in the field when he did play. He did slash .309/.368/.480 in Triple-A after completing his Tommy John surgery rehab though, and if owner Hal Steinbrenner sticks to his plan to reduce payroll, the Yankees will need to plug cheap young players into the lineup somewhere. That creates an opening for the prospect known as The Martian.

SP Jackson Jobe, Tigers: Jobe, 22, is arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball, and it became clear very quickly he was the second-most talented pitcher on Detroit’s staff during his late season big-league cameo. Things didn’t go well for him in the postseason, though it was an impossible ask thrusting him into those games in an unfamiliar role (as a reliever). Jobe had a 2.36 ERA in 91 ⅔ minor-league innings while climbing from High Class-A to MLB. He struck out more than a quarter of the batters he faced. It’s difficult for a starter to win Rookie of the Year because they all have their workloads kept in check, but Jobe has the talent to win the award.

National League

OF Dylan Crews, Nationals: Crews made his MLB debut in late August but retained his rookie-eligibility heading into 2025. The .218/.288/.353 slash line was unimpressive, though Crews did swat three homers and steal 12 bases, all while playing excellent defense in right field. The soon-to-be 23-year-old was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft and, among NL Rookie of the Year hopefuls, he has by far the best chance to spend the entire 2025 season in the big leagues. He’ll hit toward the top of the lineup right from the get-go on Opening Day.

SP Andrew Painter, Phillies: After missing the entire 2023 and 2024 regular seasons with elbow trouble and Tommy John surgery, Painter returned to official game action in the Arizona Fall League last month, and struck out 18 batters in 15 ⅔ innings. More importantly, his stuff was electric, including a fastball that touched 99 mph. Painter will turn only 22 in April and he will need to have his workload monitored next year, his first full year following elbow reconstruction, but Phillies POBO Dave Dombrowski is never shy about bringing his top prospects to the big leagues, and Painter has the talent to make an immediate impact.

C Dalton Rushing, Dodgers: After locking up Will Smith to a 10-year contract extension in March, the Dodgers had Rushing begin learning left field, and he played 31 games there in the minors in 2024. The soon-to-be 24-year-old slashed .271/.385/.512 with 26 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A this past season and he seems poised to jump into the Dodgers’ lineup next summer, likely as a left fielder but also perhaps getting some time behind the plate. Either way, Rushing is a bat-first prospect and the bat is significant.

Mystery league

SP Roki Sasaki: The Chiba Lotte Marines will indeed post Sasaki for MLB teams. It just hasn’t happened yet, and the longer it takes, the more likely it is his 45-day posting period will bleed into the 2025 international signing period that opens on Jan. 15. At that point the international bonus pools will reset, giving every team more money to throw at Sasaki. No matter where he ends up (probably the Dodgers), Sasaki will immediately become a Rookie of the Year (Roki of the Year?) favorite. He has top of the rotation ability and would be able to out-stuff hitters in the short-term as he works to become a more complete pitcher long-term.